"Test subjects 012 and 013 secured."
Riven's blood ran cold.
'Test subjects?' The words burrowed into his mind, conjuring images of the liquid that had burned through his veins. His gaze darted to Ashwyn, still asleep, unaware of the danger they were in.
The door clicked shut, leaving Riven alone with his thoughts and the weight of Havel's words. He sank onto the edge of the bed, staring at the tray of food. His appetite was gone.
'First were the emotions and the Wraith transformation, and now "test subjects"?' he thought.
'Does it mean something other than what I'm thinking? Ahhh, why can't I think straight? Damn it all.' he gritted his teeth.
Then his left arm tingled, a faint echo of the pain from before. He rolled up his sleeve, half-expecting to see something monstrous, but his skin looked normal.
'What did they do to me, or what did the liquid do to me? To us?' he said, glancing at the sleeping Ashwyn.
Then, it started to become a little clearer to him.
"The liquid," he snapped.
'The robed man was forcing Ashwyn to drink it earlier. Havel came out of nowhere and started a brawl with the bishops. He must have known about them, or maybe he was just passing by? That didn't matter. What mattered was that the liquid was bad news.'
His mind went silent for a minute, then he fell flat onto the bed, lost in his thoughts. He didn't even notice that he landed his head on Ashwyn' s bosom and not a pillow.
Well, he couldn't tell. It shared the same softness as a pillow and was almost the same size. Almost even better than a pillow.
'The liquid touched me... so what happened to me?' he thought, raising his hand into the air and staring at it.
Just then, the "pillow" he rested on moved. At first, he didn't give it any thought until a loud bang landed on his head, followed by a girl's scream.
Riven immediately scrambled up, holding his head tightly.
"What did you do that for?" he yelled at Ashwyn, still scratching his head.
"Shut up, pervert! My chest isn't your pillow, you fool!"
'Wait, I was resting on her...'
He tried to move closer and fell to his knees.
"I'm sor—" he stopped, noticing Ashwyn's reaction. When he got closer, she scrambled away from the bed, almost falling. It was a sudden change from seconds ago when she woke up. It was as if Riven was a monster.
"Huh?" Riven was confused.
"Aren't you supposed to have long fingernails... claws and... and... a twisted face?" Ashwyn stammered.
"Huhhhh?" he said and tried to move closer to her.
"Don't come near me, you monster!" she yelled, almost hitting the wooden wall. She calmed down, breathing heavily, as the realization set in. Riven didn't look like a monster anymore—but that didn't mean he wasn't one.
"What do you mean? Did you hit your head before going unconscious? Why would I be a monster? I'm proudly the boy you helped run away."
"...Yeah, and I regret helping you," Ashwyn snorted.
"...but are you sure you're the stupid runaway and not a monster?"
"Why would I be a monster, Kippy? Argh... this makes no sense."
"But I saw... you change into one of those things... those people changed into..."
"Whaaaaaaaattttttt... wait, why am I surprised? No, I should be surprised. Or should I not be surprised? Aaah..."
"You mean you don't know you changed?" Ashwyn asked.
"Yes... I still don't understand anything."
Ashwyn sighed. "Wait! Where the hell did you bring me, and where's that dirtbag that knocked me unconscious?"
Riven just sighed and offered her food.
****
"Huh? I actually killed the robed man?" Riven asked, with excitement in his eyes.
"Yes... then you freed me and fought that dirtbag. It was so cool and scary at the same time. You lost... but sadly..." Ashwyn, the narrator, her face suddenly became somber.
"...you didn't die."
'Are you that heartless, woman? At least just pretend you care about my life... just pretend!'
"Why did I free you?" he asked, not expecting a reply.
"That aside... you still haven't told me where we are, or who brought the delicious food, and where the hell is that fool?" Ashwyn changed the topic.
"Hmm... 'dirtbag' brought us here. We're currently underground, and... 'splash news'... we're prisoners."
"Pardon?"
"Oh, I wasn't clear enough. We're test subjects."
"Test what the... what now?"
"You heard me clearly, Kippy. I already figured out why I am a test subject—because I transformed into one of those monsters. I'm scared and heartbroken, but I still have other things to do than dwell on emotions. I'm a test subject... but why are you also a test subject?"
"Hmm... now that you mention it, I remember arguing with him. He told me I might have consumed some of the liquid and that I had to come with him. I didn't agree and was ready to leave, so he knocked me unconscious."
'She's heartless and self-centered.'
"Hmm... really? I knew that liquid was bad news after it had an effect on me."
"What was your first clue?" Ashwyn hissed.
****
The two of them now lay on the bed, staring at the wooden fan with unreadable expressions.
"So, barely a day after meeting you, I turned into a test subject," Ashwyn muttered, still facing the ceiling.
"Be thankful you can't change into a monster."
"We don't know that yet, Riven."
They both sighed, and silence fell for a while, showing their dejection.
"Erm... is this the real you?" Riven asked.
"What do you mean?" she asked, turning her face to him.
He also turned to her and clarified himself. "I mean, when we first met hours, or maybe a day ago, you were cold, distant, and not really friendly. Now you're really carefree, funny, and honest, and I think this is the real you."
Her face turned red, then she turned her back to him.
"Huh? I'm just saying the facts here. Why do you feel that hiding your real self is the best thing to do?"
"Shut up, Riven."
"Just answer?"
"I said, shut up."
"Argh... don't say anything then."
Everything went silent for a while, then she muttered,
"Because I seek peace..."
Riven's eyebrows furrowed.
"Peace? How does being cold and distant give you peace?"
Ashwyn didn't turn around. "It keeps people away... " she said, her voice barely a whisper.
"... I've seen what happens when you let people in. They get hurt. Or they hurt you."
Riven was quiet for a moment, thinking about the chaos and violence he'd witnessed trying to save Ashwyn from those monsters.
'She was right... I literally got hurt..'
"So you'd rather be alone?"
"It's safer."
"But you helped me."
"I... I wasn't thinking, " she admitted.
"It was a way to also get out of the mansion safe and you also threatened me..." She trailed off, unable to put the rest into words.
Riven reached out and gently touched her shoulder. She flinched, but didn't pull away. Her heart skipped a beat.
"I'm glad you did. Thank you." Riven said with a convincing smile.
Ashwyn was silent for a long time. Then she finally turned to face him, her eyes glistening. "We're in this together now, aren't we?"
Riven nodded, a small, genuine smile gracing his lips. "Looks like it."
He didn't know what the future held. He was a test subject, a "monster" in the making, and a prisoner in some underground facility. But looking at Ashwyn, he didn't feel completely alone. For the first time since never, he felt a flicker of hope. Before, hopes were nothing but a misleading word to Riven. But since he met Ashwyn, he finally understood what hope means.
Helping him run away after he has tried countless times and he also did everything he could to try and help her. He did all of that because he hoped he could.
He wasn't sure what they would do, or how they would escape, but he knew they would face it together. And for now, that was enough.