The question caused Abigail to recoil.
She did not expect her to suddenly enter the lilight, especially not after Raoul confessed the death of a close friend. The hairs along her body stood on all ends, and she found herself suddenly unable to speak clearly.
"Y-Yes. I-I always dread of becoming a Healer. Since I was just a little girl, I always thought it would be nice to be like them. Wear the white robes… It… it was also my mother's dream."
"What about a Black Wing?" Orth asked.
"No... Never. I don't mind it. It feels like I've been let free. I didn't realize how limited I was as a White Dove. As a Black Wing… I'm free, for lack of a better word."
Healers knew better than anyone what it was like to have their autonomy suppressed. She could only imagine how much worse it was for a Healer that was under the guidance of a Script.
"Free." Thras spoke, her tongue lapping her lips as if savoring the word.
"Mhm. You know the whole bird motif about Healers. We're not caged anymore. And with Frost's help, you'll be free too."
She expected the twins to flash one of their rare smiles. A nod would have sufficed, even. But the reaction she received was cold. The twins did not move as though they were frozen in place. Their eyes suddenly pierced into her soul, and Abigail reflexively pulled away when she t their gaze.
W-What was that?
Their pupils and irises blended into a uniform void for a split second. They moved elsewhere just as she pulled away.
A dangerous chill ran down her spine. Her grip around her Talon's handle tightened, and she hovered a finger over the trigger. The twins were not a threat. She knew this. But her fight or flight instincts flared, and her mind scrambled to figure out what was the cause.
"Abigail…" Orth slumped forward slightly. Her shoulders fell. Even though she could not express any emotion, Abigail sensed her pain.
Are they scared?
She let go of her weapon, and she raised both hands to show that she ant no harm.
Thras shook her head again, slowly this ti.
"… It's always like this." She mourned.
"Always." Orth lanted.
Their expressions darkened simultaneously. Then, she felt a faint force pressing against her palms.
"Wandering Healers." (Orth).
"Broken things." (Thras).
"Split up and spread." (Orth).
"By cruelty." (Thras).
"We can only be cruel in return." (Orth).
"The dichotomy…" (Thras).
"But…" (Orth).
The sa hands tugged on Raoul's shirt again, and the repelling force disappeared. He existed as their anchor, and so long as he was with them then the two would always feel at ease.
Such was the power of his presence.
"If only I knew it sooner."
"R-Raoul…?" Abigail was shoved backwards by another invisible force. It returned twice as strong, and it threw the twins ten ters away from Raoul. "RAOUL!?"
"… Raoul…?" (Orth).
"Raoul…!?" (Thras).
The force expanded again. She snatched her Talon from the ground and fired three bullets into the invisible barrier. Each bullet flattened just inches away from the barrel, as if they were crushed between soone's fingers.
"H-How co…? Raoul…? Raoul!?" Abigail had heard about this phenonon before.
Her first instinct was to treat it as magic.
But Raoul was a Repenter whose Stats had been stripped clean from him. The bullet should have t its mark. Her second and more damning conclusion was none other than a Corruption Event.
A cloud of darkness enveloped the edges of the Isolation Sphere. Abigail began firing at them but to no avail. At best she'd leave a hole behind, which was filled seconds later. Before long, the entire Isolation Sphere was plunged into a void.
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The air beca frigid. Every breath she took caused vapor to leave her mouth.
"Orth! Thras! HERE!" She shot into the air every few seconds. The muzzle flash acted as a beacon. Silent patters approached her, and she felt a pair of hands reach for the hems of her coat.
She was lucky to start firing right away. Not long after, the trigger of her Talon froze. Ice crystals ford along its length, encrusting it in a thin layer of ice. Abigail grabbed a knife and began filing away at the ice. With every layer she removed, a thicker layer returned. She threw her weapon to the ground, hoping to break off the excess.
However, this movent was accompanied by the sound of tearing flesh.
"Aghhh!?" Her palm was torn open. It had been fused to the handle of her Talon. This, combined with its imnse weight, was why it had torn off so cleanly. "[Heal]… Are you two okay?"
The twins didn't seem to recognize a word she said. They were far too concerned about Raoul.
"Raoul… Why is he Corrupting again?" (Orth).
"I thought he was cured." (Thras).
Abigail grimaced.
White liquid ford in the center of the ceiling. It split off and slid along the shell of the Isolation Sphere. They flashed with a beautiful glow as they fell. Amidst the darkness, if one were to stare solely at Raoul, the droplets resembled tears falling from a single, sealed eye.
Raoul's form had not changed yet, thankfully. Abigail took the hands of the twins and rushed to the edge of the Isolation Sphere in search of the exit.
"… Is it because of us?" Orth whispered.
"The only person we can bla is the voice! Please, help find the exit! We need to get out of here before he Corrupts!"
* * *
The storm in Raoul's heart ca without warning. Before he knew it, he was caught in the eye of his despair with nothing but the sound of Elysia's heart playing in his ear.
"Elysia."
Raoul found himself surrounded by dark clouds. He could not see anything beyond five ters. His senses flared. He sensed a presence behind the clouds and addressed them again.
"Is this your ga? One lapse and I'm back here? Why are you trying to Corrupt again?"
"I co to offer you comfort in your ti of misery."
Elysia's saccharine voice failed to lure him into another false sense of security. There wouldn't be a second ti. The twins were out there. If he Corrupted, then he'd be putting their lives at stake.
"I've experienced nothing but misery from you."
"Your heart says otherwise. The shapes you took were incomplete. A mirror shows an infinite number of reflections. You have yet to find yours."
"I don't need it."
"But what about them?"
The clouds parted ways to allow a black parasol to push through. Lining the rim was a golden trimming that resembled an eye. A dark figure followed the parasol. It peeled from the clouds, and the dark mass congealed until it vaguely resembled a human.
"Your sisters. Ara. Your mother. Corruption is anything but misery. It is what paint is to a canvas. I offer you the ans to embrace what you are, regardless of what the world wants."
"I want nothing to do with you. Leave and the twins out of your sche. I'm through with this. I just want to stay by their side."
Elysia's form solidified, and she smiled back at Raoul, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. They glowed brighter than her eyes did. That faint smile was all Raoul could see for a mont as Elysia spoke.
"Do not lie to , Raoul. I know what stirs in your heart. See what bothers you."
"You are one foot off the ledge."
"What is stopping you from taking the final plunge?"
"I'm needed now more than ever. My biggest mistake was leaving them behind. There is still so much I regret."
"Do you believe that your presence will change anything?"
"I won't know until I try…"
He trailed off. The slightest hesitation was an invitation for Elysia to move in.
"Yes, Raoul? I'm always listening."
"I am all that you have left."
Why did he hesitate? Raoul urged himself to speak, but no words ca out. A lump ford in his throat. All he had to do was let it out. However, Elysia's words had sank deeper into him than he expected.
Will staying by their side change anything? The damage has been done. I am, if anything, a thorn by their side. I've destroyed my family. My friendships. Any hope of restoring my place beside the twins.
Elysia's solemn smile softened. Her presence could be felt from everywhere at once. Slowly, she strolled around him and held the parasol above his head as pale tears fell. She served as his umbrella and promised to give him what he needed to weather any storm.
"Who will be there to mourn for you when you pass?"
"… The twins will."
"But how long will you remain in their mories thereafter?"
"I… Don't know… I don't want to think about it."
"Oh, Raoul."
"You cannot turn away from it."
"Will your sisters rember you?"
"They'll rember for my wrongs. I don't even recall what I did for them that didn't destroy their lives."
He hired the Monkey Brothers to Corrupt them. Paraded the corpse of their mother. Nearly killed Cer. Abandoned them when they were at their most vulnerable. He had never spoken a word to them whenever they passed by within the Nexus.
He had treated them as strangers.
So why should they care?
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