Day 1:
It was the morning after they found a place to stay, Bie, Aimee, and Domingo shambling from place to place among the sandy dunes of the Divide. Their first destination was the ruined city, though it would take some time to arrive there on foot. Grey cloaks clung to their bodies, battering against their contents as the wind blew numerous specks of sand.
Bie was simmering, the anger from last night still fresh in his mind. He hadn't even noticed the changes of Ekulech, instead keeping the bearded hand axe in his Inner World. Every now and then, he slipped and stumbled, his legs feeling weak...
Aimee and Domingo exchanged furtive glances, each attempting to lighten up the mood in their own ways. Domingo attempted to get up to his normal chicanery, and Aimee crafted various objects in order to attract Bie's attention.
He merely gave them a weak, fake smile and eyes full of both apathy and pleasantry. Every question would be met with an "I'm okay, really," and nothing else. His movements were rigid, his joints stiff, and his expressions reeking of apprehension and reluctance.
Day 7:
Aimee had started a diary, writing simple passages while they travelled. Behind her, Domingo and Bie were setting up tombstones made out of bones, each lying before a two-meter-deep hole that was one meter across.
Pah. Aimee closed the book as softly as she could, which wasn't saying much. Along with Domingo, she settled the bodies of both Uris and Ulun into the makeshift graves, while Bie held both Uris' shields and Ulun's hooks.
Minutes passed, and the holes were filled. Aimee used her abilities to make fine flowers out of bone, each lining the length of the graves and pooling around the tombstones. Domingo placed a hand on Bie's shoulder, giving him a solemn gaze of affirmation.
The weapons entered his Inner World, dissipating from reality.
Day 8:
Dear Fredericks.
B has been silent, recently. He's always been snarky or quiet, but usually always cheery. I'm not used to the silent anger he's holding within.
But I'm nowhere near good at managing my anger or consoling someone. Neither is Domingo. Actually, I'm pretty sure you'd laugh at us...Domingo looks like nothing but a common clown right now! And what's up with his frown, it just doesn't look right.
I hope you're happy, wherever you are now.
-Ai
Day 10:
Today, blood littered the sand as the three fought. Scouts and Glimsweld worked together to attempt to suppress the former members of Hook and Shield but were entirely ineffective. They were each torn into chunks as ripped into shreds, and Bie stood alone amongst their remains.
There was a slight tug at the lips, though he maintained his sorrowful bearing. He didn't feel the need to speak, instead taking time to gaze at the sky and fix his clothing using the effects of Stitching.
Day 15:
Although they weren't being tracked per se, the trio constantly embarked into the scene of conflict. Renthians, eastern and western alike positively filled the Divide, each scouring for the monsters that destroyed the union city.
Many people died that day, and resentment piled up like snowfall that couldn't be wiped away. Bie was revitalized by the hatred directed at him, simply gradually recovering his peak state as time wore on. He still felt empty, and his Ink reserve seemed to have temporarily lowered.
As such, he sported many scars and tears underneath his suit. His regeneration seemed to stop, and he partially experienced what it was like to be a "living" person. He took steady, shallow breaths, savoring the feeling of air entering his lungs.
Aimee noticed this first, and happily wrote about the change in her diary.
Day 18:
So, it's happened. They didn't know it was us, but the rumors got out of hand, and everyone assumes Hook and Shield did it. I mean, they're not off the mark, but assumptions are scary, I guess.
Maybe they found the tombstones? I'm thumbing through some parchment right now, and there are orders to kill everyone but Ulun and Uris.
-Ai
Day 25:
Domingo's mental state had appeared to stabilize, as it were. He no longer experienced huge fluctuations, instead opting to adopt Bie's habit of "meditation." He felt a little listless, at a huge loss of what to do next.
It was that day when Bie said something other than a cursory formality. Domingo's eyes widened, and his brows shivered as a smile formed on his curving lips.
Month 1:
Dear Fredericks.
B's on the warpath! There's fire in his eyes, and his pupils are doing the cross thing again. Although I've tried to dissuade him, he remains stubborn.
He's offering the fruit of temptation, and I can only resist for so long. Like him, I also want revenge. I have resentment. Like you, I want to atone. I have regret.
The two cavort like demons, deciding who they'll hit first. I'm not sure if this is the right thing...
-Ai
Month 1, Week 2:
Pools of crimson liquid welled up into clots, and the laboratory was painted in similar rich hues. Bie sat upon a pile of tables with narrowed eyes, his hands brought up to his chin and a shivering Ekulech laying on his lap.
Scientists busted into the structure, smashing the broken shrapnel that was once a door. Bie gave them a serene, winning smile, his unworldly beauty creating the visage of a vengeful ghost dancing under the moonlight.
White crosses became his pupils and flowed within the confines of his irises, beginning to revolve as he gestured at the nearest scientist. Although the suppressive power was nowhere near where it was originally, he became able to produce a telekinetic effect with a series of attractions and repulsions near suitably sized objects.
The best he could move to his will at this time was one of the tables in his pile, the white stone noticeably stained with red. Interestingly, this ability did not consume Ink, but slowly dimmed the Sconce over time, which only recovered by either waiting over time or diverting some of the flames from the Torch onto the large ring.
Outside of the facility, Domingo and Aimee were similarly wreaking havoc. Domingo sped along rooftops, slashing scientists down in order to retrieve their laser guns and using the beams emitted from them to destroy pylons.
Aimee rode on two large, skeletal hands connected by a bony beam. The hands were akin to claws as they raked through figure after figure, and smashed load bearing walls with a punch at times.
Aimee howled into the night, and Bie swiftly dispatched his own opponents before he left the building. Illusory orbs rose from the corpses, though he could only spot them after activating the Cassius Eyes.
He felt as he could scoop them up and place them into the Bridge realm of Smile of the Mountain, though he chose not to. They felt very similar to the flickering globes already held within, and although he was going on a spree, he wasn't so far gone as to "trap" what he considered was once a sentient consciousness after he had dealt with them.
He felt they were similar to souls, but that terminology didn't feel quite right. He named them Remnants, instead.