Gwenavere Harlow
Seeing ranika now after making such a crazy claim seemed to change my view of him. I always thought of this young man as strong, independent, and forthcoming about everything he thinks or feels, but after hearing that it was apparent that there is much more to him than I realized or expected.
'What if it's the truth? Should I risk it and take him to the relic armor...it could be a trap though, for all I know, he could be saying all this just to steal it.' I thought while struggling to make up my mind.
"What's on your mind, gwen...?" He asked me tentatively. His body language had changed from serious to that of someone terrified to be scolded. He had folded over on himself and refused to look away from the ground, his black and blue hair fell in a curtain masking his face from view, almost as though he was hiding a sense of shame or guilt.
"I'm considering if whether or not it's safe to trust you around that armor, ranika," I replied dryly. With that one sentence, he looked up at me. His eyes bore a myriad of emotions, guilt, and regret, and I could've sworn they had sadness hidden behind their otherworldly golden hue. The smile on his face was forlorn but also accepting. The scar running through his face only seemed to enhance his emotions, making them appear more genuine.
"I-i understand your concerns...if it would make you feel any better, you can keep your sword placed against my back the whole time. Even I doubt my capabilities of moving faster than you at such a close distance.." He said, his eyes never leaving my own. What he suggested wasn't a bad idea, I know my own speed and strength, and with my sword already drawn, there were few, if any, who could evade me in such close proximity.
With a sigh, I said calmly, "Very well.. but if I sense any ill-intent from you or the slightest provocation, I will, without a doubt, strike you down. Is that understood?" I hated saying words such as these to him. After guiding him all these years and doing everything I can to make his life easier, it truly hurt me to even consider killing him. When he had first arrived at the city gates, he had looked like a wild animal, and the girl that was with him seemed even more so. He even had the guts to look at me and ask for my parents since he didn't want to speak with "a teenager" about entering nexus. Of course, I had kept my composure, that was until he uttered the words, "Now step aside, little girl. I have adult matters to address here in nexus."
As he had made a move to walk past me, I drew my sword, and with a long arching slash, I had torn his chest asunder in an instant. Looking back on the whole ordeal now, I must have sounded ridiculous with my soft voice and childlike stature not yet the authoritative commander I am now, "you will treat your elders with respect while in my city...boy." The words had left my lips as a sarcastic sneer, but I had felt a hint of pride for standing up for myself against the stranger even if it wasn't the first time.
Going forward, after that initial interaction, we always seemed to bump into each other, and over time, I slowly became intrigued by the mysterious stranger. So, through my own desire to learn more about him, I offered him a position of the highest rank below my own after the previous scout commander died while on a mission. The rest you could say is history. We grew close, and I had adopted the role of older sister to him, treating him more as family than a subordinate. Looking back on it now, that may have been the reason all this hurt me so deeply.
"Understood commander...well, shall we get going then?" His response showed just how much he trusted in his own words...and me.
After exiting the elevator back on the lobby floor, I escorted him to the familiar hallway, the one that had been designed to trick one's sight and mind. As soon as we entered the hallway away from prying eyes I removed my sword from its sheath, placing it directly agasint his spine, where even the smallest amount of force would sever it completely, demon-kin or not.
We walked with a hurried pace, the sound of our footsteps the only sound echoing off the stone walls. I was keeping a careful count in my head so that I knew exactly when to stop in order to hit the switch that would reveal the great vault. 'Right here.' I thought the moment the count hit one thousand four hundred and thirty-five, as I motioned for ranika to stop, I lifted my boot and gently placed it on an unassuming stone panel ingrained in the floor. With a heavy thunk, the door began to open slowly, which felt agonizing to me every time I came here.
Once the heavy stone doors were completely opened, I waited for ranika to step inside so that I could keep my sword in the same position it had been since we began. Approaching the center of the vault, we came up on the armor. It still looked the exact same, not even a speck of dust remaining on it, almost as though it felt itself above getting dirty. 'That can't be right though, there's no way an armor could possess intelligence, let alone its own will... right?' I thought while gazing upon the finely crafted suit. With a sigh I spoke from behind ranika, my voice remained calm, yet demanding, which was a direct betrayal of my own inward emotions.
"Alright, so, how exactly do you plan to prove your story with this armor alone?" I said, still refusing to allow him any space between my blade and his back.
With a sudden burst of speed, he spun around, slicing through his own skin on the tip of my blade. The gash while long wasn't that deep, wrapping itself from the center of his spine to the left side of his stomach, then with a lurch, his spin came to an abrupt stop. Facing me with cold determination he grabbed my blade and slid his hand down one of its sharp edges, not even a wince from the pain could be seen on him, the dark red blood that almost appeared black had begun to drip to the floor, as it impacted the cold stone floor it almost sounded rhythmic, like a song calling to my ears.
"Don't be too alarmed. This was necessary for what I'm about to do..." He said to me, his tone was laced with regret, knowing he had just shattered the confidence I had in my own speed and abilities. Then with a subtle yet deliberate movement he turned and approached the armor, his movements were slow as though he was trying his best not to make his actions too quickly in fear of me lashing out at him.
Then, with a graceful touch, he placed his bloody palm on the armor. As his blood poured down the chest of it, I held my breath. However, nothing appeared to happen, though, which made me filled with anger at the blatant lie he had apparently told me."I've played along with your ruse long enough, since you obviously don't care enough to tell me the tru-" I cut myself off, as the armor began to ripple his blood seeping into its black surface, it had looked like water after something disturbed its surface.
Then, in an odd yet captivating display, the armor had begun to condense itself, becoming smaller and smaller. Within the span of a few seconds, the armor that could fit someone of ranika's size had become small enough to fit me perfectly, but it didn't stop there. Bringing itself to a small point, almost looking like a ball of black glass, it floated over to his left hand, then something happened that took my breath away. Upon touching his bloodied palm, it expanded again, this time with a deliberate transformation in mind.
Wrapping around his left hand, it had envolped it entirely, then looking like a black snake it began to move past his wrist, the way it slithered past it made me shudder, it was unsettling the way it moved. The snake didn't stop at his elbow as it made its way further up his arm, encasing it in an all black substance that wasn't a liquid or a solid. Finally, it stopped at his shoulder. A couple of small spikes could be seen branching out in all directions at the top. His whole arm now looked like a giant piece of smooth black metal. It honestly made me feel awestruck.
"So..um..what do you think?" He asked his tone light and playful. Prying my gaze away from the now fully armored arm I looked him in the eyes, "I..don't really know what to think..how on earth is a simple armor capable of forming itself in such a way? And how did you know it would respond to your blood like that?" My reply was something I already knew the answers for, I just needed him to confirm it aloud.
Looking down he grabbed the back of his neck, "Like I told you, this armor was handcrafted for me..and sadly no one else would have been capable of actually using it however translating the runes is still possible, but moving on...do you believe my story now gwen?" The hopeful tone in his voice made the feeling in my heart ping, I know what I saw, and I know it lines up with some of his story, but I still had a bit of doubt weighing on me.
'For now, I'll go along with it, at least until his supposed time limit arrives. Then I'll know for sure.' I thought to myself, hardening my conviction. "I believe some of what you have told me, ranika. The rest can wait, however, because now that I am placing my trust in you... I want you to go and reinforce tatiana and Gram." To myself the tone I had used sounded level and calm, but judging by the look on his face I might as well have shouted in glee, because his smile reached both corners of his eyes and there was a sense of relief behind it.
"Are you sure?" He asked one last time. "Yes, dearest little brother, I'm certain, now go and defend our city. Is that understood?" I replied, a smile now on my own face mirroring his own. "Understood commander!" He said, with a small salute, then he rushed past me with a speed I didn't think was possible for anyone. The wind produced by it made my short hair flutter and wave around. I stood there by myself for a moment, still dumbstruck by what I had witnessed, but happy... happy knowing that at least it wasn't all a lie. I still had concerns, sure, but the biggest one on my mind weighed down on me with so much pressure that it felt as though my legs would buckle.
'What if I had really just sent him to his death...' This was my final thought before I turned around and left the vault that was now missing its center piece.