Chapter 30: Hearts Are Grey

On the Ruth's ship, and within her palace. Inside the dining hall, her guard, Aven is seated beside her table. Alecia sits beside him, with Lumina sitting across them.

The large hall surrounding the four, is silent. Only the muffling sound of the rain-storm is heard outside. The scent of freshly cooked food, still filling their nostrils.

They all sit still, with Ruth moving her gaze between Aven, and Alecia.

"Can someone answer my question?" Ruth asked, with a frownful gaze at them, and looks straight at her sister.

"What is it?" She asked again, her eyes train to her daughter, only for the young girl to look away and continues eating.

Beeds of sweat form on Alecia's forehead, only for one of them to stream down her temple, and moves along her cheek.

Her hand trembling above the plate of food, eyes flickering.

"R-Raine..." she said, urging Ruth to stare at her with a frown.

"The gin... She's free."

Aven narrows his gaze. He leans his elbow on the table with his hand near his face, he starts twirling his tensel.

"You seem..." His eyes narrow, giving a sidelook at her.

"Are you alright?" He asked, turning his gaze to her.

Alecia trains her eyes to him, only to look down once more.

"I..." Her voice twitches.

"I feel. I can't-" her words halt before she can even complete her sentence.

Ruth huffs, putting the tensels on the table.

"Who!?" Ruth said, looking at her sister with a frown tightening along her brow.

"What are you even talking about?"

Alecia turns to her sister, and stares at her for a moment, urging Ruth's brow to losen.

"How can you not feel it, Ruth?" Alecia said, her voice oozing with bitterness.

Ruth glares at her.

"What?" she said, her tone irritable. "Unlike you and Aven, I don't have that abominable curse," She spots Aven's frownful gaze at her.

"Take that as you will," Ruth continued, her face now softening.

"If this is true, you'll need to go there to see if she really has escaped. Understood, Aven?" She slightly tilts her head, staring eye to eye with him.

Aven lets out a slight sigh, his face softens.

"As you wish, empress." He stands up from his seat with both Alecia, and Lumina looking up at him.

"Let us go, Alecia."

"No Aven, we can't!" Alecia said, standing up from her seat, and stands in front of him.

"You, and I both felt it!"

Her hand raises near her chin, closing it into a fist.

"I don't think we ca-"

"It's your sister's orders," Aven said, with a frown.

"If you don't want to come, then stay." He shoves her aside and carries on.

"Aven!" Lumina said, standing up from her chair; her voice urging him stop, to face her.

"You can't just go alone."

"That's why I told her to come with me." He said, looking at Alecia for a moment, and back at Lumina.

"If she's too scared, she can stay. I won't force her arm." he turns away, and carries on walking to the exit.

Alecia widens her eyes at his words. She looks at Ruth for a moment, and frowns.

"Fine then!" She said, walking fast towards him, and follows.

Ruth leans forward, and places her elbows on the table, with her hands joined together under her chin.

"Lumina," she said, shifting her gaze to her.

"Sit down."

Lumina teens to her mother. Her eyes go soft. She lets out a sigh, and sits down.

"Sorry, mother," she said. Only for her to pick up a tensel, and slowly moves the food within plate from side to side while staring blankly at it.

--

Alecia, and Aven walk through the long passage of the palace. Alecia constantly watches the floor as it passes under her with every step.

Aven looks over his shoulder at her to see her fiddling with one of her sleeves, while she constantly stares down; not paying him any mind.

"Listen here," he said, urging her to look his way.

"You have to pull yourself together now." His eyes narrow.

"I'm just as nerved out as you are, but you don't see me cowering. Do you?"

"Aven, you don't understand." She said, bringing her hands to the side.

"I just d-"

"Why are you being like this!?" Aven said with a slight growl in his tone. He turns to face her, and stops.

"The Alecia I knew, never showed fear. She never hesitated in situations like this."

She downcasts her eyes for a moment. Her thoughts stirring within her mind. He is right, she was never like this in the past.

"You are warrior." He continued.

"Stop being such a coward, this isn't like you!"

Alecia stares up at him, still with a nervous look on her face.

"I can't just stop feeling like this, you know!" She said, averting her eyes.

Aven places his hands around her arms, and holds them firm.

"Remember back on Earth!?" He said, looking straight into her eyes.

"You never showed fear when Eva was a threat, did you!?"

"I remember." She said, giving a downcast look.

"I get scared too." He said, urging her to look up at him.

"It doesn't mean I need to give into it, you understand?"

She stares into his eyes for a moment while noticing his stern gaze upon her. Looking down; she tries to calm herself, and to clear her mind. She closes her eyes, and lets out a small sigh.

"Okay," she simply said.

Aven slightly nods, still looking into her eyes.

"Okay," he said, his lips twist into a smile.

"Did you forget what I even taught you?" He asked, slightly turning his head, his eyes still drawn to hers.

She frowns at him.

"Don't give me that," she said, gritting her teeth.

"I already told you. I'm no longer your pupil." She shoves his hands off herself. Only to step around him, and starts walking.

Aven turns to face her with a puzzled look on his face. He starts walking from behind her.

"After we fix this whole thing with Raine, and get a cure for my condition." She continued.

"I'll be gone, and live a new life; my own life. Away from this ship, and my sister."

"You can't be serious now?" Aven said, looking at her with disbelief in his eyes.

"You can't leave your sister behind."

"She doesn't need me." She said, her tone sounding bitter as she continues to walk through the long passage.

"All she cares about is her daughter, and herself. That's all."

She sighs for a moment.

"It has always been like that." She turns a corner of the passage, and continues on with Aven following from behind.

"Even back with my mother."

He shakes his head slightly.

"It's not true," he said.

"Are you sure about that, Aven?" She said, looking over her shoulder at him. Only to stop, and faces him.

"Want me to tell you what she thinks of you?"

He raises his chin, moving one of his feet back.

"I've noticed how she treats you." She continued, and crosses her arms.

"It's obvious that she sees you as nothing more than someone she can order around." her eyes narrow, with a menacing stare.

"Like some tool..." her voice trails off.

"You're nothing more than a pawn she uses for her own little game."

"Alecia, stop it." He said, frowning, looking down at her.

"No!" She raised her voice.

"You know it's the truth, and yet you still want to be her puppet!"

"It's because of her, I rang off, and found you and the others!" Her eyes start to glisten. Her breathing begins to stutter.

"And yet after all that has happened."

She gives a downcast look, and stares blankly at the floor.

"After I begged for her forgiveness." she continues. Only to look up at Aven with frownful stare. At that moment, a tear streams down her cheek.

"She took it, and slapped me in the face with it." she averts her eyes.

"Quite literally, actually." She raises her hand, to her tear-streamed cheek.

Aven's face softens.

"I'm sorry Alecia," he said, his tone gentle.

"I didn't know that."

Glaring up at him, she cuffs her hand, and wipes her cheek.

"It doesn't matter," she said, just then a bright flickering light shines through the windows, followed by the sound of thunder.

"We should go now." She turns away, and proceeds down the passage.

"It is your life, after all," he said, following her.

"I'll support your decision."

With no reply, she continues walking through the passage with him.

--

Meanwhile... Near the guard halls, and within the prison. The alarms are still going off.

Between the passage of cells; Raine stands. Dark-blue transparent flames flow around her body as it tries to surge out but can't. Short wings made of blue flames are visible on her back. Static the wings are, as they do not move an inch.

The thunderous thuds of footsteps can be heard coming closer. Armored men and women, several of them group together at the end of the passage.

The young man in the middle holds his hand up for a moment while staring at the escaped prisoner. Beeds of sweat begin to form on his brow.

Raine stares at them. No movement coming from her, the flames around her start surging, her eye pupils glowing bright. Just then, a strong gust of wind flows towards the guards blocking the passage, urging them to shield their eyes.

"Shoot to kill!" the one guard said, pointing at her.

They all fire their weapons at her. The spikes of energy deforms just before it hits her, only for its energy to wrap around her as it becomes one with the flames surging from her.

In vain they shoot their weapons. Only after a moment they stop, and watch as Raine still standing.

"How is she still standing!?" the one female guard said.

"Yet, we used everything we had." the male guard added.

Raine averts her eyes, and catches the young woman looking at her from within her cell. Her glance, urges the female prisoner to step back into her cell with a slight smile on her face.

She stares ahead at them. Her eyes narrow. The flames around her body begins surge violently, only for it to swell and forms itself into a sphere.

She raises her hand with the palm facing them. The spherical flames begins to shrink around her, only for it to slither along her arm, and condenses into a dark-blue glowing sphere.

The guards at the end slowly steps back with their gaze fixed on the sphere.

Raine stares at the sphere for a moment, a calm look is upon her eyes as her face gets illuminated by the sphere's light.

The one guard orders the others to run, only for Raine to launch the sphere at them. The sphere catches a few of them and hits the wall, followed by a large explosion, leaving behind a cloud of smoke and dust, flowing out.

Raine lowers her hand to her side as the cloud of dust seeps through the passage, and engulfs her.

Sound of footsteps can be heard within the cloud of dust, and from it, Raine sprouts forth.

She stares ahead at the incaved wall for a moment, only fir her eyes to shift to the side. She dodges an attack from one of the male guards.

Raine stands facing him, and notices the guard's favored weapon; a black rod with three chrome electrical-rings at the end of it.

She trains her eyes to meet his gaze and frowns. Just then, he swings the rod horizontally, and misses. He swings another variety of attacks but to no avail.

He stands in front her; panting, with his brow now glistening. He grits his teeth as he tightens his grip on the rod.

Raine raises her chin slightly, still with her gaze upon him; her face calm, and collected. Flames start surging around her forearm.

The guard shouts out as he runs in for another attack, and with a loud crunch, he halts. Blood starts seeping from his mouth. He stares wide-eyed into Raine's glowing pupils, only for him to look down to see Raine's flaming hand, impaled in his chest. His hand loosens it's grip, and drops the rod to the rubble-crowded floor.

"H-how did-" his words stuttered under his bloodfilled mouth.

Raine narrows her eyes. She holds onto the guard's shoulder, and rips her hand out from his chest; making him fall to the ground.

She stares stares down at him with a calm look in her eyes, still holding up her bloodsoaked hand. The blue flames around it sizzles the blood, and peels away into nothing.

Raine lowers her hand to the side. The wings on her back flashes with a sound of footsteps drawing near.

She steps aside and dodges an attack from a female guard. Raine turns to her, and sees the woman standing at the ready while holding the rod with both hands.

Raine stares at her for a moment, only to shift her one foot to the side. Just then, the woman runs to attack her, and misses. She screams out as she swings a few more attacks while Raine dodges them with a calm collected look on her face.

The woman misses a strong swing, and watches as Raine steps back from her. The female guard sees her opponent's hand flicker tiny beeds of light.

Raine throws beeds of light at the woman, only for them to stick on the her chest plate. Within the moment of her looking down at her chest, the beeds of light explodes, engulfing her with fire, and smoke.

The woman sprouts forth from the smoke, and tumbles back onto the ground uncontrollably, and lands face down.

Raine lowers her hand to her side, and steps towards the woman on the floor. The sound of gasping breaths is heard coming from the woman.

Raine stands over her, staring down at the woman's wide-eyed face. Blood seeping out from her mouth, and beneath her torso.

Raine lets out a sigh while looking down at the suffering woman, her pupils stop glowing and returns to it's natural orange.

"I've killed many people in my life," she said, her tone, calm, and collected.

"Seeing you like this reminds me of something." she pauses, and notices the woman's eyes look up at her, and just then, tears stream from the woman's eyes.

"Long ago, I lost people that was very dear to me." Raine averts her eyes for a moment, and looks down at her once more.

"I watched my sister die before my very eyes. In my arms, I felt her body become limb."

Raine locks her eyes on the growing pool of blood coming from the woman. She kneels down, and places her hand on her back, urging her to twitch.

Raine's pupils glow once more, and her body begins to emit dark-blue transparent flames, only for it to slither down along her arm, and flows around the woman's body.

After a moment, the flames fade. She stands up, while looking down at the woman. Just then, the woman's hands twitch, only for her to slowly stand up off the blood covered floor. She feels her chest where strips of her bloodstained top is torn. She looks up at Raine, and her eyes widen.

The woman slowly steps backwards, her hands gestured out to Raine. Only for her to turn around, and runs away from her, and proceeds down the hallway as her footsteps muffles out.

Raine stares at the hallway for a moment, only for her to look at the large hole in the wall, still listening to the repeating sound of the alarm going off.

She ducks down with her one leg in the hole, only for her to hesitate. She turns to look at the passage of cells.

Standing up straight, she slowly walks through the passage of cells. Within that moment, the voices of men and women start roaring, and cheering from each cell; from the first, to the second floor, muffling out the sound of the alarm.