4 hours later.
The once orangeish hue in the sky has turned into a darkened shade of blue, as the few spotlights in the street light up on a few corners of the street in South LA. Silence abounds in the streets after the two raging battles, ones with mostly expected outcomes in an environment expected of an Evolving Zone. This silence has been a common hearing ever since the arrival of the Zlocu, yet on this very day, this deafening silence is one of the magnitudes that hasn't been felt for a long while ever since the formation of the EW.
While one did result in one clean swoop, the other did end with a heavy price paid.
As well as two souls that are split, away from the fears regarding each other's feelings over the outcome of today's mission. A mission that should have been their chance to set things right after so much hardship for what they believe in people. Yet, many strings in place prevented that from happening in one way or another, and now they're drifting alone, as their thoughts linger through the mind and soul with one tone in mind.
Logan and Amira's burdens have never been so heavy in a while, not like this at least.
On one of the rooftops of one of the buildings that are barely standing amidst some of the wreckage of the city, Amira lays there, sitting near the edge of the building on the west side where there is the landscape of the other side of the city where it's nearly shrouded in darkness, with the only sources of illumination being the fire barrels from the streets below, or the few remaining headlight that are powered by any local energy source nearby, and even so, it's only a matter of time before they're snuffed out too.
Her eyes look up in the starry night while her head faces down, her shoulders curling over her chest as they quake from her sniffing, her arms hanging at the sides as well as hands that remain still on the floor. With reddened eyes and a trembling chin, it's almost like Amira has nothing to think for anything except for the events today, as well as the memories of a family and planet that are long gone, and even a year later, the scenarios of what her family may think of her latest acts sound through her.
Father, mother, Varris, everyone... I am so sorry for failing you...
Everything she has done, all the connections she has built up for many months ever since her encounter, it all feels like it may reach a point of no return for how others may see her, as well as the uncertainty of how her friends will think of her after so many blunders piling up on them day by day. But more than that, if she even deserves to stay with them.
Such are the consequences of the loss of control of a mind like hers.
But as she continues staring at the sky, a clapping can be heard nearby, almost like it's coming behind Amira, as well as some steady footsteps that echo through much of the concrete of the rooftop. Amira slightly raises her head upward as her eyes widen, letting out a gasp as she catches onto the identity of the individual approaching. One that is certainly familiar enough to provoke such a reaction from Amira as she starts to breathe deeply in almost every passing second.
As her eyes turn to face the direction of the figure, one peculiar boot is enough for Amira to wince and even tremble a bit.
"Oh, is poor little sweet Amira missing something now?" the individual replies with a familiar female voice, one that makes Amira tremble even more as the figure lets out a familiar chuckle while continuing to clap steadily.
"You...!" Amira replies in a near-breaking tone as it dawns on her the identity of the intruder.
"Yes, it's me, ever since I saw you in Sorania." Such are the words of Yamja, appearing right in the flesh with the same look, armor, weapons and of course, her wide grin as before.
For that, Amira stands up and steps away from Yamja while breathing heavily and clutching the hilt of her light blade in her belt, yet Yamja continues walking with her gaze focusing on Amira's trembling face, a sight that only widens her grin even more as she chuckles even more, with the footsteps stomping a bit harder than before.
"I can see that your usual energy and passion is not with you today, and why is that, I presume?" Yamja asks as taps her lips with her fingers while glancing away for a bit, still with a smile on her face.
"We... we tried to protect them and yet..." Amira tries to reply, yet she can only pause for many seconds as her mouth quivers from the tension as both walk in circles alongside more chuckling from Yamja.
"Oh yes, you failed, and you want to know why?" Yamja asks as she shifts her glance back to Amira, her grin getting wider with each passing second the longer they keep their pace.
"Because you-" Amira tries to answer, only for Yamja to slice a wooden plank on the floor with one of her purple blades.
"Because you were weaklings, too slow and too incompetent to do a thing against us!" Yamja barks with quite a tone that's enough for Amira to flinch back, even whimpering a bit as she stumbles a bit. "So disappointing that you still throw all responsibility for what you've done."
"Us?! But you set those up, did you not...? What responsibility do we have compared to the likes... of you?!"
"Oh, but wasn't it your duty to find a way to surpass them? To clear them out, and sweep every inch of our plan like ants, yet you didn't. You have no other pitiful excuse for such blunders." Those words feel like one slice after another every time Yamja utters them, with Amira flinching and trembling every moment she emphasizes each word with such heavy loads toward her. For everything that Amira is thinking about to try and counter each word she utters, it all feels fruitless to do so at such magnitudes.
Especially given the latest actions of both Logan and Amira during the last mission.
"You know, I heard there's this Human term about the consequence of one's actions after committing to another, almost like a form of retribution. Maybe heard of... Karma?" Yamja says as she glances back once more, still with her straight posture and near cheeky demeanor toward Amira as she still breathes and trembles heavily from every action she takes.
"I... What do you mean by that?"
"Something made up by the so-called Buddhists, who claim that every action is carried by an intention, and how the consequences are influenced by said intentions and actions. Of course, I may be giving more credit to those phonies than they deserve but such a concept is quite... tangling, don't you think?"
Amira stares at Yamja for a bit who merely tilts her head while glancing at Amira from the distance, almost like she's awaiting more venom thrown at her every time she utters a word that disagrees with everything that Yamja says.
"You say that, because of what I have done... What my deeds were... that I deserve a punishment...?" Amira says as her mouth quivers even more, which makes Yamja laugh even louder than ever.
"Exactly that, my sweetheart! For every bad action there is, it should be repaid with a bad consequence for the individual. For you, it won't be death this time... But merely to run away forever, all alone and without any love left."
"Why...?"
"Think about it, those Humans had so many expectations about you and what you stand for, that you'll be the unflinching being that will take no damage from any adversary. But alas, once they learn that the idol they admire is nothing but a sham, they will do anything to cast them down, for deceiving and failing them..." Yamja scoffs in response as she glances away from Amira for a bit, even frowning in response. But then, a small chuckle escapes from her mouth. "But of course, they would continue with such foolish decisions despite what they utter. Why bother defending a bunch of beings that never learn?"
"You are wrong... My friends are-" Amira tries to explain, only to be interrupted by a bolt of lightning.
"They too are the same as all idiots in this pathetic race! Because despite what they'll show, they too will declare you an enemy once they see what you've done... Isn't it wonderful, at least?"
For that alone, Amira unsheathes her light blade as she clenches her teeth, her eyes narrowing and protruding as well as she breathes a bit faster than usual. This seems to be the last straw after such an amount of daggers that are thrown from her mouth.
"You think I will listen to you...? Someone who has been fed by many lies does not deserve to be listened to!" Amira says as tries to leap toward Yamja as she ignites her light blade. But just as she's about to reach her, Yamja swiftly turns around and extends her hand, which not only stops Amira right in her tracks, but also envelops her with a purple, cloudy aura around her body, which makes her gasp and groan from the surprise.
"Oh my... I thought that Soranians were supposed to handle everything diplomatically. Quite a far cry from what you were supposed to stand for," Yamja says as she steadily walks toward Amira as she keeps a slight smile on her face while her hand still traps Amira with her dark magic.
"You...!"
"Admit it, your time on Earth has made you no better than those savages who know nothing but contradictions and selfishness. So why do you press even further than needed?" Yamja steps even closer to Amira, who by the moment she reaches right in front of her, where she quivers and trembles once more, as Yamja steps closer right in her face.
A pause ensues, and when it seems like it'll be an eternity as Yamja stares at Amira...
"Perhaps I can show you... with that pretty prince of yours." As her smile turns into a grin, Yamja pushes Amira away, sending her flying to a nearby door that takes them downstairs. Amira barely activates her wing as she lands right on the door with her feet and makes her landing, yet stumbles a bit due to the force of the crash.
Without any further words, Amira leaps once more as she screams with her light blade at hand, ready to deliver a horizontal slash right in her chest. But as she does so, Yamja merely leaps to the right side, narrowly avoiding the slash as it hits the ground. Amira glances at Yamja and with another growling scream, starts a flurry of slashes and slices aimed at Yamja, with all the sheer might she can muster against the one who forever changed her life for the worse.
And yet, despite the speed and agility that Amira tries to display, Yamja still dodges most of them with ease with a smile on her face, by using either her head or body to dodge any attack that's sent on her way. In one instance, she manages to grab Amira's face with her left hand, clenching it as hard as she can while Amira groans before she hurls her to the ground.
Then to further compound the difference, she pushes her away with her dark arts. Once more, Amira steps up with her wings and lands on her feet, and rushes at Yamja with all the rage she can muster, her eyes as red as they can get from the tears it has as well as the protruding eyes of what she is seeing. But like before, she leaps sideways before throwing a kick at Amira's chest, sending her backward near the edge of the roof.
Breathing heavily as she tries to keep her composure in check, Yamja responds by merely igniting one of her purple blades that's shrouded in the same aura as the dark arts, swinging it in circles as she prepares her stance with a straight posture and still with the wide smile that's entrenched in her face.
From there, Amira only runs with all the speed she has left while she prepares a vertical slash at Yamja's chest with both hands, yet Yamja swiftly raises her blade to parry it with speed that's greater than hers. What follows is a series of strikes from Amira where she either dodges, blocks or parries each attack without losing her composure, even answering with a few slashes that make Amira stumble backward.
Just when Amira prepares a slash right through the abdomen, Yamja leaps upward, landing right behind Amira.
"Still so weak, still with not enough hatred... But you know what, my dear?" Yamja says before grabbing Amira right in the neck and then throwing her away to the door on the other side with the strength she has. This time, due to the speed as well as the drained amount of energy, Amira impacts the door without being able to activate her wings in time, and this time she falls to the floor without any further movement, her light blade being dropped right from her hand.
Yamja is the sole one standing as she stares at her with a slight frown on her face as the bangs of her hair cover her deep, dark green eyes that show the extent of her father's ideology ingrained in her.
"You never will have enough of it... Neither hatred nor love," Yamja says as she turns around to see the dark city from below, one where it's dimmer with every passing second. At this point, it seems that Yamja has triumphed over Amira after a long while of draws and such, one that only makes her smile for a bit as she stares at the stragglers and survivors digging up the ground from the collateral damage that has been induced from the last battle in the day.
Yet, it seems that this is not all from Yamja, as she presses her finger right in her left ear, where some static is heard in the earpod inside of her.
"Diego, our little princess has been taken out... Now, time to bring the final step to end their madness once and for all," Yamja says.
"Oh yes, I will gather everyone we need so the show can start!" Diego replies before the transmission cuts off, as Yamja lowers her hand once more as she stares at the city a bit more while standing still.
It seems that it will continue being like that, until Yamja chuckles for a bit, then said chuckling increases every single bit, her tone getting higher and higher with her eyes widening enough to show the whites.
Without warning, it then turns into a loud, shrill laugh that echoes through the rooftops of South LA, a laugh that symbolizes the hatred and insanity stored within Yamja for a long while, a mind fueled by the hatred of all weakness as stated by the Zlocu, a mind that knows no bounds when it comes to fulfilling everything to accomplish anything to satisfy it.
But with today's events, the worst has yet to come.