Chapter Seven, Merciless.

Reality is a person's perspective.

Think of it as a dough, with your mind, you turn it into what you perceive as "Daily Life" and most likely, your reality is the only truth, the only thing that can never defied or rebelled upon is what your eyes see and hands touch. But what if that so-called reality is nothing but one's own mind creation to fulfill a comforting world where the things we fear subside into .."Unreal" and "Impossibilities"? Too many questions, questions that are bound to be forever a mystery.

But, In Merit's mind, this mystery was bound to be unraveled. Her quick-beating heart raced her mind as she felt a storm raging inside her. Elvey's question popped again repeating an event which happened and ended in Merit's mind.

As Merit was about to get up and check the closet for the hand-claw she stood dizzy and almost about to fall unconscious but she got a hold of herself and opened her eyes widely, wiping her bloody nose, She asked herself as she went back to the bed, sat for a moment trying to recap what occurred the last few seconds, but she only found fragments of memories that slowly vanished only leaving a small one behind, a voice that echoed in her mind.."Wrong code, idiot! It wasn't supposed to be the handclaw."

"What? what's that?" She whispered to herself, "What handclaw?" she mumbled as she strolled around the room squeezing her mind for an answer for the feeling of unease inside of her.

Merit's memories of this strange incident was wiped just like her memories of the "Blackout" vanished as well, but what was truly enigmatic was the repetition, the occurrence of a similar event five years after it all stopped, something or someone triggered this, but Merit wouldn't know.

"Handclaw and wrong code." She wrote down in her note with the date above the paper as the bell rang and the girls hopped up and prepared themselves, she closed the note and went to join the rest at the main hall.

The hall was as lively as ever. Not only filled with chasers but with gatherers and Machineres, they were all being handed either their training schedule or their missions for the night.

Merit went to the line where the chasers in her were being given their tasks, until someone tapped on her shoulder.

It was a boy Merit had encountered earlier, Elijah. Merit discomfort was soon to overcome her balance as she almost twisted her head looking at him, the tall boy that stood out of the line facing Merit as his amber eyes pierced right through hers, she almost stumbled back in response to his weird encounter accompined by his unusual look but she held herself together.

"You seem to be uncomfortable, have I made you feel so?" He asked, painting a cold smile on his pale face.

"Not at all, I just didn't rest much." She replied, getting back and line and giving him her back.

"Have you..uhm- thought about what I told you earlier?" He asked, almost faltering as If he was unsure about this subject, she stood silent for a moment as she felt something, she felt regret.

Merit's mind strayed away for a moment as she remembered a feelings but not a memory, she do recalls feeling regret about that certain subject adding more mystery to her mind that day, yet, there was no memory to attribute that feeling to.

"Yes, I did." She replied.

"What do you think?"

"Well, I don't mind. As long as you stop being creepy like that."

"Oh, so I do make you uncomfortable?" Elijah shrugged as his face turned grim.

Elijah had asked Merit to be his friend, the lonesome boy was urging her to accompany him to missions, as a promise that can ignite a friendship. Merit had distanced herself from such friendships, she was afraid of not only his intentions, but she was afraid of loss too.

"They'll be assigning Chasers to gather more scattered cargo across Izora. A shipment has arrived including several machine parts folks at Ilusia needed, so we're picking them up"

"Uh- H-how do you know?" Merit lowered her tone inquiring the source of Elijah's information.

"Didn't I tell you, I have my way?" He said, smirking arrogantly. Merit felt uncomfortable and lost, unable to identify Elijah's real intent, was he a silly teenage lover or another string contributing to the mystery she was, again, getting tangled in?

What can time do to ones' heart? Can it carve it into a warm one welcoming life's embrace or into a cold piece of steal that obeys no emotions, only listens to the mind's rambling when if its quite disastrous? Merit was in the middle of a mental conflict that was shaping her thoughts. Sometimes, she's the obedient orphan chaser that only grants the wishes of her superiors in order to have a shelter -and a goal- and other times she's the rebel that wishes to retrieve the adventure she lived in her childhood even though it felt traumatic, however, one thing remained constant, her growing misery that accompanied her since she was a child, it was overtaking her. She was feeling scared of the severe punishment she would get if she failed in her mission, or the punishment she'll get if she sneaked food inside for herself, or take more than her portion, what can a child genuinely fear other than a fairytale beast? The world was cruel to young children that can no longer embrace profound innocence, they can only fear the life they never chose to have.

"I don't want to go with you" Merit loudly let out her words, leaving Elijah with his fading smirk and obvious annoyance, she did shatter a bit of his pride, but she felt she can never establish any friendship in this hell, let alone a creep.

Clocks ticked and children went across the young wasteland stealing all their small hands can catch. The city's most recognized craftsmen would create a well guarded factories only just to avoid these "young devils" as they all call them, yet, that never stopped them.

Once Merit had set her feet into the muddy rain-drunk grounds of Izora, she begun to realize of her own rudeness to Elijah. "I have been an asshole" She said, a little bit of sadness went across her exhausted face.

"Indeed. But there's nothing you can do about it." Elvey replied, agreeing to her speculations.

"He can be bad! Everyone can be a threat, he would h-"

"That's just what you tell yourself to preserve your so precious loneliness you have protected for years. The world isn't this cold, Merit, and not every breathing soul wishes to devour you." Elvey struck Merit with his harsh words that translated Merit's hidden feelings he easily saw right through her mind.

"Not like that..That's not it" She said, her steps grew slower and slower as her mind begun to weighing her down like a burden, words were like a key to a safe inside of her she never wished to approached, a tiny little robot was capable of awakening  these thoughts.

Feeling down and deviated away from the path she thought she was talking, Merit shook her head pushing off these thoughts and focusing on her work. Merit was the only chaser assigned to take an actual paid for piece of mechanism from a very wealthy craftsmen allied with Viribus and their rebellious cause, his name was Anthony Collier, the youngest brother of the Colliers family who live in a very distant town that goes by the same name.

Merit knew the way by heart, and once she had arrived, she found herself standing in front of a three stories long building swallowed by gorgeous tree vines and surrounded by a glimmering green garden shinning in the midst of the muddy decaying land.

"Breathtaking.." Whispered Merit as she walked to the white fence and took a look around.

The grass was freshly mowed, the air smelled of sweet kinds of flowers dancing together in the beauty of their colours. Rainbows of fruits grew on each side of the vast garden, and for Merit, the one with Iron-Rusty eyes, colours were too painful to watch, and the dazzling scene as much as astonishing it was to Merit, she couldn't peel off the dusty vision on her eyes, feeling a bit of melancholy sinking in her from the scent, the rain decided to darken the world once more changing the beautiful scenery into a wistful one, the one to fit her eyes.

"I have come to pick something from Mister Anthony." Merit said into the speaker and waited few minutes till the door opened by itself, and a young lady by the age of thirty welcoming her into the house.

"Come inside! Its raining! Poor child." She shouted into through the rain's noise, kindly asking Merit to go inside.

"No. I can't..I'm sorry.." Merit said, refusing her offer as she is prohibited from entering any of the allied craftsmen houses, even their own superiors couldn't trust them.

"Come on! You'll be soaked in the ra-" The young lady said as she was suddenly interrupted by Anthony. He was a young gentleman with soft blonde hair and light skin. He was dressed in an overall indicating that he was working in his workshop, but a very unpleasant look was drawn on his face.

"No. Don't let these kids into our house, never! Hear me, Delila?" Anthony aggressively shouted, Merit quickly Moved out in humiliation sticking her face to the ground and trying to freeze the tears in her eyes, it has been always like that.

"Take it and leave, don't step in here again unless you're given an order, understood?" He shouted once more, giving her a bag with a safe code on it. Anthony's children, who were the same age as Merit, were hiding behind his back and looking with fear and confusion, Merit was painted as a hostile in this territory.

"Damn devils.." He muttered, letting Merit out who felt her insides shattering, she was humiliated in the worst way possible.

Merit stood in front of the house, filling herself with contempt and anger. She had recognized these familiar feeling, violence.

But the fire calmed down soon enough.

"And you say that the world isn't that cold?" Merit laughed in petty to herself. Elvey's earlier words meant nothing to her, she felt she was right, now, she was sure of it.

"Merit. That man fears you for what you're capable of doing, there's no shame in that." Elvey said, trying to repair the damage burning inside of her.

"Really? I doubt" She laughed as she walked. Tears dripped down her cold cheeks as she headed back into the hideout, feeling her stomach painfully hungry and her heart flaming with rage.

"Sometimes all we have is words. Its all we need to fix a perception, all we need to lie to ourselves to make our misery befitting to our suits and disguises, Words turn a man into a devil, and a devil into a man"

These words echoed through a vintage television in a corner store which Merit found herself standing in front of, the man saying these words was no one other Merit's favorite writer and filmmaker, Janis Gaiden.

"Right timing." She whispered to Elvey as Janis' tv show was cut off and Merit went on back to the hideout unable to shake off the heart pain she had.

Merit stood still for a moment, breathing quickly and having her eyes turn fiercely red. "I know what you're thinking, better not obey these thoughts." Elvey whispered in an attempt to calm down Merit who was determined to do a disaster, one she must rethink.

"No one will ever pay me back for the damage I take" Merit muttered angrily turning from the sweet young chaser into a vicious vengeful child ready to smash a toy into someone's head.

As she ran into an alley, hiding in it from everyone's eyes, she took out the bag with the delivery and breathed out all of her anger.

"This asshole always uses the same combination of his daughter's birthday, He's been doing for years and no one knows I know about that" She said, typing the code into the bag and taking a look around her to make sure she's not see.

"That's utterly stupid and reckless!" Elvey begged Merit to stop, yet, she silenced him and opened the bag, looking at it with a smirk.

Merit wore her gloves and took out the machine piece, "No one will ever know about this little mistake" She laughed evil, twisting a certain blue wire inside it and another yellow one.

"I watched Forger a lot to learn that" She said, looking at the final product. A sabotaged machine part from the great Anthony, a one George paid for.

"We're done for.." Elvey sighed as Merit put it back, closed the bag and the safe code and took off her gloves. The fire inside was laid to rest, nothing but the flames of her -ridiculous- and childless victory she thought she had achieved burned through her eyes, and the smuggy smile as she walked back to the hideout, knowing she might have broken the ally between both Anthony and George.

While Merit walked back, carrying the bag tightly in her arms, a sudden hand touched her shoulder made her jump out of her place and aggressively turn around inspecting everything.

"Woah, there calm down!"

It was Elijah.

Merit's heartbeats were echoing in her ears, her knees were weak and she felt as if she might as well choke. Upon seeing Elijah, she can only ask herself..Did he see anything?

"How long have you been here?!" She nervously asked, he starred in confusion, and stood silent, and his silence only meant one thing.

His grin started to unfold, he left up his chin as if he looked proud. "Long enough to see what you did there" He said, almost whispering, still grinning and as smug as usual. Merit's heart almost stopped beating, at this point, she realized how she messed up badly.

"Huh? What kind of game are you playing this time?" Merit suddenly shifted her tone, in complete trust, she reversed the situation, pretending like nothing happened at all, and Elijah was in fact, delusional.

"I'm certainly not playing any games, not this time." He said, dodging the bullet quickly.

"Then..What are we doing here?"

"Nothing, at all"

Merit thought she was safe, and breathed normally again, but, Elijah's grin was still there. She convinced herself its a part of his personality, but little did she know, Elijah saw everything.

The two walked back to the hideout quickly, Merit was monitoring every breath Elijah took, her inappropriate behaviour made Elijah Start showing signs of suspicion, a teenager sort of suspicion.

Merit quickly left Elijah once they had arrived. Having fulfilled her duty, she was quick to deliver her backage and head back to the dorm room where she decided to hide for the rest of the day. She did realize the calamity she just did, and although her raging desire has been fed, her mind came to its senses, digesting the fact she had most likely  paint Anthony as a trait or a scammer.

The young one's heart was not that black, yet, it was stained by the unforgiving cruelty of the surrounding world she was forced to endure. The night folded the city, and soon, the dorm was dark and quiet, hours passed like wind to Merit, nothing but the stinging pain of hunger and coldness that kept her awake, heavily breathing in pain.

"Elijah knows.." She whispered to herself, holding back her tears. "If he says something, I'm screwed.." She continued, her tears left their cage, and not so long after, she drifted into sleep.

Redemption day was at the doors.