Suffer Not The Radiant

Chapter 37: Revelation

The sound of distant sirens of police echoed, helicopters circled ahead, but to her, she heard nothing, everything was deathly silent for her. She felt anger, pain, bloodlust. It never felt enough, every time she saw the corpse of those she brutalized, it only made her angry even more. She had tears in her eyes, but her face showed blistering rage. Her body twitched, she could not make sense of anything.

Her body was smoking from the use of her powers, her clothes were burnt and ripped. Saliva dripped from her mouth. She looked like a demon from the deepest pits of the warp. A demon born out of spite. Out of hatred.

Out of rage.

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In the midst of a street enveloped by smoke, Ranesk stood, flanked by his fellow Valorant agents. Though they were all equally concerned, the expression etched on Reyna's face mirrored that of a mother fretting over her errant child. Reyna had been a mentor to Neon, teaching knowledge beyond the protocols' knowledge, yet never had she instructed her to adopt a merciless, unfeeling stance, nor to harbor a fiery rage within.

"Advance, and follow the trail of carnage she brought," commanded Ranesk, his voice magnified by the vox. The agents surged forward slowly, weapons at the ready, as they followed in Ranesk's wake. Each lifeless body they passed incited a sense of disbelief within them. How could such carnage be wrought by one of their own, one of the most jovial members of their team? This was the grisly handiwork of a rogue Radiant, devoid of any semblance of ethics. Silence enveloped them as they pressed on, the only audible sound being the rhythmic beating of their hearts.

As they rounded the corner, the Radiant in blue came into view, surrounded by a crackling aura of lightning. Her back was turned to them, concealing her countenance. The deep, measured breaths she took were reminiscent of a person having just completed a rigorous workout. Her hands twitched incessantly, their skin burnt and peeling. The agents cautiously approached her, halting a few meters away. Ranesk's final footfall echoed through the air, prompting Neon to whip around, fixating her bloodshot eyes upon them. It was only then that the agents apprehended the extent of what has become of Neon, her visage twisted into a terrifying mask of unbridled fury.

"Neon!-" Ranesk halted any further utterances from escaping Reyna's lips with a raised arm. "Do you still recognize us, Neon?" he inquired with unflinching authority, his amplified tone void of any trace of compassion or sorrow.

However, Neon remained unresponsive, her eyes smoldering with an irrational lunacy, locked onto the eyes of Ranesk's helmet.

Jett's voice trembled with a tinge of pity as she made a desperate attempt to elicit a response from her friend, "Hey, Neon, it's us. You remember, right? We promised to watch that movie you kept telling us about, all of us together back at HQ. You remember, don't you?" The sight of her comrade in such a woeful state wrenched Jett's heartstrings, almost driving her to tears.

Neon's incoherent babble confounded Ranesk. Suddenly, the crackling electricity that enveloped her body surged, and she assumed a posture that suggested an imminent charge. Ranesk brandished his bolter with grim intent, determined to blast her feet off if she dared to move an inch.

But Reyna interjected, her voice straining with alarm, "Ranesk, you aren't seriously considering killing her, are you?"

Ranesk's response was curt and direct, "That is up to her."

Reyna wished to interject further, but before she could, Neon sprang forward with lightning speed, causing Ranesk to flinch in surprise. Ranesk fired his bolter, but Neon evaded the shot and darted to the right, then surged towards Ranesk once again, unleashing a torrent of electricity that enveloped them both. Agonizing jolts wracked Ranesk's body, prompting the agents to recoil in shock. Although they trained their weapons at the pair, they did not muster the courage to inflict harm on Neon.