Distorted

Chapter twenty six, The show begins.

"What do we see in a world that doesn't see us?"

Our insignificance lowers us deeper into the soil with each step we take towards the sky. Merit has climbed the highest of mountains only to find the fewest of hope. All that burden gradually thickening and weighing down on her young shoulders made her inevitably feel something she had always feared, resentment.

Andres was here to split the burden with her, but although their meeting was warm and assured Merit that she's indeed not alone, as soon as they had left Ross behind and she gave herself time to take a deep look at what Andres has become, the insecurity found its way inside of her, playing with each string of her heart and each passing thought in her electrified mind. Andres was silent and so was she, but that didn't last for long.

The wind was howling like a young hurricane across Ilusia and all of its branches. The airships had been frozen awaiting Ross' orders, The Lightmen had disappeared, but the most terrifying possibility Merit could think of was imminent, Ilusia's war titan won't be resting in Librarian square for long.

Young children collected flags like souvenirs while their parents prepared themselves for the apocalypse. It was clear that at this point the defensive force of Ilusia no longer had a leader and whoever was left to fight had no reason to fight for. The factories were burning fuel and coal with no workers to operate them, Steamhall market grew crowded as citizens armed themselves with the forbidden robots and A.I machinery that would protect them from whatever danger they couldn't see.

The sky wasn't beautiful, lighting with freedom as Ross would say. It was dark and numb, smoking with the airships' dirty fuel and the flags they showered the people with still fell occasionally. Only those who were sane enough understood the propaganda Ross' army initiated to encourage people's curiosity to go beyond Ilusia' borders and finally bring back the robotic industry with the all the freedom for Ilusia' people right to practice it.

Underneath the black hooded cloaks the two young ones wore there was a hidden tear that dried as they walked. Merit suddenly stopped midway and asked Andres to step into a hidden alley for a second.

"Whats it?" He asked, she sighed but boldly looked into his eyes. "How did you find me? And how are you no longer a Lightman?" Merit asked, she had no sense of carefulness towards Andres feelings at all. The boy stood still looking into her golden eyes that have long lost their glamour, and that icy hair that grew dusty and unkind to her face. The wind blew her hood away a little bit showing how pale and different she looked. Although she was quite masculine, her face looked weak and exhausted and her eyes looked somehow..empty.

"I know you've lots of questions, Its been five years, and they weren't kind to both of us." Andres said, his eyes shied away from her deep stare. "I know all of that, but I also know that I've been betrayed by everyone I trusted, and I have the right to doubt your intentions." Merit said, still not giving Andres a bit of trust.

The wind blew between them as the crowds' steps grew quicker and louder, soon, they both could see that the people were running, loud screams could be heard from a distance and approached them with the wind.

Their conversation was interrupted, Merit ran to the corner of the alley grabbing a child from his arm and dragging him, "What's going on?!" She shouted so the child can hear her, "The airship in Liberation square fell down killing everyone!! The others look unstable too!!" The child said as Merit loosened her grip on him and let him go. Andres approached her, "All we have is twenty-four hours to reach Corelight, if not, Ilusia will be in flames."

As the panic's flame rose among the residents, Merit observed the airships in the sky as they seemed to be out of control out of the sudden. She eyed Andres in confusion, "Do you know anything about this?!" She asked, he sighed and then nodded in affirmation, "Titan had already sent his signal, It will arrive soon." Andres said as Merit swallowed the lump in her throat as she starred at the doom sky that no longer shielded those underneath it, the sky is the enemy of those who hadn't protected its sanctity for ages, It's payback time.