"Sasha are you okay?" Slava said, reaching out. The sparks that had previously disappeared flared up again. She put one of her arms forward, the other one covering her eye. "Don't! Don't come!" She abruptly said. Opening her other eye, her surroundings flared up, cracks spreading from her feet. The eye was glowing bright purple and lightning was spreading from it, surrounding her in a violet storm. He tried pushing through to get to her but even Kolya couldn't move.
"Argh, my eyes!" She screamed, finally covering her remaining eye. Her back was glowing menacingly, the storm flared up and at that moment, green sparks suddenly began congregating around it. Mixed in with the lightning, tiny green leaves started materializing. They congregated through the storm forming into the shade of a familiar figure.
"I knew this would happen," it said through the rumbling lightning as it placed its hand on Sasha's forehead. A green light slowly spread from its back all the way up her arm. In a flash of light, the storm stopped. When the smoke cleared up, two kneeling figures were revealed embracing each other.
"I told you this already, but Alexandra Expance, you're an odd one." Sasha was hugging her tightly, her eyes closed. Serena's body was dilapidated. She had a missing arm and large gashes could be seen all over her body. They were still buzzing with purple arcs as green liquid poured out of them.
"Don't look at me like that," she laughed, noticing his gaze. "This is just an auxiliary body that I made, no different from the one you saw earlier," she said as the body started to fall apart. So this was what Kolya meant when he said she wouldn't die.
"Looks like the previous fight still wore me down," she smirked, looking down at herself. "I tried to redirect the force, but it seems I couldn't take it," she sighed, looking back at them. "Be careful, this child is somehow linked to the purple sea, they will undoubtedly come after her." Her body was falling apart, turning into leaves that rotted and disintegrated. "He definitely won't let her go," she said gazing up as the last of her face disappeared.
Sasha's face which had slumped onto Serena's thighs hit the ground waking her up. Shocked, she stood up guarded, her suit beginning to morph around her.
"It's okay Sasha, calm down," Kolya said, extending his hand toward her. Realizing where she was, her shoulders slumped and she took a deep breath.
"Did I dream it all?" She asked, her expression shifting once she saw the cracks at her feet.
"I don't know," Slava answered. "What do you remember?" A long silence ensued as Kolya and Slava stared at Sasha, her eyes following the cracks on the floor. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes.
"What the fuck," she screamed. Opening them back up. She blinked a couple of times before answering their confused stares.
"I can see..." she said as if receiving a revelation. Had she gone insane? Meeting their incredulous stares she continued. "No I mean I can't not see. And I can see everything." Looking at each other, Slava and Kolya shook their heads. "No, you don't get it. I can see when my eyes are closed." Raising their eyebrows, they both turned their heads.
"What do you mean, you can see when your eyes are closed?" Kolya finally asked.
"I mean, when I close my eyes, the world turns purple, it's all waves and shades of purple," she answered, closing her eyes. "I can see through everything, I can see your domains, lights pulsing inside of you. I can see your suits folded under your skin. If I focus enough," she frowned, "I can even see your hearts pulsing with blood." Turning her head she exclaimed in shock; "Jesus Christ, there are so many circuits running through this place."
Slava didn't know what to say. He didn't understand how this could be possible. First a storm, then Serena appearing out of thin air, and now this shit? Why did he keep feeling like the more he knew the dumber he was.
"I can see your turmoil," she said, shock written all over her face.
"What are you now a prophet? Stop peeping into my brain and tell us what you saw." Slava answered annoyed.
"I remember an enormous headache followed by a broken voice telling me to 'take'. I was here but also somewhere else. Sinking into a purple sea, a light calling me," she said, closing her eyes. "When I grabbed it, my body went numb as if controlled by someone else. I tried to fight it, but it was too strong." She clenched her fists. "I felt it spread from my back into my eyes. I was slowly getting sucked in but then…" she abruptly halted her words. Looking around, she opened her eyes, her irises flashing purple. "Wasn't Serena…" not letting her finish, Kolya interrupted. "She's fine she just left." Slava glanced at him. He wouldn't say she was fine per se but he understood what Kolya meant. Hearing that, she smiled looking down at the ground.
"I remember her green figure pulling me out." Her expression turned pensive. "I don't remember much after that. I just remember a purple gaze telling me to 'run' right as I opened my eyes."
They stared at each other for a while until Slava noticed something.
"Sasha, did you by any chance dye your hair?" He had noticed that only her eyes but also flocks of her hair had turned purple. Surprised by his question she swiftly undid her hair. Grabbing her now loose braid, she blankly met his gaze.
"Hahaha! Yeah, I forgot to tell you guys," Kolya suddenly said, interrupting their staredown. Bringing his fingers to his eyes, he took something out of them. When their eyes met again, his eyes shone like rubies. It looked like fire was burning through them.
"Awakening changes your body quite a bit," he said softly, smiling. "As your connection to your domain grows, your appearance changes to reflect it." Taking a deep breath, he continued. "My guess is whatever just happened artificially got you closer to your domain." Whatever the purple sea did to her, that eye thing, it gave her a whole new perspective.
"Well can you at least adjust your ocular implants?" Slava asked. It was common for people to dye their hair, but if her eyes changed color, people would start asking questions.
To his words, her eyes twitched, slowly dimming back to their original color. "Good," he said.
"Alright, I think we should go back before it gets too late," Kolya finally said. "I didn't expect the day to turn into such a shitshow." He turned around. "I'll let you guys rest for the next few weeks. You need to get acclimated and we made way too much noise this time." He started walking towards the exit followed by Sasha.
Watching them walk off, he admired his surroundings for the first time. He didn't notice it before, but the walls were plastered with old posters. They looked like old advertisements. The cracked tiles were slowly retreating into the ground as the lights slowly dimmed.
"Slava you coming?" A voice called out. Taking a last look around, his back lit up, his figure flashed and he disappeared.