BEYOND 3A: BloodRed and ScaleBlack

The Twenty-Fifth Feather: Whispers of a Mirage

"You still don't want to talk about it?" Asked Dennis.

The group was inside Meggie's ship, on their way back to Florida, and most of them were trying to comfort the greatly bothered Corna, who was a shaking, stuttering mess the moment she stepped out of the train car. While she was clinging onto Jake like a comfort blanket, Dennis continued interrogating her: "Okay, I'll ask again for the seventh time; What happened in there?"

Corna: "...N-Nothing..."

Dennis: "If it was nothing, you wouldn't be looking like a soldier fresh out of Vietnam. Here's the eighth one; What happened in there?"

Corna: "...Please, stop asking me... I don't want anyone to talk to me... For a while..."

Dennis: "...Fine, Screw me for trying to care about you."

Corna: "..."

Dennis walked up to Iblis, sat down on the control panel, and asked him: "Hey, Booger-man, got any clues on what's going on?"

Iblis: "Why do you care?"

Dennis: "Because I'm not an asshole like you."

Iblis: "You got that right. Unfortunately, Being an asshole stops me from caring about the mental breakdown she's having. In short, I've no clue either."

Dennis: "Say... You said you wanted to peer into her mind before we came here, right? Maybe you'll spot something then?"

Iblis: "No, I've no need to do that anymore."

Dennis: "Because?"

Iblis: "Because it turned out that the thing I wanted to let out never needed my help to begin with."

Dennis: "Again with the vague and ominous stuff, huh? Man, why did I have to get roped with the weirdest people on the planet?"

Iblis: "Hoho, trust me, we're pretty tame compared to most people."

Back to Corna and Jake, the latter turned himself into a dog to help her relax and rest her head on his fuzzy green fur. She closed her eyes and muttered: "Jake..."

Jake: "...(Yes?)"

Corna: "I don't... Want to ask any more favours from you... but..."

Jake: "...(Corna, please. We're best friends, we don't do favours. We help each other for free.)"

Corna: "I know... but..."

Jake: "... (Just tell me what you need.)"

Corna: "... Can you... Stay with me... From now on? Come to school with me... Just... Don't leave me alone anymore..."

Jake: "... (It's about time.)"

Corna: "..."

Jake: "... (Listen, if you keep your problems boiling up on the inside, they'll violently explode one day, like a pressure cooker. And just like a pressure cooker, you need to get some of the steam out.)"

Corna: "...Jake, do you remember a year ago? When the northern facility was destroyed and we both ran away?"

Jake: "... (Yes, like it was yesterday.)"

Corna: "Ever since then... There's been this voice in the back of mind and... it just kept torturing me with words... It keeps trying to make me do horrible things... When we were surviving in the cold of the streets... Three times... It told me to kill you three times... To satisfy my hunger... I don't understand why this is happening to me... But... I saw her... the one who keeps telling me these horrible things... she made me use my powers to drive the executive to insanity... I... I was powerless against her... Please... Don't leave me alone with her anymore... Promise me..."

Jake: "...(I promise you, for as long as I live, I shall not let any harm come your way.)"

Corna: "Do you mind... If I rest on you for a bit?"

Jake: "...(No, do as you please. I'll wake you up once we get home."

Corna: "Home... That sounds nice..."

And so, Corna closed her eyes and prayed to be able to fall asleep, fully aware of the mirage staring daggers into her.

Twenty-Fifth Feather:

Plucked