The room was dim, lit only by the faint blue glow of Retsuki's presence. His voice cut through the tension like a blade, calm yet unyielding.
Retsuki: "Get up. You're coming, regardless."
Marten shot to his feet, his face storming with frustration and disbelief.
Marten: "You don't get to decide that for me! You're not some messiah, Retsuki. Stop pretending like you're always right, like you know what's best for all of us!"
Retsuki turned to face him fully, his glowing form casting shifting shadows on the walls. His steady and resolute voice carried an undeniable weight.
Retsuki: "This isn't about what's best for me. Or you. This is about what's right. Alitha is suffering because she chose to stand with us, to fight for something bigger than herself. And we owe her more than just words of gratitude-we owe her action."
Marten's fists clenched, his knuckles whitening. His anger and fear all simmered beneath his skin, threatening to boil over.
Marten: "And what if she's already dead? What if we go in there, and it's all for nothing? Have you ever thought about that, Retsuki? Or are you so blinded by your self-righteousness that you'd throw us all into the fire to soothe your guilt?"
Retsuki didn't flinch. He took a step closer, the hum of his energy filling the silence between them.
Retsuki: "If she's gone, we bring her back to remind the Upbringers that they can't take our people without consequence. And if she's alive, we show her we haven't given up. That we don't abandon our own. What's the alternative, Marten? To sit here and do nothing? To let them win?"
Marten opened his mouth to argue, but no words came. The sheer conviction in Retsuki's voice made it impossible to respond. Verena, sitting in the corner, stood abruptly, her expression unreadable.
Verena: "He's right."
Marten turned to her, startled.
Marten: "You're taking his side now? After everything?"
Verena: "This isn't about sides. This is about surviving in a way that matters. I'm tired of running, Marten. What the hell are we even doing if we don't fight for each other?"
Marten's shoulders slumped, his defiance crumbling under the weight of their words. He looked at Retsuki, his voice bitter but resigned.
Marten: "Fine. But don't expect me to save your glowing ass if this goes sideways."
Retsuki gave a faint nod, turning toward the door. His glow brightened slightly, the intensity of his resolve shining through.
Retsuki: "It won't go sideways. We're bringing her back."
The air was stifling within the labyrinthine prison, the walls slick with condensation and grime. Verena led the way, her movements quick and precise as she deactivated security panels and rerouted surveillance feeds. Each step deeper into the complex felt like walking into the mouth of a beast.
Marten kept close behind, his hand gripping his weapon tightly. Retsuki followed silently; his glow dimmed to avoid detection. The faint hum of his energy seemed out of place here, a fragile light in a world of darkness.
Verena: (Whispering) "Next corridor is guarded. We'll need to disable them quietly. Retsuki, can you-"
Before she could finish, Retsuki moved ahead, his body dissolving into a faint current of electricity. He slipped into the surveillance cameras, his energy crackling faintly along the wires. Moments later, the lights flickered, and the guards dropped to the ground, unconscious.
Marten: (Muttering) "Show-off."
Verena: (Ignoring him) "Let's move."
When they reached the solitary confinement wing, the silence was oppressive. The air smelled of antiseptic and something darker, like blood and fear. Verena paused, her hand hovering over a keypad, her face pale.
Verena: "She's in there."
Retsuki stepped forward, placing his hand on the door. His energy pulsed, the locks clicking open with a faint hiss. Inside, the cell was dark and suffocatingly small. Alitha sat slumped against the wall, frail and covered in bruises. Her eyes, hollow and bloodshot, flicked toward them as the door opened.
Retsuki: (Kneeling beside her) "Alitha."
She blinked slowly as if unsure whether he was real. Retsuki reached out, taking her hand in his. For a moment, her lips quivered, but no words came. Her silence was louder than any scream.
Marten: (Urgently) "We need to move. Now."
Retsuki gently lifted Alitha, her weight almost nothing in his arms. Her head rested against his chest, and for the first time, she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Alitha: "I... thought you wouldn't come."
Retsuki: (Softly) "We'll always come for you."
The alarm blared as they fled through the corridors, the sound like a living thing chasing them. Wardens flooded the halls, their boots pounding against the metal floors.
Marten fired back at their pursuers, his shots precise but desperate. Verena led the way, her movements frantic as she turned off security barriers. Retsuki carried Alitha, his form glowing brighter with each step, his energy crackling around them like a shield.
Marten: (Shouting) "They're closing in! We won't make it at this pace!"
Retsuki: (Gritting his teeth) "Keep moving. I'll hold them off."
Verena: "Don't you dare try to play the hero, Retsuki!"
But he didn't listen. He stopped, turning to face the oncoming Wardens. His glow flared to an almost blinding intensity, the air around him crackling with electricity.
Retsuki: (To Marten and Verena) "Get her out. I'll find you."
Marten hesitated, his face torn between anger and fear, but Verena grabbed his arm, pulling him forward.
Verena: "We don't have time for this! Let's go!"
As they disappeared around the corner, Retsuki unleashed his power, and a surge of lightning ripped through the corridor, consuming the Wardens in a blinding flash. The prison trembled under the force, the walls scorched and blackened.
Back at the hideout, Alitha sat wrapped in a blanket, her face pale but determined. Marten paced the room, his hands shaking. Verena sat silently, her eyes fixed on the floor.
When Retsuki finally returned, his glow faint but steady, Alitha looked up at him. For the first time, her eyes held something other than despair.
Alitha: "They tried to break me."
Retsuki: (Kneeling beside her) "They failed."
Her lips curved into the faintest smile, a fragile glimmer of hope in the darkness
The hideout was silent, the air thick with the aftermath of their escape. Retsuki stood in the center of the room, his glow subdued, his voice calm but commanding.
Retsuki: "All of you sleep now. Alitha, you can tell me everything once I wake you."
His tone left no room for argument, and though Marten opened his mouth to protest, the exhaustion in his limbs and the ache in his chest won out. They settled into the scattered makeshift bedding around the room one by one.
Retsuki sat against the wall, his glowing figure casting faint, jagged shadows across their weary faces. His gaze lingered on Alitha for a moment before he turned his attention to the darkened windows. He would stay awake longer, watching over them and letting his mind twist around what lay ahead.
Marten Dream
Marten stood in an endless desert, the sky above a sickly, seething red. The horizon was littered with bones-bleached white, stretching endlessly in every direction. He stumbled forward, the sand scorching his feet, and realized he was following a trail of blood.
At the end of the trail was his family. His wife and daughter stood before him, their backs turned. They were reaching for something in the distance, something shining and unattainable-a faint, golden light.
Marten: (Whispering) "No... don't go. I'll come to you!"
He tried to run, but the sand swallowed his legs, dragging him down with each step. His wife turned to face him; her face hollowed, her eyes empty sockets that bled black ichor.
Wife: (Accusingly) "You let us die, Marten. You cared more about your fight than your family. Was it worth it?"
His daughter's small voice joined in, her tone brittle and distant.
Daughter: "You said you'd save us. But you saved them instead."
Marten screamed as their bodies crumbled into dust, the wind carrying them away. He fell to his knees, clutching handfuls of sand that slipped through his fingers, and from above, a voice boomed like thunder, shaking the ground beneath him.
Voice: "Your sacrifice was never enough. You'll always fail those who matter most."
The blood trail shifted into a river, consuming him, and he awoke with a sharp gasp, drenched in sweat and unable to shake the ghostly echoes of his family's voices.
Verena Dream
Verena stood in a cathedral. The walls were impossibly high, lined with stained glass windows depicting scenes of fire and suffering. The pews were empty, save for shadowy figures that flickered in and out of existence, their faces shrouded in darkness.
At the altar stood a towering figure cloaked in silver robes, holding a flaming sword. The figure turned, and Verena recognized it as herself, but her face was contorted-split into two halves, one serene and angelic, the other twisted and demonic.
Verena's Twin Voice: (In unison) "Which one are you, Verena? The creator or the destroyer?"
The twin voices filled the cathedral, echoing until they were deafening. The stained glass windows shattered, and flames erupted from the cracks in the floor.
She stumbled backward as her twisted reflection stepped closer, the sword pointing at her chest.
Twisted Verena: "You're nothing but a fraud. You paint pretty pictures of rebellion, but your heart is black. You abandoned them all. What makes you think you can save anyone now?"
Behind her reflection, the flames rose higher, forming the outline of a cross. From the fire emerged Paragus's son, his body radiant with lightning, his eyes piercing as they locked onto hers.
Paragus's Son: "You've seen me, Verena. You know what he is. And yet you follow."
Before she could speak, the flames consumed her, searing her flesh and leaving her screaming in a vortex of guilt and pain. She awoke shivering, her hands trembling as she clutched her blanket.
Alitha Dream
Alitha was in the Warden training grounds, but the sky above was darkened by storm clouds that churned and pulsed like a living thing. The other Wardens surrounded her, their faces blank, their uniforms pristine. She stood at attention, but her uniform was torn and bloodstained.
From the ranks emerged her former commander, his face severe and cold. He held a mirror and thrust it in front of her.
Commander: "Look at yourself, Alitha. See what you've become."
She saw her own face in the mirror, but her eyes were glowing with the same electricity that surrounded Retsuki. Her lips twisted into a snarl, and her reflection spoke.
Reflection: "You betrayed us. You betrayed yourself. And for what? A cause that will kill you?"
The other Wardens began chanting in unison, their voices mechanical and hollow.
Wardens: "Traitor. Traitor. Traitor."
The ground cracked beneath her, and she fell into a pit of bodies, their hands clawing at her, dragging her down. At the bottom of the pit was Paragus's son, his radiant form flickering like a candle in the wind.
Paragus's Son: "They'll never forgive you, Alitha. And neither will you."
He reached out to her, his hand glowing with lightning. When she grabbed it, the electricity coursed through her, searing her flesh and filling her with blinding pain. She screamed as the vision dissolved, her heart pounding as she jolted awake.
Retsuki Vigil
Retsuki watched them sleep, his glow faint but steady. He could see the tension in their faces, the twitching of their limbs as they dreamed. He didn't need to guess what haunted them; he could feel it in the air, the weight of their guilt and fear.
He turned his gaze to the corner of the room, where the faint outline of a figure began to materialize. It was Paragus's son, his form made of lightning, his presence both comforting and unsettling.
Paragus's Son: "They see me in you."
Retsuki: (Softly) "Because you are me. Or I'm you. I don't know anymore."
The figure stepped closer, his face a perfect mirror of what Retsuki imagined Paragus's son had been-youthful, full of hope, yet burdened with an unspoken sorrow.
Paragus's Son: "You were made to be more than this. But you can't carry them all. You'll break before you bend."
Retsuki: "I'll carry them because no one else can."
The figure smiled faintly, but it was a smile tinged with sadness.
Paragus's Son: "Then you'll burn out. And when you do, they'll remember the light but forget the cost."
As the figure dissolved into a flash of lightning, Retsuki sat back against the wall, his resolve hardening. Whatever the cost, he would carry them. He had to.