Project Deicide

[Siren77]

Althea and Kenzo were being compressed by the second. The forces of the Gods were advancing, with the both of them hardly being able to put out enough power in their abilities to kill one at a time. Meanwhile, the thick barrier of ice was continually being railed against by the monstrosity behind them.

What was this thing? Where had it come from? Was this the type of mechanical horror they had learned of in regards to the Mad God Obatala? Surely it had to be. Who else would create such terrifying displays of flesh and metal?

Regardless of the odds against them, the pair continued to fight, slowly chipping away at the opposing forces in search of victory. Across the hall, they could hear the screams and shouts of what sounded like another adept that had arrived. While their identity was unknown, whoever it was had just provided the duo some relief, removing the attention of the mechanic freak and leaving them to deal with the Mercenaries. For a moment, Kenzo thought victory to nearly be at hand.

But then Althea collapsed.

Kenzo was shocked, as he didn’t hear or see her get hit by any debris or gunfire. Hastily, repelling whatever bullets he could, he rushed to her side and dragged her back behind the cover.

“Althea? Althea?!” He’d shake her a few times, and eventually her eyes fluttered open. Her breathing was slow, and raspy. Almost like she was freezing to death.

A tired smirk crossed her face as she looked up at Kenzo, a hand reaching up to gently grasp the side of his face. Her hands felt like they themselves were made of ice. He’d reach and feel her forehead, which yielded the same results. His eyes widened as he held her close, trying to keep her warm as best as he could.

“I don’t think I can go any further, Kenzie.” She said with a raspy tone of voice. “My limits finally peaked out. They warned this would happen.” She laughed, gently rubbing her thumb against his warm cheek, with tears now running across her fingers from his silver eyes.

“No, you have to! We can still make it! We’re so close Althea!” Kenzo’s voice began to break. “Please stay with me, just hold on. I promise you’re gonna be okay.”

Althea began to gently cry as well, her tears freezing as soon as they left her eyes. Slowly, she shook her head side to side. Kenzo swore he felt his heart break in that moment.

“Stay with me Althea I’m begging you!” He pulled her even closer, hugging her torso still in a vain attempt to warm her up. “I can’t do this without you.” His body began to shake as he sobbed.

“You’ll never have to Kenzo.”

Althea pushed away so she could look into his eyes one last time. Reaching for her neck, she undid the claps to a chain she wore, carrying a pendant. The pendant was in the shape of five intersecting swords, reading Bravo-2 at the cross section. Each of the swords had the identification numbers for each of the members. It was a sacred item to her, having been something she carried since their pods construction. She’d always referred to them as her family, hence why she treated them as such. And it only made sense to keep a reminder of them with her always.

“We’re a team until the bitter end, remember?”

Kenzo’s shaky hand took ahold of her necklace, the tears continued to poor out.

“Althea...” He clenched it in his hands. “Please don’t leave me here...”

Altheas blue eyes filled with sorrow.

“I’m sorry, Kenzo.”

She could say nothing more. The ice of her own making finally brought her breathing to rest, and her heartbeat soon joined it. Kenzo sat in shock for a moment, and tried to shake her awake again.

“Althea please....” He’d stammer and shake more and more, “Don’t leave me here!!!”

Spoiler: Faith Forgotten

For a moment, everything stood in a standstill. He couldn’t feel the pain anymore, only the heartache. They were all gone. Every last one of them. Anyone that had ever meant anything to the electric adept were now far from his reach. They’d taken them from him. They’d destroyed his hopes of freeing this world. They’d taken away his joy. Rage began to replace his sorrow, with a second wind building inside of him. It was not out of a will to live or win anymore, but the sheer intent to murder.

Electricity began to spark and crackle wildly about his frame, zapping between his fingertips and dancing around the room. Kenzo laid Altheas body to rest, caressing her head one last time before standing. Bullets came flying, but the electric field circulating only caused them to ricochet. The pendant was pocketed in his right trouser pocket, and his enraged silver eyes looked upon the mercenaries.

They took everything from him. His home, his family, his sanctuary, and the innocence of his own life. And now, he was going to return the favor.

Lurching forward like a living bolt of lightning, Kenzo drove his fist into and through the chest of the first mercenary standing idly by. The warm blood sizzled as it made contact with his skin, and he savored the expression of pain on the mans face. The others rained down fire upon him, to which he replied by letting his energy pulse through the air and crack against them. A brave soul, knowing their firearms were useless in this moment, charged forward with his bayonet at the ready but was only to miss as Kenzo ducked under and double legged the man to the ground. Planting his hands on both sides of their head, Kenzo sent electricity blazing through their skull with such intensity that he witnessed the mans eyes melt in their sockets.

Picking up the corpse he’d just fried, Kenzo used it as a bludgeon dashing closer and closer and cracking body against body, with a sicking smack echoing every instance they collided. Bones could be heard breaking, muscles heard tearing, joints cracking, all manner of disgusting noises could be heard and Kenzo lived to hear all of them. While their pain didn’t take his away, it atleast let them experience his own atleast for a moment.

This process of brutally murdering the mercenaries would continue. No quarter would be given, and no lives spared. Try as they might, there was no stopping the rampaging Adept.

 

[icarusburning]

Ofelia's fist ached as water from other parts of her body flowed into it. She didn't know how she was doing it, she had never done it before, but she shifted her weight and swung with the other side of her body, her arm and hand forming mid-swing. It crashed into the cyborg's eye and it shattered. His arm pointed at her side, launching three rockets directly at her feet. Ofelia grabbed his face, yanking him towards her and the rockets. Her body splattered across the walls as the rockets exploded, but she reformed right back in the center of the hall. His rockets had blown off the rest of his broken jaw and part of his own hand, making the rocket launchers worthless.

"You monster!" she screamed, pushing herself towards him again and pummelling with him, fist after fist smashing into his metal frame. Each time, Ofelia felt her body lose more of its water, losing flesh and muscle. But the cyborg could hardly retaliate, his hands only clawing at water when he went to grab her. Ofelia didn't even consider what was really going on as she tapped into a power previously unknown to her, the hole in her chest kept her numb to the shock. All she could feel was the dog tags in her pocket, the blood that smeared her hands whenever she formed her hands, and the weariness that was beginning to creep up on her.

The cyborg's fist came down on her, attempting to smash her from the head down. She raised her arms to catch it, holding it in place over her head. She stared into his cracked red eye, the light in it flickering. Circuits and wires were visible behind it, sparking and partially broken. His face was bleeding and mutilated, even more so than it was before. Metal sat at their feet, pieces of his inhuman body that she had knocked off of him.

"You're as close to death as I am," Ofelia laughed, dry and grating, "Why don't we take the trip to hell together, fucker?" She lunged forwards, her hand diving into his eye and yanking on the wires. He let out a scream that sounded more like metal being slammed against itself. Ofelia pulled, electricity running up her arm as the wires snapped and the cyborg's body began collapsing.

When Ofelia let go, she realized just how much water she had lost. Instead of sacrificing any of her libs, she had been sacrificing flesh and muscle, and now she was skin and bones. The tips of her fingers weren't quite forming, and her vision was blurry.

The cyborg fell to the ground in front of her, lifeless.

And she was still alive.

Her hands reached for the clasp around her neck, pulling off her own dog tag. With shaking fingers that weren't quite precise enough, she carefully removed the dog tags from her pocket and threaded them onto her chain. By the end, seven tags sat around her throat. It was heavy and rattled as she turned back to the hall. A testament to her failures. Let others see it and know how many she couldn't save. How many she sent to their deaths.

She stumbled along the corpse-filled hall, towards the transerver room. Her boots were fried and falling apart, blood soaking in between her toes, but she could hardly feel it as she reached the transerver door. Pushing it open, she found it empty, the machines sitting undamaged along the far war.

She collapsed to her knees in the doorway, sobs raking her body as the world she knew sat in ruins around her.

 

[Siren77]

After some time, Kenzo ran out of bodies to slaughter. While the brutality he’d enacted did last for quite some time amongst the remnants of the first floor platoon, just as quickly as it had begun so too did it end.

One moment, all the electric was seeing was red, the next he only stood in place, grunting and growling like a feral animal guarding its territory. The rage still boiled hot in his heart, demanding he continue to destroy those that had wronged him. But with no one to abuse in his madness, the adrenaline that had gifted him the power to destroy his enemies departed from him. It was only then that he became aware of the many factors at work against his life.

He’d lost a lot of blood in the course of the now fallen Bravo-2’s escape attempt, and had expended almost all of the energy he could spare. In addition, his cardio had been pushed to its absolute limits this day. With the adrenaline gone, all of these factors came crashing down upon his body, wrecking it with an intense fatigue that sent him crashing into the ground face first. Consciousness was lost from him before his skull even cracked against the floor.

For a time he’d rest, looking no more alive than the rest of the corpses littering the ground. It was almost believed in his own subconscious that this was the end for him. That he too would fall just as the their four had. And yet, no matter how much he begged for deaths cold embrace, it never did find him in his brief slumber. The doors to the afterlife were shut. It was not his time to depart, not yet.

As the events of the day circulate through his mind, he’d relive them all in their entirety and reprocess all that had happened. He couldn’t die here, not yet. The four friends he once knew demanded he push forward, for their souls would not be redeemed until the Gods that had enslaved this world were slaughtered for their crimes. Kenzo was, as far as he knew, the last hope Project Deicide had of accomplishing this impossible feat. And he’d be damned if he didn’t at least try.

With conviction returned to his soul, Kenzo would awaken, just a few minutes after his rampage had ended. Dragging his limbs, he’d slowly build up a base to all fours. First he’d be on his elbows and knees, then hands and knees, then postured up on one knee and his right foot, until finally he forced himself to stand upright. The lightheaded sensation never left him, but he managed to gather enough strength to fend it off as he shambled towards the transervers doors.

The behemoth was gone, as was whoever had challenged it earlier. It was a miracle that only worked out for his benefit. As he shuffled along, Kenzo thought of how he would’ve given anything for any one of his teammates to have survived over himself. For their lives were far more precious to him. But such self destructive ideals would not remain long. Death was not to be entertained, for his mission was still clear. He would do all he could to fulfill their dying wish.

The question of who had helped save his life would soon be answered, as once he stepped into the transerver room, he’d see a familiar figure crumpled on the ground sobbing just in the doorway.

Ofelia, Captain of what he could only assume to be the former Ghost-4, had survived just as he had. And judging by the looks of the machinery in the room, they were the first, and the last. No doubt the lower floors had all been cleared and snuffed of all life. All other pods and adepts were long gone, joining the ranks of their fallen comrades. Kenzo did his best to distance himself from the sorrow, and advanced to kneel by her side. Distant shouting could be heard, letting them know that the rest of the mercenaries had arrived to finish the job.

“We need to go.” He’d say with a hoarse tone of voice, offering his arm to help support her to stand.

Time was running out.

 

[icarusburning]

Ofelia was certain that she would die. The strain on her body was aching as it begged for rest, and her heart felt like a pit. The attack had proved what she'd always feared: she wasn't worthy to face the Gods. Even with her team, six people that would listen to her orders, they never would have stood a chance. All of the training would've amounted to nothing.

She didn't even want to pull herself up and towards the machines that would get her out of this graveyard. What would she do on the other side? Starve to death on some unoccupied countryside? Be hunted down by the Gods and their burning rage? With her ability, she might be able to evade them for some time, but what kind of life would that be? She'd never avenge her pod, never be able to prove her worth beyond the coward that lay shivering on the floor, surrounded by the bodies of people she couldn't save.

There were footsteps approaching her and she couldn't care enough to move. Let them kill her, she thought. They would take her out of her misery. Show her how weak she was in the grand scheme of things. Let her see her team again. Maybe she'd find the afterlife that she had never believed in. Maybe her pod was waiting for her there.

She had no reason, no rights to go on.

Then the footsteps knelt by her side and spoke, quiet and rough. She blinked, pushing away the tears as she looked up at him. His form was bloody and tired, skin coated in blood and ash. The electric adept from Bravo-2, she realized. She had never gotten his name. Of course he had managed to survive, his abilities let him take out waves of enemies en mass. Her eyes darted behind him, searching for the rest of his pod. Or anyone, really. If Dovar was here, she thought, then they were surely saved.

It was only him.

He'd been through the same thing Ofelia had, then. Watching each and every member of his team being slaughtered and left to rot. Unable to do anything for them, only to keep going and make it to this very spot. And, unlike Ofelia, he was still willing to keep going.

Suddenly, Ofelia had something to defend. A tank, a brute of a man, who could take down armies if he tried. If she could get him close to a God, she thought, would he win? If she could fight with him, and keep him fighting, could they kill them all? The determination on his face said yes.

She took his arm, rearranging her body to leave one hand unformed so the other would be complete. She staggered as she stood, hardly having the muscles to hold herself upright, but she managed. She wasn't the only one in awful shape; one of his arms was bloody and mangled, almost unrecognizable.

They didn't have time to deal with it now.

"Right," she nodded, pushing herself towards the machinery, "Let's go." Shouts were coming from the hall. This would be their last chance to escape. Leaning against the transerver, she began typing into it's screen. Her name, her identification number, her password.

"Welcome, Ofelia Amador!" The screen read, "Go to Kitsune?" The name of her original mission blinked before her eyes. Entering Kitsune's territory now would be a mistake. His illusions would dispatch them within minutes, if they lasted that long.

Bravo-2's mission had been Mars, she remembered, but visiting him would be three death wishes stacked in gold armor pretending to be a God. They'd hardly make it two steps in his kingdom without being killed.

The cyborgs belonged to Obatala, she remembered, whose territory was large enough for things to go unnoticed. She had taken down one of his creations, she could do it again. They could hide out in his savannahs while they recovered. And revenge on what his cyborg had done would taste so, so very sweet.

"Obatala is a safe bet at the moment," she spoke to the boy behind her, though she didn't turn to him as she typed in their new destination, "He doesn't watch his land as closely as some of the others. I killed the behemoth in the other room, so we know that we're capable of it if need be. And both of our abilities lend themselves well to taking down his creations." Her words felt numb, detached from her chest. Like her brain was running on autopilot and ignoring all of the guilt and pain that was gnawing at her heart. It was probably for the best. She at least seemed composed, this way.

The machine let out a beep as it confirmed her selection of the middle of the plains in Obatala's territory, much further North than where his hideout was. As the footsteps in the hall got nearer, she quickly moved to the other machines. Name, ID, password. Set to self destruct. Each button press hurt as she realized what she was doing. Anyone left alive in the facility would be doomed. If they were still alive, they'd make it to this floor and only find the shards of the transervers. But Ofelia couldn't let the soldiers use the transervers for themselves. She was dooming any other survivors to save herself.

No, she repeated in her head over and over, not herself. The boy with her, the one who stood a chance against the Gods. Her pod was dead, he was her team now. She wasn't going to let him die.

She finished setting the other machines to destroy themselves, finally looking back to the bloody adept behind her.

"Are you ready to go?"

 

[Siren77]

Fortunately for him, despite the perilous situation they’d just experienced, it didn’t appear that Captain Amador was all too keen on giving up just yet either. She wouldn’t refuse to move, instead following his move and letting him help her upright. It was a relief to him, though if she had chosen to lose all hope he couldn’t have blamed her. Witnessing the mass slaughter that had just been enacted upon every face that they’d seen on a daily basis here would surely haunt them for all time. Most would rather die than life with such memories, but not them.

When the pair link up to help one another to the transerver, an unwritten and unspoken pact had just been made between them. As the some survivors, they were going to do everything possible to ensure that their friends and chosen families deaths were not in vain. Despite the stacked odds, they were both willing to fight, this time with a fire that would drive them to new heights in this shattered world.

After getting her to the terminal of the machine, Kenzo turned about to keep her up but also to watch the door in case some of the mercenaries arrived before they could slip away.

As Ofelia plugged away coordinates in the machine, it hurt Kenzo’s pride to hear that the both of their missions had been completely altered. But there was sound reasoning behind it. Kitsune was a master of terror, and with their already weak minds it’d be all too easy to put an end to them then and there. Then there was Mars, and his extensive armies that were everywhere in his domain. They wouldn’t have a chance of survival in either of those places. As much as he wanted to murder the bastard in the name of his fallen comrades, he needed to wait.

One way or another though, he’d find him.

Kenzo would nod at Ofelia’s words, not making any argument against departing for the barren lands of Africa. He just hoped they’d be able to find help, as both of them were in desperate need of medical attention. Or atleast he was. Judging by what he’d seen at the end of their match, it seemed all Ofelia needed to do was drink water in a large quantity. It was fortunate, but that meant he’d be a burden after that point.

One by one after that preparing their departure, they’d set the rest of the machines to detonate immediately afterwards, effectively closing the door behind them. They’d never know what the machines are or where they went, or if there were even survivors. Their trail would be erased, and they’d be free for a time.

It stung, looking around the room one last time and thinking of all the innocent adepts slaughtered this day. None of them would ever leave like intended. None of them could be mourned properly, or even offered the dignity of a burial. It was a mass grave, another stain in the earth of the horrors the Gods had wrought. It made Kenzo’s soul burn just thinking about it.

His thoughts would be interrupted as Ofelia questioned if he was ready to leave, and with a pained expression he’d nod his head. Stepping up onto the raised platform and helping Ofelia up as well, the machine whirred to life as a field of energy was placed around them. The roaring of machinery only got louder, which was followed by the crackling of electricity. A bright light flashed, and in an instant they were transported from the Project Deicide facility.
————————————

When the bright light faded, the pair would find themselves standing on the outskirts of an expansive rainforest in Central Africa. To their right was a mass array of dense foliage, and all manner of wild plant life. And to their left, the beginning of an empty field. There were no animals in sight, and the both of them would understand why.

This place had come under effect of Obatala’s harsh ruling, in his mad campaign to destroy all living flesh on the earth. It was sad, but fortunate in a way. It was better nothing decorate this landscape, than the horrific machines he’d created to repopulate this area.

Kenzo took on the atmosphere, and the quiet beauty of the place. The sorrow still wrenched at his soul, knowing that his comrades would never get to see anything like this for themselves. The sun sat high in the sky and bathed the pair in a warm golden light. The celestial body had been one of the things Kenzo had dreamt of experiencing the most.


But he never thought a dream could be this lonely.

 

[icarusburning]

Spoiler: ive been sittin on this song since we started

into the real world we go!! here's some vibes

Ofelia blinked against the harsh light, gasping lightly when it faded and grass crunched under her feet. She blinked against the sunlight, which was completely different from the facility's LED lights. She lifted her hand to block it out initially, before her eyes began to adjust. She took a step forwards as her hand dropped, the world around her overwhelming.

Plants surrounded them. The trees grew so high, so much so that it hurt to look up at them. The vines grew between their branches, with leaves and bushes at their bases that Ofelia had only seen before in pictures. Turning away from the jungle, the field seemed to stretch on forever. The horizon looked like it was miles away, with a seemingly infinite view of blue sky. It was warm, so much warmer than the constant 67 degrees of the underground facility. The only time she'd experienced that kind of heat was standing next to Griffin.

A pang went through her heart as her mind snapped back to her pod, her friends who were left dead in that facility. She touched the tags around her neck, her fingers finding the melted one that had been Griffin's. They were gone, really gone. She'd never stay up late, planning for spars with Kousuke again. She'd never hear Kitty's calls to get her to join the pod for dinner, even when she always said no. She'd never end up in a screaming match with Griffin again, always mad over the same stupid shit.

She snapped out of it quickly. This wasn't a time to be staring at the scenery or mourning her friends. She had to secure water and food for them. They needed medical attention and a safe place to rest. The struggle to survive wasn't over. It wouldn't be over until every God's head sat on a pike.

She turned back to the electric adept, pulling her sweater off and tearing a blood stained, bullet hole-filled sleeve, "Give me your arm, it needs to be wrapped up. We need to find water, or else I'll be useless."

 

[Siren77]

Spoiler: Another Vibe

I meant to attach this in the last post, oops

The heat was absolutely intense, which felt nice in a way. It was Kenzo’s first exposure to the real world, and the ever changing elements therein. The world truly felt alive, and it brought a subtle sense of joy to his heart to live as a normal person might. But it also served as a cruel reminder that he’d enjoy this all alone.

He couldn’t dwell on it too long though. There was a mission at hand and it required the both of them to not be idle. They’d need to be careful, and coordinated in their movements around the world. They’d need to strategize, and plan around potential threats. Fortunately, while Dovar hadn’t made it, one of them was still at one point a leader of a pod. Kenzo thought Ofelia to be creative, and given she shared the same position as his friend, he had faith to trust her judgment. Granted, he’d do all he could to help, but strategy was never his forte. He much preferred following orders than giving them.

It seemed they were both on the right track, with Ofelia wanting to tend to his torn up arm. Kenzo would follow her instructions, offering the mangled limb to her. It had some bits of shrapnel still embedded, but it was better to leave it in for now as to slow its bleeding. He’d grit his teeth as he helped her wrap the cloth tightly around it. Once done, he’d nod his head in thanks, before pointing towards the forest with his good arm in response to her concerns of water.

If they were going to find a clean and plentiful source, the forest would be their best bet. Who knows how far away the closest watering hole would be. After giving his opinion on the matter, Kenzo would stand, and helped his fellow survivor up as well. He’d act as support for as long as she needed it, and would help her in whatever direction she decided to travel.

It was strange. While she had never been someone he’d interacted with in the past, or even worked alongside. It was easy to adopt the same tendencies he had with his teammates. Helping to care for them, offering to support them in any which way, and above all else being kind with them. One could call it basic human decency, but it felt deeper than that. He was treating her like a teammate, and that’s all there was to it.

 

[icarusburning]

Ofelia knew that his arm was in bad shape and would need further attention, but they didn't have the time to do it now. When they found a place to rest and water that Ofelia could steady her hands with, she'd pull the metal out. For the moment, she pretended not to notice the pain that creased his forehead as she tightened the fabric around it.

He pointed towards the forest and Ofelia didn't respond, only turning towards it and peering in. It was thick and dense and there were no signs of life, other than the abundant plants. There had to be some stream or pond in it, though. Ofelia's body could filter anything, she could drink even the most polluted water and be fine. Any puddle of rainwater would do, and with the ache in her limbs from her lack of water, she might end up drinking just that.

Ofelia's legs were shakey beneath her and she found herself leaning on the other more than she thought she would've needed to. She tried shifting water away from her arm that was already missing a hand, only to have her balance thrown completely off as she tried to move, so she let it be.

The lack of wildlife would end up helping them, she realized, as the forest was silent save for their crunching feet. If there was moving water nearby, they'd hear it from quite a ways away. Keeping alert for it, she wandered further in.

The jungle was scary. Even without the threat of animals, the trees were massive and looming, and the overabundance of shadows only spooked her mind. She tried to ignore it, not letting her mind be tricked by every shifting leaf or fern, but she was certain that she wasn't doing a good enough job to hide it from the boy that she clung to.

And then, a noise. The quiet babble of a stream caught Ofelia's attention and she turned in the direction, hurrying towards it as fast as her limbs would take her. She let go of the other when it came into sight, only a small trickle of water travelling along the jungle floor. The ground beneath it was rocky and engrained in the soil, and Ofelia cupped her hand and drank.

There were a few gasping moments when she ignored the rest of the world around her, her pants soaking through as she kneeled by the water. She drank as much as she had the patience for, finally rising when she knew that they had to keep moving.

"We'll look for it's source," she said, wiping her mouth, "There might be a spring."

 

[Siren77]

To say Kenzo was on edge would be an understatement. After the hell he’d just gone through, he was expecting anything and everything to start jumping from the trees and start trying to kill them, including the trees themselves. Shit, if the mad bastard was trying destroy all living flesh, what’s stopping him from eradicating foliage as well? The idea of a forest made of metal, full of al manner of tricks and traps, only set him more on edge.

His brain really was not on his side this day. Though in all truth, it rarely was. The silence, while a blessing, only added the his paranoia and anticipation. But forward he pushed on, helping Ofelia along as he did so.

It took some time, but eventually Kenzo’s suspicions proved to be true. The quiet bubbling they heard was nothing short of a godsend, and the pair reacted accordingly. Hastily they’d move, with Ofelia picking up the pace greatly. Soon they’d reach it, with the woman letting go and falling to her knees to drink. While she let her guard down, Kenzo kept watch, carefully eyeing the surroundings in his ever present stress.

After she finished, he’d take his own turn in taking in a cup full in his hands and soothing his parched throat. The stream was traveling down at an ever slight decline, so they’d be heading the opposite direction. If they could find the spring, it’d be more than enough water for the both of them to make use of.

Kenzo nodded in agreement, and assumed the position of aid for her once again. Once again they’d hobble along, following the trail the water made through the ground. At some points along their way, it looked to vanish, but they’d soon pick up on its path once again. For a long while, it almost seemed that they’d never find it, getting further and further lost in the depths of the expansive rainforest. But all at once, they’d clear an especially dense portion of the foliage, and the spring would reveal itself to them.

Spoiler: Spring

Kenzo would ensure that Ofelia was able to get close enough to drink to her hearts content, before falling to his knees as well and taking large swallows of the springs domain in rapid succession. Despite the warmth of the forest, the water was cool, and soothing upon their heat wrecked bodies. The electric adept was tempted to soak his mangled arm in its contents as a means of therapy, but refrained, knowing full well it’d be an invitation to get the limb severely infected.

It was a pleasant little haven within the forest, and Kenzo thought it raise to remain here for a time. They needed rest after everything that had happened, but they’d also need food sooner or later. Just the thought of sustenance caused his stomach to growled with a fierce hunger. There were many needs that needed to be appeased, including adequate shelter. While Kenzo knew how to make a crude shelter out of branches and fibers from the leaves (survival training was a wonder), he was sore outta luck with his fucked up arm and the essential tool of a knife.

Kenzo decided to give the options some thought, scooting away from the bank and rolling onto his back. He let his eyes rest, but wouldn’t fall asleep.

 

[icarusburning]

The walk was almost torturous as they continued on for so long, though Ofelia could hardly tell how long. Her feet were aching and her ruined shoes were providing less and less protection against the harsh ground under their feet. The stream ran right next to her and she was so desperate to get more water that it almost hurt.

When Ofelia pushed past the trees and spotted the spring, she thought that she'd cry of happiness. It was beautiful, unlike anything she'd ever seen, not even in pictures. The water glowed like crystals and it seemed that the entire forest was centered around it. Ofelia couldn't help herself; she dove in, her body melting as she hit the water and joining it. Her body was pulled downstream before she reformed, the cool water calming her skin and reminding her of all of the cuts and bruises left by the invasion. She ignored them, greedily alternating between drinking water and melting in it.

Ofelia could live in water if she wanted to. She didn't have to breathe in it and her body would never lose water when she was submerged in it. It was her heaven, her safe place. It was nearly impossible to catch her in the water, there was very little a person could do to hurt her. For a few moments, she basked in the freedom of it, letting the fear and horror and blood soak out of her skin as she swam.

And then she heard a stomach growl. She turned to the other adept, seeing him moving away from the spring and lay down. Right. She couldn't give in to the stream yet. She needed to find them food and shelter. They needed a plan.

She pulled herself on the bank near him, sitting and leaving her feet in the water. Her healing process was speeding up from her contact with the stream; her hand was already reforming. It would still take a couple of more hours, but her body would be healed up by the next day. The same couldn't be said for the other. She pulled her feet out of the stream and moved closer to him.

"Give me your arm, I'm going to pull the shrapnel out," she told him, "My body filters water, so we can use it to wash them out." She paused for a moment after the words before speaking again, "I don't know your name."

 

[Siren77]

Kenzo heard the water being disturbed right next to where he was resting, and opened his eyes once again. He sat up, and looked over to her as she approached, listing intently to what she had to say initially thinking it was a plan. Though it turned out to be one of the few things Kenzo did not want to address in this moment.

At first he was opposed to the idea, not wanting to subjugate himself to the pain of having the bits and pieces of razor sharp metal removed from his arm, but also forcing his arm to begin bleeding heavily again. In his mind, he thought it best to leave the shrapnel in.

Kenzo merely shook his head in response, scooting away a little as if distancing himself would allow him to be left alone. Though Ofelia was of course adamant, and further explained her methods. In concept it sounded good. Filtering water through his wounds would help gently remove the shrapnel as not to cause more damage on exit or pry open any of the temporality stopped wounds. There was a pause as he thought it over, before moving himself right next to her with his injured arm angled her way.

Ofelia asked him his name, to which he replied with a half crack of a smile.

“I’m Kenzo.” He didn’t ask for hers in return, already knowing full well who she was after the battle.

Slowly, the electric adept aided her in removing the crude bandaging of her shred of sweater, before extended it so she could work freely. He could only brace himself for the pain, clenching his opposite hand in anticipation.

 

[icarusburning]

Ofelia didn't really remember physical pain that much. She had been fairly young when she had learned how to keep her body liquid, so the sharp pain of something slicing through her flesh was foreign. She could still get cut - and with the mission they were on, she was certain that the feeling would be more familiar to her - but most of her pain was dull or aching. It was why she pitied the adept when he shook his head, not wanting to experience that sharp pain.

When he extended it to her, she spent a moment examining it, her eyes flickering up to his face as she did so. Some of the metal shards were shallow, but others not so much. It wouldn't be painless, even with her water easing their way. She bit her lip at the idea of hurting him, her necklace weighing heavy for a moment.

"My name is Ofelia Amador," she said, unprompted, "We fought this morning." She let her legs melt to use the water, moving it towards his arm and letting it slip into the cuts and scrapes. First, she just let it wash the blood out, dumping the mostly dried flakes to the ground under them.

"My last name means 'lover'," she rambled, half because she wanted to distract him and half because she just needed to fill the aching that has filled her since the alarms had first gone off, "There was this one older Adept who spoke Spanish, and she told me that 'ama' is a prefix for love and '-dor' is a suffix for someone who does something. So, even though it wasn't actually the Spanish word for lover, it would translate to it anyways."

She worked at some of the smaller pieces of metal as she spoke, letting her water loosen them and push them out. Some, she had to pull with her fingers, and she continued to wash away the blood as it welled up.

"You can grab me if you don't want to scratch up your hand," she told him, noticing the strain in his other hand, "You won't hurt me. Do you know what your name means?"

 

[Siren77]

“I know.” Kenzo said with a light chuckle.

There wasn’t any snark or attitude in his voice, rather mindless acknowledgement as he averted his gaze while Ofelia looked at his arm. He focused on the beautiful scenery about it, taking in the fullness of its splendor as to distract himself from what was about to happen.

When she began her work, he winced slightly as the sudden rush of water rinsing out his wound, but a soothing sensation took over as it began to clear its many wounds of the dried bits of blood and loose pieces of metal.

Kenzo appreciated that she was trying to distract him with conversation, further removing his mind from his wounds as he listened intently to the story of her name. He smiled contently, looking to the sky as the process went on and she continued to talk. It was only after the larger pieces needed to be guided out that he began clenching his fist super tight, and clenching his jaw. The pain was excruciating, with the tender and inflamed skin doing him no favors in ridding itself of the shrapnel.

Ofelia took notice of this and offered for him to grab onto her, but declined a shake of his head. His pain was his to bear, and he wasn’t about to take it out on the one teammate he had left, even if she couldn’t feel it.

The subject of the conversation moved on to Kenzo last name, and its own meaning. Though strained in the pain, he’d open up and talk to try and continue getting his mind off of everything.

“My first name is Japanese. I was told it refers to Wisdom. Though my last name is Spanish as well. It’s a derivative of the word for Moon, instead meaning Moons.”

He was rambling, talking far more than most were used to. But it was working to keep his mind off things. In due time, the wound was fully cleaned out of the obvious bits of shrapnel. Whatever couldn’t be unearthed would need to wait, if not remain in his arm permanently. So long as it wasn’t infected, which the clean water would help mitigate, it could remain embedded in his arm.

After it was confirmed Ofelia was finished, Kenzo would retrieve his arm and finally looked at it. For the most part, the wounds had remained sealed in the process, but some had reopened and even widened slightly. Fresh bright red blood was slowly leaking out, meaning it was only the upper layers of tissue that had been reopened as opposed to the deeper tissues. He’d offer it again to be rinsed off, and once done the fabric from earlier was rewrapped tightly around the affected areas before being tied off.

By some miracle fingers were all intact, though they had their fair share of extensive cuts. The majority of the affected area was the palm and back of his hand, wrist, and forearm. It felt a ton better, with less pressure under his skin, and as far as he could tell, less foreign objects to stab at him. It still hurt to move too much, but it’d atleast have more use for now.

Looking back to Ofelia, he’d offer her a nod of appreciation.

“Thank you.” His gaze drifted to her still redeveloping limbs. “Will you be okay?”

 

[icarusburning]

Ofelia was initially annoyed when he refused to hold her, and she was tempted to snap at him for it. What good was it, hurting himself further when his hands wouldn't even leave dents in her body? But now was barely the time to pick fights. If a similar situation came up like it in the future, she's address it then. Now, she needed to pick her battles and keep them safe.

She laughed softly as Kenzo told her about his name, dislodging a larger piece as quickly as she could so it wouldn't hurt nearly as much. The metal hit the ground with a little ting! and she ignored any reaction of pain that he had to it.

"Wise moons and a drowned lover," she mumbled, "That's a pair." She pulled out the last and largest chunk of shrapnel, letting go of Kenzo's arm. He examined it and let her wash it out one more time. Now, at least, the risk of it getting infected was just a little bit lower. His flesh could begin to mend itself.

Ofelia frowned when he asked her about her own body, that sort of guilty feeling rising in her chest.

"I'll be fine," she told him, and she could find no other words that explained how she couldn't get really hurt if she didn't want to. How she hadn't taken any bullets or explosions to her actual flesh because she chose not to. Six people had died under her watch and she would reform, unharmed.

They needed food and a shelter. If there was any wildlife left in the forest, they'd have to visit the spring. Maybe she could ambush a few small rodents, or some fish that Obatala and his army had overlooked. She didn't need to catch too much, since Kenzo was the only one between them who really needed the food. With ample water, Ofelia would be able to make it a few days without concerning herself with eating.

"I can start building something for us to sleep in," she said aloud to Kenzo, "Don't use your arm, you'll only damage it more. I'll try to catch fish after I make a fire."

 

[Siren77]

Kenzo merely nodded in response. Ofelia knew here abilities far better than he ever could. If the water was all she thought she needed, then he wouldn’t question it.

The electron performed a functions test on his arm and hand, moving everything around and seeing how far he could stretch without pain. For the most part his elbow operated as normal. There was a jolt of pain when he extended it fully, but he could deal with it. His wrist was completely shot. It couldn’t bend or twist in any direction, so he needed to keep it straight. Some of the fingers worked better then others, but he could still grip and grab with it. There wasn’t a lot of strength behind it, but it sufficed him for now.

As Ofelia relayed her plan, which entailed her taking care of everything, Kenzo shook his head and stood up.

“You find food, I can take care of the rest.”

Her abilities would make catching the fish easy. Meanwhile he could focus on building the shelter, and getting a fire started. He’d had enough rest by now that he could probably use his electricity to get a spark running. Much more than that wouldn’t be possible without some food.

Kenzo decided to hold off on the shelter, resorting to scouting out the area for as many bits and pieces of wood he could find. Anything dried up would be perfect for kindling, with larger chunks being sufficient for fuel. All the while, he would keep his head in a swivel for anything that looked sharp enough to be used to help construct the shelter later.

 

[icarusburning]

Ofelia wanted to argue with him and insist that he rest, but after she realized that she was having trouble standing from her melted legs that weren't reforming, she decided against it. A battle for another day, she decided, when she could actually do the tasks she was responsible for. For now, she'd do the best she with the strength she had. She pushed off into the water again, where she didn't need her legs to move around.

When she was a girl she had seen photos of mermaids in a picture book. They were elegant and beautiful and powerful and it was all that Ofelia had wanted to be. She read stories about them luring sailors to their deaths and she had wanted to be able to do that. To kill her enemies just by tricking them closer. But there was no sea in the underground facility, and no sailors to travel on it, so she had forgotten about the mermaids. But, sliding in between her liquid and solid forms, moving against the currents like it was air, she wondered if that was how the mythological creatures had felt: powerful, effortless, and completely at home.

She traveled far from Kenzo in her search for fish. The only she could find were small minnows which were nothing but bones, so she swam further and further upstream. She traveled much faster in the water, and she wasn't keeping track of how far she was going or how much time was passing. It may have only been minutes, but it may have been hours. Finally, the stream opened up again, forming a wide lake.

There was plenty of fish here, lining the bottom and wandering around. Ofelia found it easy to catch them, taking her liquid form to speed in front of them and grabbing them with a half-formed hand. Their bones cracked against her hands as she bent them, snuffing the life out of their body. Every snap made her wince, but she kept doing it anyways until she had a bundle of them in her arms. Pulling vines from a nearby tree, she tied them together to make them easier to transport. She was poking out of the water as she tied, which is why she heard the crunching in the grass beside the lake.

She ducked underwater, swimming to a smaller alcove, half-obscured by weeds, before peering back out. She expected to see a cyborg or some awful mutant animal, but she was surprised to see a human, coming to the water's edge with a net. He looked tired and weary, but he sprinkled some bait into the water in front of him and waited for something to bite. When it did, his net flashed, and Ofelia realized with a jerk that his hand was metal, the flesh around it torn and mangled.

She'd seen enough. She let the current take her back downstream, pulling her away from the lake with a small splash that she prayed the man hadn't heard. She was out of view within moments, though she didn't slow her pace. She tore through the stream, occasionally having to get out and run when the stream got too narrow to carry the fish through. These periods of running made her realize just how far from the spring she had gone, as areas of water that she had swum in seconds now took minutes.

Finally reaching the spring again, she unceremoniously dumped the fish on the ground, heaving herself out of the water. She was ready to open her mouth and tell Kenzo about the man she'd seen, but she froze. They were both in terrible condition. The walk would take hours, if not days, and she wasn't even certain if the man was friendly. If they wanted to approach him, they had to be ready to fight him in case he wasn't. She was certain that she could kill a regular human, but the man was clearly some creation of Obatala.

"I found fish," she ended up saying, pulling out a flat rock from the stream's edge and beginning to scale one of them, "I can catch more if it's not enough."

 

[Siren77]

Kenzo went straight to work after Ofelia left, grateful that him ignoring her request for him to rest wasn’t met with harsh words. She seemed to be treating him as an equal, which was much appreciated. But it was just a question of how long that would last. He hoped her leadership mentality was similar to Dovar’s, but only time would tell.

Through the foliage he’d scavenge, at first concerning himself with gathering a healthy amount of tinder and kindling. They were the most essential, being the backbone of the flames progress. In no time a like was created, to which the electric adept then doubled back and circulated through the area once more, seeking out fallen branches and logs he’d seen previously. He’d find a fallen tree, lying dormant upon the ground. It’s branches made his work easy, and in no time a pile ready to be burned was collected as well.

While going about his business, the occasional small critter would be seen dashing just out of the corner of his eye. But from what he could tell, they wouldn’t be worth the trouble of hunting, so he made no effort to track them.

With all his wood piled up and ready, he’d hold off on starting a fire, as it wasn’t needed right now. They still had some daylight remaining, and it would do them no good to waste the fuel. He decided to get it started when Ofelia returned.

In the meantime, he had a bungalow to start building. He still needed something sharp, and opted for one of the thinner rocks he could find on the bank of the spring. It wouldn’t be the best at cutting, but it would at least help split his materials.

Once again he’d retreat into the depths of the forest, this time in search of fresher and livelier plant life. First, he’d spend some time scrapping the large leaves off of some of the shorter plants, knowing their fibers would come in handy. Next, he’d start tearing off branches from the still standing trees. While not good for burning, they were durable and an excellent choice for constructing a shelter. After that, clumps of the grass were pulled from the ground and piled up. Everything was then placed close to the spring, where construction began.

One by one, the branches were planted into the ground in a spaced out fashion, marking out the foundation of where the walls would be. He’d trim them all down to the same size with his dull rock as best as he could, limiting the heavy force to his left arm. The leaves were then stripped down to finer threads, and he’d spend quite a while fashioning a rope of sorts, which was wrapped around the planted branches to keep them upright.

After he’d finished this step, Ofelia finally returned, bringing the fish she caught along with her. Kenzo turned to greet her, nodding his head at the number of fish she had gathered. It would be plenty for both of them to eat.

The electric adept stopped what he was doing, and instead turned his attention to building a fire, leaving the basis of their shelter idle for a few moments. A ring of stones was constructed, before he’d father a pile of the kindling he’d gathered. Smaller branches were then placed over top in a Tepee fashion. Then he’d stretching forward his left hand, and emitted a spark of electricity that connected with the kindling, setting it alight in an instant.

The kindling burned, and caught on to the smaller twigs. The flames consumed them as well, and Kenzo began piling the larger branches over top once the flames were large enough. He’d sit for a moment, feeding the flames until he was satisfied.

After the fire was finished, he’d return to his work on the shelter.

 

[icarusburning]

Ofelia wondered if it was even worth pulling the bones out of the fish, as they were small and she'd likely only mutilate their flesh by trying. She'd never done it before, and she doubted she could do it right. Maybe just eating around the bones would work better for them. Deciding that to be the case, she continued scaling them, laying them out in a row. She watched as Kenzo built a fire for them, the satisfying crackle of the flames filling her ears as it grew. She grabbed some nearby sticks, spearing the fish on them and sticking them in the ground, close enough for the heat to cook them but not too close so that they would burn.

She looked at the shelter Kenzo was building and the work he was doing to it. He was using his good hand for most of the work, his injured one out of the way. She went to the water and took in a few mouthfuls before turning back to him.

"Watch the fish," she told him, examining the materials that he had gathered. She didn't know as much about survival as it seemed he did, but she didn't want him to keep straining his arm. "I can finish building."

 

[Siren77]

Despite Ofelia’s offer to take his place, Kenzo refused, making no attempts to leave his little project behind. As annoying as it was mostly using his one hand, he was getting along well enough. Doing something with his hands to keep him busy was always relaxing in a way to him. It gave him time to take his mind off things and just focus on the task at hand.

The additional branches he’d gathered that weren’t already in the ground were swiftly posted in, with smaller bits of his crude rope being used to fasten them tight to their neighbors in an attempt to keep it water tight. This process was repeated until the walls were entirely constructed, standing roughly four feet tall. It wasn’t massive, but it was tall enough that it wouldn’t be a pain to crouch or crawl through. At the very least, it was wide enough for the both of them to have space to themselves.

Next came the roof, which Kenzo created with the thinner branches and rope in an alternating pattern that tied it all down in a once again weatherproof format. A door was made in a similar fashion, and after both were tied down to the bungalow, Kenzo grabbed some fresh mud from the bank of the Spring and packed it onto any gaps on the structure. The tall grass was then gathered by the bundle to be laid across the roof and along the bottom of the walls.

At long last, after a good couple hours work, their shelter was constructed.

Tired and proud of his efforts, Kenzo finally retreated from his workstation to sit next to the fire near Ofelia. His stomach growled as he looked at the fish. Hopefully they’d be done soon, as he wasn’t sure how much longer he could wait.

 

[icarusburning]

Once again, Ofelia found herself annoyed with his refusal to rest. But still, she was far too exhausted to argue with him about it. If he wanted so strain himself, she thought bitterly, let him. He'd regret it later when his arm hurt more and it took longer to heal.

Her lost flesh had reformed a decent amount in her swim, giving some of her strength back. She could stand without swaying and, if both of her hands were formed, she was certain that she would be able to lift heavier objects as well.

Out of some sort of spite towards Kenzo, she moved back into the water instead of helping him. She was tired and frustrated, and she figured that she'd prove him wrong and help him tomorrow when his arm was only worse and she was completely healed. She melted in the spring, hiding herself among the currents and waterfalls.

She only pulled herself out of the water to flip the fish, letting their other sides cook, before diving back in.

It was hours later that she completely reformed herself, when her missing hand has finished reforming completely. She saw Kenzo finishing with the structure and she had to admit that she was impressed, though she didn't dwell on it for long. She pulled up a fish, prying it open at the stomach and revealing its cooked, steaming insides. She almost threw up, not used to eating meat, and handed it over to Kenzo as soon as he was close enough. The fish's dead eyes stared up at her as she looked down at another, ready to lift it and move it away from the fire. Its corpse screamed at her, and Ofelia thought about the adepts that she might have doomed. What if Paulina had survived? What if she had made it to the transerver room? If she had only come face-to-face with the destroyed remains of the machines? Ofelia could've just shot her herself, and there'd be no less guilt on her shoulders.

And Ofelia broke.

She didn't realize when the first tears fell, the wetness on her cheeks shocking her. But as soon as she began, she couldn't stop. Her chest heaved as she gasped for air and her hands brushed away the water from her face before it could hit the ground. She always knew that she was hard to kill, but the idea of being left alive when her entire pod was killed had never occurred to her. She always thought that she'd destroy herself before letting them die. That, if they failed, they all failed.

And so, she sobbed.

 

[Siren77]

Eventually, their meal would be served up, with Ofelia offering one of the cooked fish to Kenzo. He’d accept of course, holding it in his hands for a moment. It’s cold dead eye stared into the void, seemingly looking right at him. For a moment, Kenzo envisioned it questioning why it had to die, when it was not the cause of their grief. Snapping from the odd thing he just envisioned, the electric adept grabbed the head of the fish by its gills and peeled it backwards slowly. This caused the spine of the fish to be removed cleanly from the gutted fish, and was then tossed by the wayside. No more questioning eyes of brainless animals for him.

As hungry as he was, for a moment his appetite was ruined. The smell of the fishes cooked corpse only reminded him of the overwhelming stench of blood that littered those halls he’d escaped from. The mangled corpses and bloody masses left behind from the Watch’s carnage. He had to fight off the urge to gag, and forced himself to split the fish to reveal its filets, before prying off some of the meat and shoving it into his mouth.

‘It’s just a fish’ he told himself, ‘fish have nothing to do with what’s happened. You need to eat, or you’re never going to get your strength back.’

The process was repeated, Kenzo continually tearing bits of cooked meat from the fillet and forcing himself to partake of it. He’d be about halfway through his first fish when he noticed Ofelia sobbing. It wasn’t light either, the woman was clearly a wreck, which made his heart sink. As similar as their situation was, he seemed to be handling it better than she was. Then again, it was only because he was better about swallowing his emotions and forcing them into the furthest corner of his mind. Bottling up like this would have adverse affects later on down the line, but he didn’t want to think about it.


Instead, he’d set his meal down temporarily, and scooted closer to Ofelia. He wasn’t sure how to help comfort her, or if he even could. Her preferences and tolerance of physical affection was unknown, and lord knows he didn’t have a way with words. Though hesitant, he’d settle for draping an arm around her shoulders, offering a light squeeze as he did so as to remind her that she wasn’t alone.

That she wasn’t the only one suffering at this time.

 

[icarusburning]

Ofelia was hoping that Kenzo wouldn't look at her cry. She was the leader here, the one that had passed the trials. She had been selected for having a level head, for not letting her emotions get the best of her. Time and time again, she had been commended for her abilities in stressful situations. She remembered her training with the older Adepts so well. Their words rang through her mind constantly. "Don't you dare cry," they had told her, "Cry, and you may as well give in. Panic, and you're handing yourself over to the enemy."

When Kenzo shifted next to her, she knew she'd failed. She buried her head in her knees, in a last-ditch attempt to hide it, only to feel his arm carefully draped around her shoulders. She tensed up initially, the contact new. None of her teammates had ever been touchy with her. She'd never been touchy with them. If she was being touched, she was being punished.

She only managed to calm herself a moment later, when he said nothing else and Ofelia realized that he really was just trying to comfort her. She felt awful, falling apart like this. This wasn't what she was supposed to act like. This wasn't who she was supposed to be.

"I'm sorry," she gasped between breaths, her voice muffled, "I'll be strong for us tomorrow, I promise. I'm so sorry."

 

[Siren77]

Kenzo was slightly confused by her words. Strong for *us* tomorrow? Did she honestly expect so much of herself after the hell they’d both been through? Emotional Strength could hardly be expected of anyone who had just lost everything. He pursed his lips, unsure of what to say, or if he honestly should say anything.

It was clear she was exhibiting self destructive tendencies in her mind, given the slight sense of blame she had in her wording. Which certainly was not a good thing. The last thing either of them needed to be doing at this moment was cutting themselves down, especially with the burden they already held of being the Projects last hope.

Finally, after giving it a moment of thought, he’d finally open up a little to try and bring some comfort.

“You have been strong already. Your wanting to carry on with the mission is uncommon in dire situations like these. Most would be afraid of such responsibility.” There would be a pause of hesitation. “Breaking down doesn’t make you weak. It’s what you do afterwards that reflects your character of strength.”

Kenzo had been always told that pushing forward and continually seeking to put himself back together when failing was the greatest service he could do for himself. Even in failure there was strength. Weakness was only found when someone gave up all together. Which, as far as he was concerned, neither of them had any such intentions.

 

[icarusburning]

Ofelia wasn't expecting Kenzo to reply, but when he did, she wanted to laugh. In fact, she did just that, lifting her head and letting out a watery, cruel chuckle that didn't have an ounce of humor in it. She pushed his arm off of her, wiping her eyes to clear away the mess.

"You really believe that bullshit?" she asked him, voice low and awful, "You sound like the non-adepts in the facility. The ones who didn't know fear." She hated the encouraging words of the few individuals in the base that didn't have any abilities. They weren't pushed to their limit, constantly. They spewed whatever nonsense they thought was true about how wonderful and brave the adepts were without even understanding the reality of it. They'd never have to come face-to-face with the monsters that controlled the earth, so of course, they could talk about freedom and strength as if it were a given. Tears were still flowing openly, but she continued her tirade against Kenzo.

"Continuing on isn't being brave," she hissed, "It's selfish. We're still here because we didn't save anyone else except for ourselves. We're going to say that we're continuing on to avenge them, to make us sound noble, but we're only doing it because we don't want to end up like them." She took in a gasping breath, staring him in the eyes as she finished, "You can call it strength if it makes you feel better. But we're just as weak as everyone that died in our stead."

 

[Siren77]

Kenzo wasn’t sure what to have expected in trying to comfort his fellow adept, but it certainly wasn’t being berated like a fool for his words. Every syllable she uttered was loaded with a spiteful venom that stung at his mind, far more volatile than most he’d experienced before. Even Samson, in his prideful fits of rage, never acted out in this manner with such anger. Sure he directed it at his team, but never to such a degree as this. This was far more compulsive, with the clear intent to offend.

The electric adept let his eyes shut, and took a few deep breaths in an attempt to stave off the anger that quelled in his stomach as she continued to speak. She was not an enemy, and she was not someone he needed to contend with. Verbally or otherwise. Ofelia could believe what she wished, but he would cling on to the same blind hope he’d had ever since he was a boy.

Seeing no point in lingering close, Kenzo returned to his original seat, and would continue eating his meal in solitude. His expression was blank, as more volatile emotion was forced into the bottle alongside the grief. Nothing more would be said, he’d learned his lesson.

The first fish, now cold, would be finished up with a wolfish hunger. Kenzo ate an additional two, peeling off the heads and bones similar to how he had before. By now, the sun had began to set in the bright blue African sky, and a drowsiness began to overcome the electric adept. He needed sleep, and wasted no time in standing to head for the bungalow. He though to continue being passive, but decided to say something to Ofelia anyway.

“I’m getting some rest, I suggest you do the same.” He’d turn and continue on his way, “Or don’t. You clearly seem to have things figured out for yourself.”