Chapter 22: Familiar Craft

For a long while, Aven is seen standing next to Clay. Watching as he examines the blood, with a screen showing footage of a sample.

Alecia stands up from the chair, and stares at the screen, and sees blood cells, which are being impaled by the virus. With each cell getting infected by it.

Alecia cringes inside just by the sight of it. She frowns with a disturbed look on her face, only to slowly cross her arms, her hands now tucked in.

"So that's what is in me?" She asks, still staring at the screen. The light from it, illuminating her face.

"Yes, unfortunately." Clay said, as he scans around blood cells.

"Look." Aven said, pointing at the one end of the screen.

"There's a few that are not infected."

"Wait..." Clay said, his voice trailing off.

Alecia looks up at the screen again, now slowly stepping forward, her eyes fixed on it.

Just then, a few strands of the virus breaks away from the infected cells, and injects itself into the healthy ones.

"That's disturbing." Aven said, looking at Clay, and back at the screen.

"What is it doing?" Alecia asked, with her eyes narrowed.

"Nothing good." Clay answered, and scans to other cells that are infected.

"This makes me worried now." Alecia said, stepping forward, holding her own arm with a disturbed look on her face, only to stand next to Clay.

"The empress failed to mention it." Clay said, staring at the screen.

"What symptoms have you experienced?" he asked, looking at her.

Alecia looks away, and thinks about it. If she tells him, it is likely that she'll receive bad news from him.

She looks down at him once more.

"It started with a few sneezes." She said, looking blankly ahead of herself.

"After that, I started coughing. Ever since it has gotton worse. Recently I even puked."

"How do you feel now?" Clay asked, his artificial eye zooming in on her.

"I feel alright actually." She said, shrugging her shoulders slightly.

"Aven cleared it up."

"You are aware that it will return, correct?" Clay said, looking up at her with a stern gaze.

Alecia sighs, averting her gaze.

"Yes." She said.

"But that's where you come in, am I... Correct." She lowered her tone just then, her eyes narrowing down at him.

Clay stares up at her for a moment, frowning, only for him to look at the screen with a chuckle.

"You are fortunate that the empress is your sister." He said, with a calm tone in his voice.

"Otherwise..."

"Clay." Aven said, looking down at him with a glare. Urging the man to look up at him.

"You are going to help her, whether you like it. or not." He said, with a stern tone in his voice.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Clay said, with a bitter tone in his voice. Only for him to continue examining it, scanning more of the sample.

"Alright, just... Hurry with it, please." Aven said, stepping back.

Alecia locks her eyes on him, as he stands a few feet away from Clay. He seems to be impatient, and on edge. She slowly steps towards him, with concern in her eyes.

She leans in to look at him, noticing as he stares blankly ahead.

"Aven..." She said, quietly, causing him to meet her gaze.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm sure." He said turning away.

"You should be worrying about yourself, at the moment." He starts walking away from her.

"I feel fine." She said, walking after him.

"Yes, but how long?" He said, glaring over his shoulder.

Alecia narrows her eyes, slightly moving her head back.

"It will be alright." She steps towards him once more before standing with him by the table with the empty plate.

"I can handle it."

Aven sighs, shaking his head slightly.

"What if he doesn't find a cure?" He said, looking at her. His eyes filled with worry.

"Do you realize what will happen then?"

"Oh, Aven..." She said, reaching her hand to his face, only to hold his cheek.

"Have faith, alright?" She hopes it will make him feel at ease, but deep down in her heart, she is lacking that same faith she speaks of.

Aven smiles slightly, now gently having his hand over hers.

"I'll try." He said, his voice quiet, and calm.

He takes her hand off her cheek, and averts his eyes from her gaze.

"Please tell me." She pleaded, with a worrisome look in her eyes.

"There's something else bothering you, isn't it?"

He turns to meet hwr gaze, and stares at the moment. He looks down, his eyes narrowed.

"I just... I am filled with such guilt, you know?" He looks at her.

"Thinking about that planet we were on. What we did. The seraphims. The way we trusted them, and followed them through. Making us believe we were doing a just thing. We were led to believe the civilization of that planet were wicked, and needed to be destroyed." He pauses for a moment, now looking at the floor beneath his feet.

"Aven, we didn't know." Alecia said with a narrowed gaze.

"They manipulated us. It's not anyone's fault."

He looks away for a moment, and turns to her.

"I'm really sorry for not being a good friend to you, back then." He said, only to sigh for a moment.

"What do you mean?" She asked, slightly tilting her head.

Aven averts his gaze once more.

"On that Earth planet..." He looks at her for a moment, and has a downcast look.

"When Silas, Kevra, and I, thought you betrayed us. Of course I found that it was a lie, told by Silas himself."

Alecia sighs with a frownful look on her face. How can she forget about what happened. It has been decades since, but still. It felt more like a few months in time.

"I should have been there for you." He continued, with a sad tone un his voice.

"It wasn't your fault." She said, shaking her head.

"I should have known better." She gazes at him with a gentle look in her eyes.

He looks up at her with a sorrowful face.

"But you did know better." Aven said

"You believed those people to be good, while I was just too blind to see it."

Alecia sighs with a saddened look in her eyes, starring into his.

"Well... I didn't just have some epiphany about them." She said, taking a seat on the chair, only for her to join her hands between her thighs.

"During our time there, when we separated. You remember that a girl, don't you?" She looks up at him.

Aven crosses his arms, and sighs.

"Yes, I do." He said, averting his eyes.

Alecia downcasts her eyes for a moment.

"When I found her..." She said, looking to one side. Now feeling her chest tighten.

"She was laying beside a woman, and crying. When I saw that, I knew it was my doing." She pauses. Her eyes start glistening as she stares blankly at the floor.

"She didn't know who I was." Alecia continues.

"I tried to comfort her. She took to me, and I grew fond of her too." She pauses, only for her to sigh.

Aven stares down at her, only for his face to soften.

"You don't have to talk about it, I understand what happened."

She looks up at him, her eyes still glistening.

"It's just that." She said, only for a tear to stream down her face.

"I know exactly how it felt when I lost my own mother too."

She gazes down at the floor once more.

"One of the reasons I stopped." She continued with a trembling tone in her voice.

"I just couldn't do it anymore, Aven."

Aven turns his attention towards Clay, who's still standing at the table, scanning through the blood sample.

Alecia looks up at him, her eyes narrowed sorrowfully, only for her to look down once more with a sigh.

"He didn't hesitate." She said, looking blankly at the floor.

"For months I've been looking after that girl. Until he showed up..." Her voice now sounded bitter.

She looks up at Aven, eyes narrowed, and resentment burning within her heart.

"He took her from me." Her bottom lips starts trembling.

"I will never forgive him for that." She turns away, only for a tear to stream down her cheek.

"He tried to kill me as well." Her lips tighten as she clinches her jaw.

"One day, he'll pay for what he did. That's if he hasn't already gotten what he deserved already."

Aven stares down at her, his face softening, only for him to avert his gaze for a moment, and looks back at her.

"I understand how you feel." He said, with a calm, gentle tone. He sits on the corner of the desk.

"If I'd be honest with you." He pauses for a moment, as he looks eye to eye with her.

"It's best that you focus on yourself at the moment." He continued.

"After all, your health isn't looking too well."

Alecia sighs, her eyes now closed. She wipes her face off, and clears her throat.

"Okay." She said with a sniff.

"I suppose you're right."

"Of course I am." He said, narrowing his eyes.

"The last thing you need to worry about, is the past. Trust me, it's not healthy."

Alecia looks up at him, her eyes slightly bloodshot.

"I'll try not to." She said, looking ahead now.

"You should stop thinking about it as well."

Aven's lips twist into a smile.

"Will do." He said, slightly nodding, only to look in Clay's direction.

"Clay!"

Clay stops, only to turn his head.

"What?" He simply said, frustration humming through his voice.

"How is it coming along?" Aven asked, his eyes narrowing in, on him.

"Making progress." Clay answered, and continues with his work.

"How long will it be?" Aven asked, once more. He gets off of the table, and starts walking towards him.

"Hours." Clay said, simply once more.

"You do know that we don't have all day here." Aven said, his tone mow sounding in frustration.

"Don't you recall what I told you earlier?" Clay said, his tone sounding irritable.

Alecia still sits on the chair, her eyes fixed ahead on them. Her mind trailing off, as Aven and Clay's voices begin to muffle out.

Her thoughts now trail off to the far corners of her mind. Her memories of being on planet earth, the friends she made there, the ones who helped her survive its dystopian environment.

Often she wonders if the planet could come back to how it use to be when she arrived; when it was beautiful, not a husk as it is now.

She wonders how they are, Virgil, Diana, and Wallace. What are they doing now? Are they wondering about her as well?

So many thoughts of it all, and about what happened. Most nights, her thoughts about it, keep her awake.

Among those thoughts are about her sister, Ruth. Would she ever reconcile the bond she use to have with her? Her doubts begin to cloud her mind once more.

She shakes her head slightly, only to push her negative thoughts away. Clay, and Aven, has long since been silent. Both of them sit quietly at the table, Aven watching Clay as he works on the blood sample.

Her gaze trails towards the manicains. Their lifeless eyes constantly staring blankly into space.

Only for her to avert her gaze to the screen, and stares at the screensaver as it loops.

Few moments go by...

Away from Clay's building, and back at the guard headquarters.

Within one of the rooms. The walls, matt-white, the sun's light beaming through the main window, and onto Leah, who's sitting on the bed, cross legged. Now wearing a long sleeve black top, and long baggy grey pants.

The object on her lap, a sword, the color of the blade, matte-black. Her green eyes staring down at her reflection from the surface of it.

Moving her finger gently runs along the carvings of it. She sighs slightly as she looks at every detail of the weapon.

"So familiar..." Leah whispered to herself, with a gentle gaze upon it.

"Where were you made? Who is your craftsman?"

She holds the blade up, and stares at her reflection from it. Which is warped from the symbols carved into it.

Slowly, and gracefully, she waves the blade around. Only to place it back on the bed.

Leah looks ahead of herself, only to turn her gaze to the window of her room.