Chapter 7

Flickering, slow yet frequent flickering came from Siren's fingers as he sat in his chair, flickering his fingers as each time he did so, a black bubble would form and pop as it reached the sealing. He looked to his left as he watched Azazel look down at the father, whose injury had been healed.

"I don't see why you still care for him; he's nothing more than another waste of space in this world." Siren said.

"Your father could blow up the moon they said, your father brought life into the nature around him"

All things he heard in his youth about his ''dead'' father, yet when he faced this so-called ''prodigy sent from the gods'', he was hardly a challenge, to say the least.

Azazel glanced at Siren with a furious look in her eyes as she walked over towards him and tried slapping him, only for her hand to go straight through him.

"How can you say that about the man who made us who we are? All he wanted to do was apologize and you shut him down as if he was trashing you or something! When you were in that asylum, you were singing a different story about that man, so what changed? What possibly made you want to kill him?" She asked, her voice filled with rage as her eyes glared at her other half.

Siren paused as he glanced at his sleeping father once more. "You know why. "

Azazel leaned in closer to his face as she angrily muttered. "I wanna hear you say it."

Siren got out of his chair and walked over to another table, one with machines that looked like eyeballs with symbols on them.

"I don't have to say it then." He muttered as he sat down at that table and began tinkering with the machines.

Azazel grunted as she stormed as far away as she possibly could before she was at the limits of her range. "I can't stand how much of an ass you are!"

Siren chuckled as he yelled back "You're calling yourself an ass too, you know that right?"

Azazel screamed at Siren's comment as suddenly, her tantrum was interrupted by the door opening. Suddenly their ears were filled with the sound of laughter. Loud and recognizable laughter that was only heard in a time of greed.

Siren felt cold hands wrap around his neck as they pulled his head back for a hug he sighed. There weren't many people in his life who he would let grab him in such a manner.

The one person who can give him the connections to take down someone as politically powerful as Coldstorm.

His most trusted mercenary.

"SI~." Her voice rang, as Siren looked up to see her black eyes staring into his as her purple hair swaying behind her.

"Welcome back, War." He said as he gave her a fake smile.

Siren knew that Coldstorm's highest payer, that much was obvious to figure out with a little bit of asking around, but was more interesting when he found out about her involvement with Ana. With a little bit of theft from government payments and tracing some phone calls, it wasn't hard to put the pieces together.

Deep down, he felt that War was the one to blame for most of his problems now, but it wouldn't be fair to blame the gun for shooting someone, it made more sense to blame the one who fired it.

But that wouldn't mean she would go unpunished for her actions. After all, Siren was done playing the nice guy in his life. If he was going to get something done, he would do it, no matter who crumbled in his way. Starting with her.

"So, what have you been up to these last couple of weeks? I'm sure someone like you has been very busy." Siren said as he wiggled his Void hand in her direction.

She sat down next to him and took in her surroundings as it finally kicked as she let out a loud sigh.

"It's been so boring! I haven't had a job all month and it's driving me crazy! Then there's the fact you lost your arm due to that robot attacking, it's had me stressed out these last couple of days if I'm being honest." She muttered as she covered her eyes, rubbing them excessively.

Siren sat the mechanical eye down as he glanced at her with a sigh.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I've been working on a more natural variant of this Void arm, but it's taking me much longer to figure out the right way to go about it, so, for now, I'm taking a break from it so I can build something else."

War let out a loud groan as she laid her head on the table "Some head rubbing would be real nice right about now." She muttered, clearly implying the already stated,

Siren placed his real hand on her head as he gently scratched the top of her head, and she hummed away her worries to his touch.

"You act just like a pet, but much more high maintenance." Siren said.

War began laughing as she as she leaned back in her chair. "Oh stop~ I'm too old for you to be fooling around with!" She said, her cheeks blushing from her lack of oxygen.

Siren just sat there with an intentionally innocent smile on his face. He knew any compliment was enough to get her flustered, so this going in the right direction.

Having War as an ally would be essential for Siren, as it would mean she would have to decide between money or friend, and it wouldn't be hard to tell by her mental state that she wouldn't be able to choose a side. Thus, canceling out one of Coldstorm's biggest connections instantly.

Before he could get another word out, War pointed at the mechanical eyeball in Siren's hand. "What are you making?" She asked, a hint of her laughter still looming in her voice.

Siren looked down at the bits and pieces of metal scattered around on the table, some the natural metallic color, others coated in high caliber paint, a substance made to endure and permanently stick on any object regardless of how you try to scrap it.

"Do you remember that robot that attacked the Ice Elf district and killed a whole bunch of people?" Siren asked.

War nodded her head.

"Well before I disintegrated it, it started speaking. Speaking in ways that made me reflect on who I was as a person. So, as a small thank you, I'm rebuilding it to give it some form of closure."

War simply sat there, completely confused by what Siren just said. "Your giving closure. . . To the robot that blew your arm off... That is the stupidest thing I've heard. . . In my entire life."

Sure, it didn't make much sense to her, but to Siren, it was more than just about his arm. He could relate to the crisis the robot had, the feeling of not having an identity to fall back upon, why he doesn't understand why he didn't do something in a certain scenario. It made him feel almost. . . pointless.

"Maybe." Siren responded. It was the only thing he could've said that would've clicked with his feelings. "But even if it's a stupid reason, it still makes my heart a little easier to manage. Don't you think?"

War paused for a moment, as she let out an annoyed sigh. "Sadly, I do. In my line of work, it's every day we have to find a way to make our hearts easier. Whether it's through drinking, working harder, or even just looking for relief, it's all we ever want. Is to feel free."

Siren pointed his finger at her as he smirked. "If you were to ask me what made my heart easier last month, I couldn't have answered that, but now that I've managed to understand what's important in my life. . . My answer is those around me. Those who I can call family. They've always been for me throughout my life even when I was breaking down, so my motive for doing this is to become the best thing I can be. So that they can be the best possible versions of themselves ever."

War sighed as she stood up. "I'm glad you finally found your calling. I knew you were more than just a typical bartender. Well, Siren Thompson. . . Burn the stars, and when you do... Make sure you pave the way to the heavens" She quoted as she walked off.

"Well, that was out of character," Azazel mumbled in the corner as she faced their father.

Siren looked over towards Azazel as he gave her an arrogant grin. "I thought you weren't talking to me?" Siren joked

Azazel rushed over and tried kicking him, but her leg phased through him. "Well, we have to leave. . . It's already 3:25," Siren said as he stood put on his jacket, and began walking out the door.

Azazel stood there glancing at Sam as she sighed. "Do we have to leave him here?" She asked.

Siren rolled his eyes as he began walking out the door, the chain binding the two, pulling Azazel out the door. He scratched his head as he let out a soft sigh, his chest loosening that tension burning his chest.

"Don't worry, as much as I would love to let him die to his arrogance, I'll keep him alive. Only for you, only because of you. Me."