Chapter 12: Abnormality

Alecia steps towards the bed and sits on the edge with her hands resting on her lap along with a downcast look on her face.

Her hands clinches into fists, squeezing the cloth, her eyes closes as a few more tears drop from her face. Only for her to cry silently.

The room's door cracks open, with a young curious eye of Lumina is seen with a few brown strands of her fringe hanging over her eye.

She looks down for a moment as her one eye flickers, only for her to look at Alecia once more. She moves away and the door slowly closes.

The door slots closed which urges Alecia to turn her attention towards it, and stares for a moment only to have a downcast look once more.

Alecia looks ahead and stands up and places the cloth on the bed.

The balcony doors open only for the woman with the red fabric around her waist, walks in as she looks in the direction of Alecia with a calm expression.

"Alecia?" She said with a calm tone in her voice, which urges Alecia widen her eyes.

"Leah?" She said.

"I knew I recognised you on the balcony." She smiles slightly.

"Yes." Lean said averting her eyes and looks at her.

"I thought you were going back to look after your mother?" Alecia said, with a puzzled look on her face.

"Aven insisted I should stay." She said, shaking her head with a huff.

"I don't even enjoy it at all anymore. I miss my mother more everyday, you know?"

"I know." Alecia said, and walks past Leah, and stands near the glass of water.

"It's been a long time since I've been with my own mother." a dry cough escapes her mouth which urges her to cover it with her hand and coughs a few more times.

Alecia blinks slowly as she holds her fist over her mouth, only for her to drink the glass of water, and places it back on the table

"It feels like it was just yesterday." She coughs a few more times and stops. Leah slowly turns her head with a suspicious look on her face.

"But..." she said looking at the balcony doors.

"I am now use to being alone." She said, turning her gaze to Leah, and smiles slightly.

"Are you alright?" Leah said, slightly tilting her head with a worrisome look on her face.

"I'm..." Alecia clears her throat.

"I'm alright, just a bit ill that's all."

"Maybe I can be of help?" Leah said, stepping towards her, only for Alecia to gesture her hand out to her.

"No, this isn't something I can't handle." Alecia said. averting her eyes a bit.

"I'll just have to wait it out." She looks at Leah with a slight smile.

"Okay then." Leah said with a calm tone.

"Was that Aven I saw on the balcony with you, and Ruth?" Alecia said, crossing her arms with her eyes narrowed a little.

"Yes, you are correct." Leah said, looking over at the balcony door for a moment.

"He told me to come and see how you wer-" She pauses and presses the button of her earpeice.

"Yes?" her eyes avert away from Alecia.

"What?" her eyes flicks towards her once more.

"Alright." her hand moves away from her ear, only for her to walk past Alecia.

"What's wrong?" Alecia said, following her gaze on her as she passes by.

"Excuse me, Alecia." Leah said, opening the door of the room.

"Just going to go and check on something." She closes the door, however, Alecia pulls the door open, and steps out with a frownful gaze.

"Just tell me what's happening." Alecia said, taking a step forward.

Leah stops walking, with a sigh, and turns around to face her.

"There's something in the sky." She said.

"Something abnormal." She carries on walking down the hallway.

"Wait!" Alecia said, following her.

"I'll come with you."

Leah looks over her shoulder at her.

"Alright." She said looking ahead once more.

"So you've finally talked with your sister?" She said after a moment of silence.

Alecia's eyes widen.

"Yes." She said averting her gaze with a saddened look.

"She didn't take the news very well."

"I suppose I understand." Leah said with a calm tone in her voice.

"Just give her some time."

Alecia looks ahead with a sigh.

A few moments go by...

Outside of the palace, the crowd of people are seen looking up at the evening sky with awe.

Leah walks with Alecia out the palace, only for them both to look up as well, and what they see in the sky, the clouds themselves slowly swirl inward.

"Is that ..." Leah said, with a frownful gaze.

"That looks like a warmhole of some sort?"

Alecia's eyes widens slightly.

"I don't like this." She said, walking forward while looking in distress at the surrounding people, she turns around and looks up at Ruth on the balcony with a young armored man standing next to her.

"Ruth!!" She called out with her hands cuffed around her mouth. Ruth looks down at her with a blank gaze, only to look up at the sky once more

Alecia's eyes widen and walks backwards only to bump into a young man which causes him to step back, and collides with another person.

"Sorry." Alecia said with her hands gestured out to him, only for her to look up at swirling cloud once more.

Eruptions of electricity is seen within the dark center as the vortex accelerates.

Meanwhile, away from the palace.

Within a festival, where a small group are waving luminescent rods in unison.

Near one of the tents, the same purple skinned woman, is seen standing with her head held high with a narrowed look on her face as she stares at the swirling vortex.

Her lips slowly twist into a smile. She looks ahead of herself to see the man who was beside her before. He is seen looking up at the sky as well, only for a gust of wind to blow the hat off his head.

The woman grips the collar around her neck. She looks down at the man to see a device holsted on his waist

She slowly edges her way towards him, her hand slowly reaches for it while her eyes darts at him. She takes the device off him, which urges him to turn to her in panic.

He stares at the device with a widened look, only for him to look at her with a resentful look in his eyes.

"Give that to me." He said with a trembling tone while having his hand gesturing out to her.

She frowns, only to drop the device on the ground and crushes it with her boot.

"What did you do!?" he shouted out with a wide-eyed look as he steps back with his hands gestured out.

"What I needed to do." The woman said, staring at him with those orange eyes of hers, as she slowly steps towards him.

The man goes in to slap her, but his hand is caught before he could. The woman holds his hand with little effort. The man's eyes dart back and fourth with a terrified look in on his face. Only for his arm to be broken by a simple twist from her, which causes him to scream out in pain before having her letting his hand go.

The man backs away from her while holding his broken arm, only for him to run away from her, looking over his shoulder a few times, as he walks deeper into a crowd of people only to bump into a young couple. They both stare at the terrified man while he disappears into the shadows.

The same woman with a calm collected expression, starts walking through the crowd slowly, her eyes stay locked ahead, a young woman walks in her way, only for her to gently push her aside, as well as a young man. The two individuals look her way in confusion.

...

The injured man is seen walking through a passage between two buildings, he constantly looks over his shoulder while holding his broken arm.

He stops under a light on the wall and rests his back against it with his head laid back as his breathing becomes slower.

"Do you really think you've escaped?" a woman's voice said from the passage ahead, which urges him to widen his eyed with a gasp.

Only for him to go off the wall and inspects around himself.

"Stay away from me!" He shouted out while stepping back.

"You're free aren't you!?" his breathing begins to tremble, he stops and stands while keeping his gaze ahead.

"You didn't listen to my plea before." The woman said with a resentful tone in her voice

"I won't let you get away for what you did to me."

The man turns around and backs away from the dark passage.

"I have only one question." She said from the dark passage, which urges the man to take a step back.

"Do you really think you have a future?" She steps into view under the light.

"Stay away from me!" He said, his breaths begin to tremble while he stands still.

The woman grabs him by the throat, and raises him off the ground while looking into his eyes which begin to turn bloodshot.

"You are nothing but a coward." She said with a frownful gaze.

"I hate cowards."

Her hand tightens around his throat only for it to crush it, and drops him to the floor. She looks down at him for a moment, only for her to crouch down with her hand on his chest.

Transparent blue flames appear around the man's body, and slithers around the woman's arm until it covers her body completely and fades inward.

She opens her eyes slowly, and stands up from the man's body. She looks at the palm of her hand, and brings it to her side, only for her to look up at the swirling vortex in the sky, and walks out of the allyway.

Meanwhile at the empress' palace. Ruth, the empress herself, gazes upon the swirling vortex of clouds and electricity.

"Aven..." she said, looking at the guard beside her.

"What is this?"

The guard, Aven, looks at her with a calm expression on his face.

"I'm just as puzzled as you, empress." He said, looking up, and frowns for a moment.

"Maybe something's coming through."

Ruth looks down at the crowd of people below.

"Everyone, remain calm! For your safety go back to your homes, the ceremony is over!" She said outloud, which urges everyone to walk away in unison while talking amongst themselves.

"I need to check on my daughter." Ruth said, turning around and walks inside.

Aven looks over his shoulder for a moment, only to look ahead and lowers his gaze at the crowd below.

Alecia stands among the moving crowd while looking up at the balcony, with her lips slightly parted and a curious look in her eyes.

Only for her to catch Aven's gaze upon her, only for her to form a slight smile. It has been months since she has seen him.

Aven turns away and walks into the building, followed by the doors closing shut.

Alecia stares at the balcony for a moment, and turns her gaze to the sky.

"Mother of light..." she whispered, and looks ahead of herself and sees the crowd of people moving away from her, with Leah helping them.

"What is this?" she looks up at the swirling vortex once more.