Existentially Bound: Part 11
Paths
It is a difficult thing, to be something so small in a world so big. Creatures of the smallest, however, can make the biggest impact. By human standards, Paige was a smaller one, and in her youth, even more so. It was easy for the girl to slip in and out of places she shouldn't, thus, she had ventured from her classmates without even being noticed. The Heartwoods contained trails which lead deep into it, offering numerous bugs and adventure to discover. While Paige had traveled the roads and played on the other side of Alter Brook, her father had forbidden her to venture into those trails. And even though Paige always wanted to please her father, her insatiable curiosity and wonderment was never fully subdued. She stepped lightly into the thickness of the wood with trepidation, but her heart pounded with the excitement of exploration. Her hazel eyes glanced back to her class to ensure her absence was undetected before she disappeared into the woods…Paige gave a squeeze to Harid's robotic hand, staring through the laser grid at his devastated expression. "It will be okay, father. I'm not a little girl anymore… I can take care of myself," she said with the most reassuring smile she could muster, given the darkness of the Inquest facility and the eerie omnipresent red light. "Besides, I have Emily with me, and you've seen what she can do! And… what I can do," she said her eyes awkwardly straying from the intimidation of his own.
Harid's dour expression fidgeted at the statement, recalling the instances of magic he had witness Paige performing, as well as her use of necromantic incantations to drain herself and restore life to Shiera. And, while he knew her mother's talents had been within Paige, he had hoped his guidance and foreboding had steered her from the path. In truth, his overprotection was only spawned from love and for his daughter's safety, and he had trouble letting it -letting her- go.
"It's okay. You deal with those things. Pink can get this barrier down and you all can come to meet us. Just promise me you'll be careful, father."
Harid almost chuckled, despite the tears in his eyes. "Thought that was my line."
In the most difficult moment either have had to do, father and daughter let go of each other's hands and separated…
"We'll be alright," Emily offered as the tear-filled woman came to stand beside her.
"I hope so. Rose and Pink are skilled, and Taliha has proven capable. But, I still worry for father."
"He's a soldier; he's strong. They'll be fine. Us however…"
Ember's words were immediately interrupted followed by Valandra's voice. "Have confidence in our abilities!"
Paige raised an eyebrow. "Were you talking to me, or to yourself?"
Emily shrugged, "Sometimes it's difficult to know."
They both peered further down the hall, in the direction Six's scream originated. The lights pulsed with foreboding scarlet illumination, creating a strange blindness in one moment, then sight the next. Both walked carefully, prepared for traps, automated defenses, reptilian creatures, or tubes of monstrosities. The hall, however, seemed vacant, save a mounted monitor and a row of buttons on a console below it. Paige came to stand behind the console, looking it over, while Emily took a few more steps forward.
"Wait, why would this be here? There's no tanks around like the other halls," Paige said worried they were missing a clue.
Emily let out a loud audible sigh to project her irritation . "Look, there's another console further down. Let's just go for it!"
Paige returned the sigh in a mocking tone, herself irritated with her partner's impetuousness. She looked back at the console of red buttons, none of which were on, the monitor dark and finally concluded that, although she annoyed to admit it, Ember did have a point. Spinning on her heel, she took a step toward Emily, who was obviously delighted with the outcome. "Only because we must find Six," Paige murmured, a bit bitter the woman seemed so happy.
The victory however, was short lived, as the archway before them quickly hummed to life. A forcefield of lightning quickly manifested, shooting out one side of the arch, entering the other, creating a barrier of electricity. "Dammit!" Emily swore.
Paige glanced back to the console which had begun flickering and beeping. Her eyes darted back to Ember, who stood sheepishly folding her arms.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah… You were right," she hissed. "Just… try to get it deactivated, yeah?"
The poofy-haired woman was already at the console, examining the patterns of lights. "It seems to be a simple lights-out designed puzzle. I think I can-" She pressed a button on the console, the first of the sequence, which greatly changed the pattern in a more complex shape. The monitor above flickered on, static subduing, giving rise to a scene that froze Paige in her tracks.
Six Alpha, their comrade and Paige's long-time friend, hung suspended in the center of a round magnetized circular archway which pulled at the shackles upon her wrists and ankles, outstretching her. She wore only a tattered sheer shirt covered in grime and blood and looked quite thinner and less healthy than she had when Paige last saw her.
Paige covered her mouth, immediately sickened by the display. There was a small part of her that sill hoped, however, that her friend was alive. She could barely utter her name. "S-Six?"
The teen hung for a moment longer before willing her head up, barely able to lift it on her own accord to look directly into the monitor. "Paige?" she asked wearily.
"Six? Oh thank Kormir you're alive! I… Hold on! We're busting you out!"
The young girl tilted her head for a moment, tears filling her eyes. "Paige? I… I can't hear you," she said trying futilly to wiggle from the shackle's hold. After a few minutes, her defiance died, exhausted from the effort. "Listen… If you can hear me: I am sorry! I'm sorry for everything! I… I killed Harid! I… I didn't mean to! I… wasn't able to stop myself. I'm… Oh gods, I'm so sorry," Six pleaded in anguish, tears streaming down her cheeks, landing on the already sodden and soiled shirt. Her head dropped. "It wasn't me; It was Lennk's doing! You… You have to believe me!" she sobbed.
"Father is alive! You didn't kill him!" she shouted at the monitor.
Suddenly an electric shock came from the outer ring of the device holding her, sending the pulses directly into the cuffs. At once, Six screamed and convulsed at the current delivered.
"Oh am I interrupting this conversation?" came a male asuran voice from offscreen.
Paige glowered, clenched her fists. "Stop this you monster!"
The scene readjusted, pointing to the floor a moment, then back to reveal Lennk's face almost comically close to the view. A wild grin was plastered upon his face. "Why hello Paige!"
"Why? Why do this to Six? Why are you still harassing us?" Paige spat.
A female voice came from offscreen as Kievaa let out a mocking, "Harassing us?"
Lennk chuckled. "Why? Oh, let me count the reasons… Well, let's see, first and foremost, you have RUINED my prize possession here!" He shouted, gesturing back to Six. "You had to go and give her free will, and that's just not something we can have! So… because of your meddling I've had to… do things… to make her obey once again."
Paige stammered backward, her hand on her head, the unspeakable atrocities numerous in her mind.
"What's the matter? Lost your resolve already? Well, perhaps for motivation, you need incentive. If this isn't enough…" Lennk pressed a button on a pad which instantly shot the same archs of lightning into Six, who screamed, shocked back to consciousness, then passed out again. "Perhaps the death of another will provide inspiration!" The man leaned forward, pressed a button, which immediately generated a hum from the corridor Emily occupied.
At once, a laser grid sprung to life on the opposite end of the hallway, began to inch toward her. Emily's eyes were wide. "Uh… Paige. Less talk, more action!"
Transfixed on the monitor, Paige was almost shaking with anger. The monitor flicked off with a grinning Lennk before words could come to her, the hatred for the asura a foreign and unsettling feeling.
"Paige!" Ember shouted to rouse the woman's trance.
Emily's predicament snapped her to; Paige returned to the console of lights, pressing a few more patterns into it. The complexity turned into a knot of lights, which in turn, made the woman unravel them in her head.
It was only a small amount of time in the thickness of the trees that Paige found herself lost among them. Ever the adventurer, however, the girl sought out that which had pulled her in: bugs and creatures, in all their complexities. But, before even attempting to find one, she was presented with a butterfly, flapping its wings, frantically, exhaustively attempting to free itself from the spider web in which it was caught.
The girl reached up and began to unravel the cobweb to free the poor creature, but upon doing so, was heartbroken to discover its life was forfeit. She fell dejectedly to the ground sobbing, in her hands, the carcass of the insect. Paige prayed to the Gods to restore its life, wished to cash in any wish she'd ever made to bring the helpless butterfly back. But the Gods didn't answer; her wishes remained ungranted… until… the girl's hand started to glow a soft green glow. It quickly burst into a vividly bright magical light, and Paige's eyes were wide with shock at the unfathomable spectacle… But she was not afraid; rather, she felt as though it was a part of her, and something not to be feared.
Instinctively, the young Paige placed both hands around the insect, cocooning it as the magical powers flowed from her arms and into it. Then, as quickly as the light came, it went. She nervously unsandwiched her hands, scared of the outcome.
Miraculously, the butterfly emerged, flapped its wings a few times, then flew away. Paige giggled, excitedly and playfully chased the butterfly, which led her out of the woods. Deeper within the thickness however, was a being with four arms, who had been observing the event. A grin came to the Djinn's lipless face…
"Ha!" Paige exclaimed suddenly as she went about solving the puzzle. The lights and the 3d display presented upon the console was a spider-web, needing to be deconstructed!
"Any time would be good!" Ember said, the ever-present danger of the laser grid closing. "Valandra? What can we do? I'm… I'm scared." the woman conferred with her other half.
"I know nothing we can do. You witness what happened when we attempted thwarting the other one!"
"Well, we can't just stand here and get filleted! If there's any way we can get additional power… I think we need it now," Ember implored.
Valandra flushed with worry. "I fear we may need such power. Did you not see the horde that is dormant? What if we face more of those ahead?"
Ember rubbed the back of their neck. "All the more reason to… stop being separate. I… I think it's time. I will open myself up to you. Because I trust you, and I… I love you."
"Are you… Are you sure about this?" Valandra asked. The women never openly discussed it, though both had felt the thoughts within each other's minds. "If we do this, you will see the parts of my past you may wish you hadn't. Horrible parts; horrific parts. The violations and atrocities… Everything. As I will see all of you and your… dark past."
Ember took in a breath, the laser grid now mere steps away. "I know you. The real you. And, you know me; We've shared so much and grown so close. I know we love each other. And, I think it's time we are one… completely… and whole."
Valandra squeezed her arms around Ember. "As you wish, my love." A light blue aura began to form around Emily as her two parts began the process of breaking down their mental barriers allowing the magic to completely extinguish the small flame within.
Paige glanced at the grid, then bewilderedly back to the console. The patterns she had gone through all made sense, yet the grid was still closing and the electrified wall remained. In a cry of frustration, she slammed her fists upon the console, sparking and igniting the circuitry within that quickly bolted her back on her behind. At once, the electricity died and the grid powered down. Paige sat up with poofier-than-normal hair as a slight puff of smoke came from her mouth, a satisfied grin on her face.
"Like I would really allow Lennk to kill you!" came the shrill voice of Kievaa from the next monitor.
Emily immediately, instinctively spun around, interrupting her own previous plan. Her eyes darted to and fro, ice particles already beginning to freeze around her clenched fists. When it was discovered it was yet another transmission on the screen, Ember spat out a line of profanity.
Kievaa appeared shocked. "Really, is such language necessary? Can't we remain civil?"
Paige clomped past Emily, her hair still smoking. "What the hell do you want with us?" she yelled, staring at the monitor.
The asura blinked eyes of jade. "What do I want with you? Oh, nothing… (Nothing at all!) What you both should be asking is… 'What do you want from me?'" Kievaa toppled over, her butt still in view for a moment, before springing back up with a vibrant blue shining upon her devilishly grinning face. From the bottom of the screen, Valandra's fully reconstructed ice sword was presented with a mockingly awed expression from the asura. She cackled a moment before saying, "I have something you don't have," in sing-song.
"My vessel!" screamed Valandra, launching herself at the monitor, bringing with her a freezing gust which instantly froze the screen, right before a fist of ice was brought down, shattering it.
Ember glanced around at the shards. "Well, that's one way to shut the bitch up."
Paige almost laughed. "I somewhat enjoyed that reaction."
Emily blinked a moment then grinned as she walked slowly down the hallway. "Then you're going to love what we do to her when we see her!"
The couple rounded a corner, where steps led to a room illuminated with a gateway of swirling plasma - a portal of asuran magic; it's destination unknown. Emily paused, glanced around the room to discover no additional outlets. Paige stared at the pink magical vortex.
"We do it," came the ice queen's voice.
Paige flushed with awkwardness. "We… We what?"
"We combine."
"I don't think that doing… that… would help our situation! Besides, we're half-sisters! (Well, quarter sisters? I'm unsure at this point!) I still don't think it appropriate! What would that accomplish anyway, I-" Paige rambled.
Frosty hands gripped the woman's shoulders as a grin came to Valandra's face. "Paige, you fool! I wasn't speaking of such things… You will stay here. What I mean is… we (Ember and I) are to combine."
"You… what?" Paige deadpanned at the unexpected plan.
Ember sighed. "We are two halves… Not… Not complete yet. We are going to completely become one and end it all, taking those damned asura out once and for all!"
"No! You can't be serious! After all we did to save Valandra? Don't… Don't talk like that!" Paige's eyes welled up. "What would that even do to you? To you both?"
"We… We don't know. I… I might be going away." Ember removed her hands and slightly smiled from the corner of her mouth. "But… It's time. She's always been my other half, Paige."
"Fire and ice, it seems, are destined," Valandra said in her usual prophetic tone.
Paige couldn't hold back the tears. "But what about Demitra? What about you both being together? She's your wife; there's gotta be another way! She can't… I can't lose you!"
A voice whispered into Ember's ear, "Kiss her you fool. I will… give you control." Pulling the woman close, Ember Drakenfist pressed her lips softly to Paige Dejarin, kissing her passionately for the first time in months… and quite possibly for the last time.
After a time, both pulled back, stared into each other's eyes. Ember's purposefully warmer hand on her former lover's cheek. "Tell Demitra we loved her; Both of us, in our own ways. And, if we are lost, just promise me you'll love her just as we have."
Paige nodded, still sniffling and crying.
Ember took a few steps toward the portal, then glanced over her shoulder. "And, do me a favor… raise some drakes for me," she said with a smile before she stepped into the glowing vortex and vanished.
Paige stood, sobbing, shivering, completely alone in a room washed with the pink lights from the energy in the portal. After a few quite minutes, she gathered herself, stood upright and clenched her fists. With a determined look, she stepped through the portal as well.
Beyond the back wall, away from the portal, yet still close enough to witness the scene was a two-way monitor. Upon it, Kievaa grinned wildly as she flipped a switch on a nearby console. "About time!" she said as the screen fizzled off.
[To Be Continued...]
