"Did you imagine, for even a moment, that you would have the strength to match your own desires? The balance between life and death requires more of you. And this...thing will never cease to conflict with your one true love."
Salem woke with a gasp, the strange words in her mind forcing her out of bed. She found herself safe and sound, albeit with one grueling difference. Salem's left arm was completely gone from the elbow down, replaced with nothing but a bandaged nub. She was shocked only for a moment but soon realized how little she cared. Limbs had been lost before, and they had never stopped her before. Salem then began to fantasize about her next replacement, as if the idea of becoming more like a machine was pleasing to her.
"I've spent my whole life with the so-called perfect body. And what did that get me as a girl? Nothing. Instead, I'll be like them," Salem thought, thinking of her children as she looked over to her bandaged stump.
Salem then began to recall her recent memories and the events of the battle that had unfolded. Last she remembered, Ina had mysteriously come to her rescue, allowing her to properly push herself towards victory. And yet despite her monumental achievement, Salem instead began to worry over the many things she didn't know, including the fate of her family. But before she could scream for her children, she noticed her firstborn standing right beside her.
"You seem calmer than I imagined," Anger muttered.
"Where is Valor?" Salem scrambled, only half content to see one child alive.
"He has taken a moment to reconcile. Come, let us replace your lost part first. You cannot be seen as a cripple."
"But where am I?" The pale mother took in her surroundings as she became certain she wasn't back in Cora's domain. "I've never seen this place before."
"Do not worry over the details. Let us repair your arm," Anger lied as he made sure to appeal to Salem's interest in prosthetics.
Unaware of her child's deception, Salem followed along like an eager child, staring intently with great wonder in her eyes as Anger placed an assortment of metal parts in front of her on a dark wooden table.
"It's almost like yours," Salem smirked, staring at the Valekry pieces. "Only more elegant."
"Does it meet your requirements? I made them myself."
"Oh my! I cannot wait to fashion it alongside my dress," the pale mother cheered.
"It is efficient. I am glad you are pleased."
Realizing her obsession had far outstayed its welcome, Salem continued to worry and ask questions, "Is everything really alright Anger?"
"I did not believe you would handle this wound with such ease."
"How unusual for you to misinterpret my character," Salem muttered as she began to wonder where she had really awoken. "You're distracting me. Blinding me with brief leisure!"
Salem clutched her metallic arm as she began to panic. She nearly expected some sort of trick from Alia. Or even worse, her own children could have been taken by the enemy.
"Where am I? What is wrong? Tell me!"
Understanding his mother's plight, Anger calmly explained the situation.
"I will never lie to you. Know that," he snapped. "But I understand your desires. You act irrationally when faced with hardship."
"Tell me...now!"
"You are in a new location, secured by our allies. We are alone and in secret. The Vornex obeyed my commands, as they believed me to be under your influence. They serve us now, and have already assisted you greatly."
"The doll, Ali!" Salem screamed, ignoring the mysterious name she just heard for the first time. "Is she alright?"
"She is alive, but in critical condition. Medical treatment has not been given, as her body is a mystery to us all. But I was informed by a...benefactor that only this location contains the necessary materials to repair her. However, no current database exists to aid in her recovery. She is one of a kind, and I alone cannot repair her. She currently rests in the curtain behind you."
Salem placed her hands over her mouth in terror. If Ali had been near all along, then she had no reason to remain silent. Only the worst could be assumed.
"It is...gruesome," Anger explained. "No sedation was necessary."
"Can I walk?" Salem whispered, dangling her metallic feet over the table on which she lay.
"You are well. The restriction is unlikely."
"Then get out!"
Anger hesitated before obeying. He knew he had hurt his mother. But in his eyes, the correct choice had been made. Salem knew deep down inside her child was unable to lie, but her panic blinded her instincts. She then released a sharp gasp before unveiling Ali's shattered body.
"Ali," Salem cried, realizing the doll was likely dead.
The pale mother did not know how to fix the doll and had no reason to believe she hadn't already perished. Salem began to panic, blaming anyone she could find. She then turned to herself, cursing the flower that brought such calamity.
"You did this foul creature. I don't care what you are, we have to fix her. We owe it to her," Salem whispered as she began to concentrate.
The vision of the purple flower began to blossom around the girl's corpse. A wide eye sprouted from its center, taunting Salem with the same gaze the same as Alia. But Salem remembered her many lessons from that night she had spent with her enemy. It was imperative she must use all power available to her, regardless of the danger. Even after what Salem had seen with Alia, the risk had to be taken. She then stretched out her hand, calling to her own flower while absorbing the purple image.
"Your owner is dead. But this doll will live," Salem muttered as she cut her last arm with the nails of her prosthetic. "Help me now, bring back the object your owner cared so little for, and never again will I ask you for anything."
Salem's words wielded immeasurable power as her own blood began to infuse itself into the doll. Using the power of both malice and insanity, she would bring life to that which was dead. Her doubts and anxieties then began to seal Ali's wounds as if her own emotions carried authority.
"Light and dark," Salem continued, her eyes closed shut. "She told me their chaos was true power."
As her chant continued, a circle of white and black enveloped Ali's body. It was an ancient process, one used countless times according to Alia's riddles. Salem knew her light skin had to mean more than just beauty.
"Come back to me, Ali."
Eventually, Salem collapsed, her body unable to sustain the process. Her victory was abrupt, but still sweetly satisfying. A smile then appeared on her face as the doll began to twitch. But before Salem could celebrate her accomplishment, a shocking realization wracked her heart. She had killed Ali's maker without her knowledge or consent.
"You haven't the slightest clue how to explain her owner's fate, do you?" Salem's red flower whispered into her ear.
Salem's eyes widened, a shadow of fear piercing her soul. She knew she was no skilled liar, and could never hope to hide the truth of what happened that night. Her only choice was to abandon the doll altogether. Once Ali's revival was certain, the pale mother decided to flee the scene. She couldn't stomach the idea of facing judgment from the one she had hurt.
"I'm sorry," Salem shivered, before running away like a coward.
_______________________________
Deep within the center of Lacuna's palace, Ina sat with her arms crossed as she stared into a blue holographic display. As usual, the princess seemed tired - albeit more worried than ever before. What was once a boring night for her had been replaced by relentless stress and anxiety after recent events within the city.
"She used my flower, let you cannot tell me for certain she is safe?" Ina placed a palm to her forehead as she looked up at the tall white Valekry that stood in her room.
"After the battle was won, the creations of Alia turned to worship Salem, carrying her away to an unknown location. I attempted to communicate with the bewitched creatures, only to be turned away by force," Korus explained as he began to pace around Ina's lofty bed. "They must have seen me as a threat to their new mistress. And as for Salem's children, they were of course too preoccupied to even notice me."
"I see, perhaps it was better to avoid conflict with Salem so wounded. Do you know where she is now?"
"I would assume it is Alia's headquarters. If she is anything like you, she will heal there."
"You speak as if I am some great warrior," Ina grimaced, tugging at her bedsheets.
"I have seen you heal from wounds no woman could survive. That thing inside of you is more powerful than you think."
"I know what it does!" Ina snapped, before placing a pillow to her mouth out of embarrassment. "I'm...sorry."
"It's alright my queen," Korus comforted the princess as he placed a gentle hand on the top of her head. "You simply worry too much for that girl."
"I don't want her to suffer like so many have in the past. Alia may have been a maniacal freak, but she was right. The flowers are a parasite. If only we could have worked together."
Ina sluggishly stepped out of bed, making sure to conceal her shapely figure with a long bedsheet as if she considered Korus to be a man.
"Continue to monitor Salem, I believe she is our best chance at solving the crisis that envelops the city," the princess continued as she stepped closer to Korus.
"If you push her into the spotlight, my brothers will notice. Kalis will come for her."
"That is a conflict we have pushed aside for far too long dear Korus," Ina sighed, placing a pale hand against the surface of her knight's chest. "We must support Salem in the coming battle, even if it means turning against our family."
Ina then released her hold over the bedsheet that covered her body, before planting a kiss on the neck of Korus's frame.
"My brothers will revolt Ina, there will be bloodshed," Korus hesitated before slowly embracing the princess. "Salem will start a war."
"She will end it Korus. I believe in her. I was never strong enough to protect my creations. But Salem...well, she has the stronger genes, doesn't she?"