Into The Aether

Chapter Thirty-Three: What Must Be Done

Once they made it through to the teleporter on the stage, Kiana stepped out of the whirlwind of light and electricity. In her slightly disorientated state; she fell into the arms of Primis who had been patiently waiting for her return.

Richtofen remained concealed within the light of the teleporter as he eyed the scene outside. He quietly shook his head before teleporting back to the projector room. After a few minutes, he was back in his empty office. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust before he walked over to his desk and sat down.

There were muffled voices coming from the stage as the others were no doubt waking up. It was still morning as the light struggled to seep in through the dilapidated theatre ceiling. The air was piercingly cold as it snaked its way through the building like a predator stalking it's prey.

Richtofen got up and went over to the cupboard door on the right side of the room. He quickly opened it and snatched up an item. Richtofen had taken his wool coat back to the threatre with him as he knew winter was already setting in. The coat was loosely slung over his uniform like a cape as he returned to his desk.

The voices from the stage were beginning to settle down; leaving the room in a silence which was becoming increasingly more deafening. Richtofen clutched his head with a gloved hand in anticipation - the silence always preceeded the voices.

"When are you leaving for the lander, Edward?" A small voice crept up in his mind.

"You are stalling again, aren't you?!" An angrier voice cried.

"Yes, he has not been the same since his trip!" Another chimed in.

"SHUT UP!" Richtofen cried in anguish as he was now clutching his head with both hands.

He felt his sanity beginning to elude him as the voices all began competing for dominance in his mind.

"You have gotten soft Edward. The man we knew would never have taken pity on that pathetic little boy!" The angry voice sneered above the others.

"He has indeed, it is because of that woman. He has not been himself since she arrived", another hypothesised.

"I'm right here! Shut up -- ALL OF JOU!" Richtofen demanded again, this time with a little more backbone.

He hated when they brought Kiana up. They would tell him all the ways he could dispose of her. How she needed to be discarded as she was an interference.

The voices suddenly went silent which lulled Richtofen into a false sense of victory. He rubbed his temples before exhaling and went to focus on the paperwork in front of him.

"We need to get rid of her", the quiet voice whispered.

The words reverberated in his brain.

"She has changed you, Edward. And you are getting worse the longer she is around you", the voice continued.

"What was the point in buying her all those gifts? You have feelings for her yet you are not even trying to conceal them. Why do you want her to know? What do you expect to happen, Edward?" A new voice spoke up.

"Leave me be! I do not vant to talk about it!" Richtofen shouted aloud.

"Do you really think you can just live happily ever after? After all the things you have done, Edward?!" The angry voice became more aggressive again.