(sorry for the short chapter.)
Brain and Rin found themselves resigned to their current situation, unable to leave until Eve returned. They both sank down the cement wall of Ludachels confinement, wordlessly watching him sleep.
After a moment of silence, Brain broke the quiet with a whisper, "What happened last night for you to suddenly feel so hostile about Ludachel? I thought we all had a kind of admiration for him since we were young."
Startled by his question, Rin turned to face him, exhaling before responding, "I don't hate him, I just don't know him." She stated until the she noticed the piercing look in Brain's eyes.
Realising his confusion, she continued, "I understand it might seem like I do, but it's true. I used to admire Ludachel, like we all did. But one day, I saw Jax look at him in a way that made me realise... I wanted his attention more than anything."
Brain's breath caught at her revelation. "You... you loved him. That's why you acted that way at the bonfire. You were jealous."
A tear trickled down Rin's cheek as she gazed down, overcome with shame. "I still am. And it's my jealousy that led to this. I wanted to test Jax's reaction, to see if he cared... and now he's gone. It's not Ludachel's fault. It's mine! I had just wanted one night with him where he could see me outside our everyday lives and maybe then he would notice me." Rin struggled to compose herself, wiping away tears furiously.
Brain reached out, pulling her close as he comforted her. "It's not your fault, Rin. I'm sorry for even suggesting it. We all knew the risks, but we couldn't have anticipated the extent of that tragedy." He held her, gently running his fingers through her short pink hair, offering solace.
"Hey look Brain, we can touch each other, I thought that Lady said we couldn't." She chokes out a laugh at the absurdity of what she just said, pulling his hand into hers, feeling his skin's texture.
"I think she just meant we can't touch Ludachel because his soul is in his body where ours is... you know, elsewhere." Rin laughs louder at his words.
"Fuck, I guess this is our new reality Brain, Jax would be losing his shit if he were here." she said sadly.
"Yeah he would... Angels huh?"
"Yeah, Angels, I always thought Gods and angels were what someone made up to explain existence, so they didn't have to feel so alone." she whispered back in awe as they both turned their attention to the young man waking up, "Maybe he is one too."
Ludachel groaned as he hoisted himself into a seated position, the sound of Brain's voice echoing in his ears. Rubbing his sore wrists from the chains, he stood up and shuffled back to the small window, his confinement preventing him from banging on it.
"Ughhhhh, B-Bra...in Is that...yo-u?" His throat still parched, he struggled to form coherent words.
Both Rin and Brain were stunned, shooting to their feet and exchanging cautious looks of confusion. "I thought he couldn't hear us!" Rin whispered suspiciously.
Brain, equally bewildered, shrugged in exasperation. "Don't look at me! I'm just as much in the dark as you are!"
As Ludachel turned at the whispers behind him, his clanking chains adding to the disturbance, he found no one there. His head hung low, heart pounding in his chest as he stood in silence trying to concentrate, while Rin and Brain circled him in bewilderment.
Ludachel sighed, lifting his head unaware of the puzzled expressions on his unseen intruders. "He definitely heard you, Brain. Say something again!"
Just as Brain managed to utter a word, Ludachel's gaze seemed to focus on a point in the air between them, his eyes narrowing as if trying to discern something. Suddenly, with a swift movement, he reached out and grabbed Brain by the neck, pulling him closer until they were face to face. Brain gasped in shock, "Uh, Rin, he's touching me! He can touch me! I think he can see us."
Meeting Brain's gaze with sorrowful eyes, Ludachel's voice softened. "R-in... as well, huh? If I can see you both, then I guess it means you're both... gone." Still working out his voice, his words still hung heavy in the air, prompting a look of confusion from Brain.
"Who's dead?!" Rin's voice rang out in bewilderment.
"Wait, why do you think we're dead?" Brain nervously chuckled, his eyes fixed on Ludachel's deep blue gaze, a haunting memory from last night flashes through his mind — swirling stars within those eyes, now normal as if it were all a dream.
"I can see you because... Well, because I can see the souls of people after they die, I don't know how or why, although usually, souls aren't this talkative and coherent," Ludachel responded matter-of-factly, his tone hinting at an unsettling intrigue. "Are you both here to haunt me, because of my failure to protect you?"
Rin, taken aback, interjected, "Seeing the dead? Does that mean you're an angel too? This is all too strange! I never imagined existence after death could be real!"
"Just to clear things up, we're not dead. Your celestial mother brought our souls here to locate you... I think," Brain hastily explained, hoping to dispel any misconceptions lingering in the air.
Ludachel released his grip on Brain, taking a step back as contemplation clouded his expression. "I'm sorry, I haven't the slightest clue of what you said, I must be more disoriented than I thought. Celestial mother? Not dead? This is all starting to sound like a product of a head injury," he muttered, rubbing his temple in an attempt to make sense of the situation.
Glancing between Brain and Rin, who seemed to share a silent understanding, Ludachel shook his head in disbelief. "Wait, you're both serious? So you're claiming my mother is an Angel? And that I have some kind of hidden celestial connection? I must be losing my mind."
Brain, looking at Rin with a slight shrug, decided to address Ludachel more directly. "Okay... let's just say you may not be aware of your true heritage or the powers that may lie within you, Ludachel. But we have witnessed extraordinary feats, like blue acidic mist that emanated from your skin that killed all the deathtems that attacked last night. And our current state here with you is a manifestation of your mother's abilities...again I think? So, let's not pretend ignorance when the evidence points otherwise."
Ludachel's eyes swirled with a mix of fear and confusion, prompting Brain to move closer, bridging the gap between them.
"Are you truly saying you had no idea about your mother's Angelic nature?" Brain's voice was filled with a blend of concern.
"I... I don't understand. How could my mother be an Angel without me knowing?" Ludachel's voice trembled with anger as he shook his head.
Rin interjected, her tone probing, "If that's the case, then how do you explain the events of last night? Your powers, the blue mist, that happened after Jax?"
Ludachel paused in his pacing, his movements restricted by the chains binding him. "The last memories I have are of witnessing Jax being eaten by a Deathtem and hearing your screams, Brain," he recounted, his Frustration evident.
They all flinch at his words.
"Okay, just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, it does. If that's all you remember, it means you don't know where you are or who captured you and put you in this place."
"Or why," Brain adds wearily.
"It's not difficult to guess why, Brain. I still suspect the city set us up, and those sick Fucks probably watched it unfold, observing this man," Rin points at Ludachel, "going all out on the Deathtems."
"That's quite an assumption, Rin," Ludachel says, his hand covering his face.
But then Brain nods in agreement, "But it's a start! The bigger question is why they would deliberately take the lives of so many citizens."
As they all gaze at each other slowly, they each come to the same realisation, "Overpopulation!"
——— ——— ——— ——— ———
Alexis enlarged a hologram on her pad, casting a flickering light across the faces of the security councilmen. The grainy video depicted a harrowing scene: a young man standing defiantly against a swarm of Deathtems, extracting a cloud of blue mist from his body that engulfed the creatures in agony, revealing nothing but their bones. Gasps and murmurs filled the chamber as the councilmen exchanged uneasy glances.
Eve, who observed the hologram with a sinking feeling in her core, recognized the figure at the centre of the chaos. "Ludachel, he's awakening," she muttered under her breath, fearful of what this early awakening could mean, having her fear wrapped around her neck. Temptation tugged at her to intervene, to go back to the cell they put him in and take him away to safety, but she clenched her fists, suppressing her instinctive reaction. She needed to understand the Director's intentions before making any moves.
Benedict, his voice edged with trepidation, leaned forward in his chair. "What is the meaning of this, Director?" he demanded, his gaze unwavering on the holographic video.
"This footage," Alexis began, her voice dripping with a barely contained
excitement, "captures the events of our recent 'tragedy.' Observing closely as this young man," she pointed at the figure in the hologram, "nearly unravelled my meticulously laid plans. Remarkably, my team acted swiftly, neutralising any survivors as this... anomaly," she paused, emphasising her next words, "in the guise of innocence, succumbed to exhaustion. I'll admit, this oversight nearly drove me to rage, yet, I find myself fascinated by the prospect of wielding such power. This, esteemed council, is the point of our meeting today."
The murmurs among the council grew louder, with alarm filling the air. From the shadows of their black robes, an indistinct voice emerged, "Where is this boy... this monster, now?"
"Securely within my grasp," Alexis replied, a sly smile playing on her lips as she leaned back, fingers interlocked in satisfaction.
"What are you planning to do with him!" Michel demands as he stands, his voice cutting through the tension in the room. He points at the hologram with evident disgust. "No, whatever you're scheming, I refuse to take part in it."
"Michel, SIT DOWN!" Alexis's voice thundered, leaving no room for contention. "No one leaves this room until I give my permission!"
Michel hesitated, his eyes darting to the door where guards subtly adjust their weapons—a silent but unmistakable warning. Reluctantly, he resumed his seat, locking eyes with the director in a silent battle of wills.
"My ambition, Michel, is to achieve unrivaled dominion. And with this boy," Alexis said, her tone laced with a mix of excitement and determination as she gestured towards the hologram, "I've found the missing piece for my experiments. I have been refining Deathtems, making them larger, swifter, more powerful, and above all, obedient. Consider, then, the possibilities if we could incorporate his DNA into our creations," she mused aloud, her gaze sweeping the room filled with a palpable sense of dread.
She then turned her attention to one of the councilmen. "Council Benedict, imagine what this means for us. The path to building a larger, stronger, more formidable Edda is not only clear but closer than we ever dared to hope."
Authors here~~
(I hope some questions came to light in this chapter, I know each chapter has a lot of things happening and if anyone would like me to put in recaps at every few chapters just let me know in the comments.)