Powerless

XXXI - Embrace

I ran. I didn't know for what or to where. I only ran, through the brown, rocky streets of Stormpolis. My wings flapped behind me like an open coat. 

"Luci!" Theo's voice said behind me.

Something held my wing back. In total panic, I disconnected my wings from my back and abandoned them. With my back bleeding I ran on, but not for long, as I bumped into a Stormling. 

"Look out!" he said, and we both fell.

"Luci!" Theo said again, and this time he grabbed me by the shoulders. "Please don't run away!" 

"LEAVE ME!" I screamed, and I started to cry. 

"Sssht." Theo said, and wrapped his arms around me.

All of the sudden, my will to fight had drained away. All I could do is cry. 

"Sssht..." Theo repeated. "It's okay, you don't have to cry."

"Go away." I sobbed, trying to get back some power into my words. "I wish I wasn't part of your crazy plan. I want to forget you and everything about Stormlings and Shinelings and whatever -lings there are left that I don't know about. I want my normal life back, do you hear me?! I WANT MY NORMAL LIFE!"

Theo held me tight, so that I couldn't break out of his embrace. "It'll soon be over." he said softly. "We're almost there, trust me, then you can have your life back and live it like whatever you want to live it like."

I couldn't find more words. My thoughts seemed like a raging storm in my brain. 

"I know you don't want this plan to fail, either." Theo whispered in my ear. "You said it yourself: you don't want your brain to be manipulated for nothing. Honestly, all that needs to happen is you asking Rana to form an alliance. She'll say yes, I'm sure of that, and then we've done it. Then you've done it. Then it hasn't been for nothing." 

"I'm not going to do it..." I cried. 

"Luci, please!" Theo said, breathing heavily. "We've come so far... Don't throw it away!" 

His grip tightened, and I almost felt like he was strangling me. Somewhere deep inside me, a dark instinct woke up from its slumber, and my skin began to glow with the energy of the powers. Not just my hands, but all over my body. I saw a puff of smoke from my shirt, and suddenly Theo screamed in pain and let me go. His arms and hands were burned. Mine were burning- literally.

"All you care about is your plan!" I growled. "Have you ever even thought about what it's like for the people involved?!" 

Theo crawled backwards. The fear was clear to read on his face. 

"Have you ever thought about what it was like for Idio to explode? And for that Stormling to have his brain boiled? And for Fenna to stay in that prison for all that time?!" 

"I'm sorry..." Theo whispered. "I'm so sorry... You're right..."

"You can stop the drama!" I spat out a few sparks. "As I said before: if I have a task to complete, I will- but not because I like you!"  

Theo stood up while turning around, and he ran. About as fast as I ran from him. 

I turned around. The Stormling I had bumped into still stood there, staring at me. 

"Spread the word." I said. "The war is over."