"Raina! Raina! Where are you!" A scream filled the peaceful silence, "Raina!"
Raina slowly opened her eyes begrudgingly, the giant cube folding out like origami as she sat up.
There in front of her stood the desperate figure of Solon, his hand held a giant sledgehammer as he was about to smash the cube open.
"Raina!" His eyes lit up, the sledgehammer disappearing from his hands as he ran over, "Oh god, you're okay!" He let out a sigh of relief, giving her a hug.
"What happened to you?" He quickly let go of her as he looked around, "Everyone's been trying to find you. Don't even get me started on Richard… That bastard thinks I kidnapped you. He's been throwing lighting bolts every time he sees me. Who does he think he is? Zeus?"
Solon rambled on, slowly coming to a stop as he realized Raina's unresponsiveness.
"Raina? Are you okay?" Solon frowned, waving a hand in front of her face.
"…way…" Raina mumbled
"What?" Solon blinked as he leaned his head in an attempt to hear what she said,
"Go." Raina mumbled again, this time, her hands reached her head as she screamed, "Away!"
A powerful gust erupted from her as Solon felt a shockwave pierce the air, sending him flying back with such force, that he crash-landed on his back, his ears ringing from pain.
"Raina!?" Solon sat up painfully as his hand trembled from the impact, "What's going on?"
"I said! Go away!" Another burst of shockwave rippled through the air, though this time Solon was prepared, his hand placed in front of him, some sort of energy absorbing the attack as he attempted to walk closer.
"Raina!" Solon shouted, his hand reaching her shoulder as he grabbed her tight, "Get a hold of yourself!"
"Why…" Raina's deadpanned eyes slowly stared into Solon's, a stream of tears pouring down her right cheek, "Why can't I just rest? I can't do this anymore. Just let me go!"
Solon's hand gripped tighter, "Why are you saying this?! What in the world happened to you? Where did you go?!"
However, Raina didn't reply, her unfocused eyes continued to drift shut as Solon tried to shake her awake,
"Raina," Solon grit his teeth as he took a deep breath, "I'm sorry-"
He raised his hand, and a loud, crisp slap echoed out into the void.
A clear reaction as Raina's eyes flinched, her hands instinctively reaching for her cheek.
"Wake up!" Solon shouted at her, as Raina's eyes slowly focused on him for the first time, "Stop your moping and tell me what's wrong so I can help you!"
"Solon-!" Raina muttered with slight disbelief, "You- You slapped me?"
"And I'll do it again if you start speaking nonsense again," Solon scolded, staring into her eyes as he continued to grip her shoulder, "Now I think it's time for you to start explaining."
"I-…" Raina stared down at her hands, "I don't know what to do…"
"Why? What happened?"
"My powers… were stolen…" She mumbled quietly as her eyes started soaking up once more.
Solon frowned as he let go of her shoulders, "Can I?" He raised his hand up to her chest,
Raina glanced at his hand and gave a confused nod,
He gently placed it on her chest, closing his eyes as he scanned her body.
"Hm…" He muttered, releasing his hand and opening his eyes, "It does somewhat seem that way… Where are you right now? How did this happen?"
"The West Coast… Gambit's Paradise," Raina slowly mumbled as she attempted to stop her crying,
Solon clicked his tongue as he let out a sigh,
"That's a problem…" He frowned, placing his hand on his chin, "Well. I've got good news and bad news. I'll start with the bad since it's better to get that over and done with. The thing is, it's not that your abilities were stolen, it's more like he ripped out a portion of your soul without realizing it; the part that dictates your Succubus identity. Unlike ability users, your powers are an ingrained part of you, whereas theirs is like an artificial organ fuelled by mana. The good news is that, unlike an ability, a soul can only go back to its original owner; you. So you don't need to worry about another Succubus taking your spot in the world."
"My… soul…?" Raina blinked in confusion, "How am I still alive?"
"A ripped soul doesn't mean you'll die, it just means you'll lose a part of you. Remember back to the handbook. What are some of the main traits of a Succubus?" Solon quizzed,
Raina frowned as she thought back, "Seductive… Confidant… Calculating…?"
Solon smiled, "Exactly, now tell me how you feel you were after your ability was stolen."
"I… I felt… human…" Raina flinched, "I was scared…"
She raised her head to see Solon staring at her with a small smile plastered on his face,
"Good. You're slowly getting it." Solon nodded, "It's not easy being human again, is it? You were drunk on the sudden gain of power, you've lost sight of who you were. So why don't you use this opportunity to slowly regain that confidence and be who you want to be rather than simply relying on your identity and power as a Succubus? Who knows, you might learn a lot more than you think."
Raina hesitated, "What if I can't…?
Solon grabbed her hands, "Raina, I believe in you. Remember back before you awakened your Succubus traits? When you were just Raina Everstein, a powerless girl living in the slums with her family? Even without being special like the others, you still fought to stay alive. To survive, for your mother, for your sisters? Well, don't give up now. Your sisters are still searching for you. They haven't given up, so it's only right for you to continue fighting, isn't it?"
Raina clenched her fists. He was right. She couldn't give up now. Even without her Succubus powers, she was still Raina Everstein. The girl who survived powerless for 10 years in the apocalypse. If there was anyone who could get through this, it was her.
"Finally, you've got those fighting eyes again. The Raina I know is back," Solon chuckled as he went in for a hug, "I'll go tell Richard about the situation."
He stepped back, "But even if we do know about this, it might take a while until we can do something. Territory Lords are prohibited from attacking another's Territory." He paused, "But I can get those people involved. They've been craving for some action for a while,"
Raina let out a smile, "I can't exactly ask them for help when I've just joined, now can I? That'll go against my pride. You do what you need to do at the Rift and I'll do what I can here. Let's not involve the 7 Sins in this quite yet."
Solon shrugged his shoulders, "Up to you. If you need something, just shout for me in your dreams. Other than that, I'll pop in once in a while."
Raina nodded,
"Now before I go, let's wake you up from this nightmare," Solon clicked his fingers, "Wake Up." His two words shattered the black void. His figure disappearing alongside the giant cube and her creation of her family.
Then all she felt was gravity, the ground beneath her vanished, the constant state of falling.