The Sway

The dunes were being caressed by a gentle wind, moving and shaking like water. The sand was shining like gold, an infinite plain of silica. The sun was rising on the rising.

Kurban was standing beside a hole with Kera and Lunukin. They weren't sunbathing, they were just letting their skin regenerate as the underground life wasn't the best.

"One of the Shaxes told me that you want to know what's after the sandsea" told Kera to Kurban suddenly but he didn't answer

"Do you really want to do it?" asked him Lunukin

"Yes"

"Why? What do you expect to find?" asked Kera

"I don't know but for ages we've been told that there's nothing beyond Drekavac. I think that it was a lie like the Shaxes and our immortality"

"What if you find monsters or such things? What is the point of dying for a vain desire?"

"If it happens, we will manage. We're going to die anyway, either by the hand of Tithon or by other monsters. We would say, at least, that we tried" stated Kurban with conviction

"If, and I'm saying 'If', I'm going with you could you promise me that I will be back to Alusta alive?" asked him Kera

"I…I can't but someone will remember you for what you did. Kera, you'll live forever in the memories of all the people in the Hara"

Kera didn't expect that kind of answer. It gave him a lot to think about.

"I think that you're true. Since I was born, I've always been working as a simple worker for the DIYU. I've never felt like my life had a purpose; I've never felt alive. I'm the youngest here but I still have lived too much. I want to be someone. I want to make sure that my life isn't worthless. I'll join you Kurban" said Lunukin confident

"You are mad, kid, but I don't know…I'm not sure. I can't choose like it's nothing. I have people who are waiting for me"

"What if they think that you're dead? Have you considered it?" asked him Kurban

"I…I…I don't…"

A muted splatterdash started coming from the city. It was far but they were able to hear bits of it.

"Do you hear it?" asked Lunukin

No one answered.

They were trying to sense the sound, which was far and veiled by the tender song of the wind.

"What's happening?" asked Kera

A muted buzzing

Like a wasp nest.

There was excitement outside its cell. Whiskers and guards who were moving around, clashing with each other.

Malsumis woke up because it was hard to sleep with all that noise.

He didn't go to the window to check out what was happening because he knew that the light which was coming in wasn't real.

As he was watching the convulsion behind the bars, he was still sending the message to his brother.

He hoped that it wasn't too late.

He never saw that kind of disorder and tension.

She was standing by the pods, as she used to do every morning, while keeping her hand on his dead fiancée's pod.

"I've fixed it once; I'll do it again. I promised" was repeating her to herself while looking at the corpse which was set in the pod.

It was an old body which had one of its legs crippled and the skin grey.

She checked the temperature of the pod. She wanted to be sure that it wasn't too cold or slightly hotter than the standard temperature.

She used to do it for every pod but focused more on the ones which were signed J.A.B and K.F. There was only one who was opened. She never cared to close it.

"My Lady, you need to see something" said a guard who suddenly presented himself at the door

"What's happening?" asked her

"The Supreme Leader is…" he didn't have to chance to finish his sentence that she stood up and walked past him

"My Lady I don't think that you can stop him" remarked him while she was getting into the elevator

"My Lady…"

"Please, shut up. All the guards in the city must converge where he is now. Immediately"

"But, my Lasy, it's not enough, he controls all the Whiskers"

"Do as I say"

They left the elevator and got into a vehicle.

She ordered the driver to bring her to the Academy.

While they were speeding on the Hara's streets, she was hearing the muted buzzing of Dragonflies. A sound which remembered her hard days of suffering and pain.

Lilith was looking at the Academy with frightened eyes. She was worried about Tithon.

She didn't want to lose him. She never imagined that a humble Guel could've managed to have his own army.

It would've been a long day. Long enough to allow her and Gluskap to achieve their plans.

She quickly went to the elevator and selected the jail's floor.

While the elevator was descending the building, she was thinking about what could've happened if Tithon wouldn't have succeeded in his mission.

The elevator stopped and the door opened. There were less guards that day there.

She took off and followed one of the few Whiskers to Gluskap's cell.

When they arrived there, she found out his accomplice who was tense and anxious on his bed.

All changed as soon as Lilith showed at his cell bars.

"Is it time?" asked him without looking at her

While the Whisker was bringing him up and putting cuffs on his hand she nodded.

Tithon was getting on the Dragonfly when a car made is entrance on the runway.

It was coming towards him. It was a black car, the one he and the people with power used in the city.

It stopped near them.

"Sir, what do we do?" asked the Fanon who was standing beside him

"Wait. The other can go first. We'll follow them" ordered him while getting down and watching the other Dragonflies flying up in the sky.

Lady Gehenna got out of the car and rushed toward him. She looked angry. She felt it under her dark veil.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked her enraged

"I'm doing what you should've done a long time ago"

"You won't" remarked her while he was getting back on the Dragonfly

"It isn't me you should worry about" said Tithon to her while the aircraft was starting its ascension.

The phrase sticked up in Gehenna's mind.

She was trying to figure out about who he was talking about while she was waving at her and laughing with a bad grin.

She thought for a moment about it.

Then she walked briskly to the car and got back in.

"Get me back to Aokigahara" ordered her to the driver who nodded and started the car quickly

She was feeling under pressure.

She was losing control. She didn't like it.

She didn't like when people didn't respect his order and plans.

She was trying to hide her anger, but it was getting through the black shroud.

No one, no one should've seen her like that.

Time was passing slowly in the lab. No one came for them because no one survived the attack, as they thought

Janus tried everyday to reach who was still outside by sending a signal in morse code. A signal which never received an answer.

The group was getting tired and stressed. Relationships and bonds were being challenged.

Two conflicting ideas were being discussed. Two ideas which were slowly splitting the group.

Half with Cressida and half with Khosrow. The rift between them had become too great and irreparable that Gwenore bonded with him. Cressida wasn't over.

She had on her side Gadreel, Janus, and Hector while Khosrow trusted Gwenore, Lud and Hector.

Nonetheless they were trying to hold balance and peace among them.

A weak, unsustainable peace.

"What do you want to do with the eight hibernating pods in your lab?" asked Cressida to Khosrow

"I won't use them. Do what you want with them, I don't care" answered Khosrow like he was bothered by her

"Because I've already taken a look at them, and I think that your issue isn't really an issue"

"What do you mean?"

"That they could be used even though unfreezing the specimen inside it would kill it instantly"

"What are you implying? Do not tell me that you want to try that on yourself. I can't…I can't let you do it" said while showing pain.

His illness was getting worse day by the day. It was hard to look at him.

"I can cure you. You just must let me help you" said Cressida, worried

"I don't think that…I will…take an ounce of your pet project. Ever"

She didn't answer back. She knew that he would never budge by himself.

He went close to his ear and murmured in it.

"I will help you in a way or another. You have no power here"

He got scared after hearing those words.

Then she walked out of the lab and stood in front of the others. They all looked at her.

"I would like to make an announcement" started her

The people couldn't understand what was happening. Meanwhile Khosrow limped beside.

"From now on, I'm going to decide how to act. Because so far, Khosrow showed no ideas or leadership. He kept us here while giving us vain hopes. One year has passed since the attack and we've solved nothing" said her with confidence

"Who gave you that kind of power?" asked Patroclus

"Gadreel. Show him your gun" ordered her to the cop.

He reached for it, but he wasn't sure.

"What are you waiting for? Do as I say," said her

Gadreel chuckled then pulled it up toward Patroclus

"We should not be taking parts. Why not get out there and find the others" suggested Lud to try and calm down the group

"There's no one out there. We must stay here and finish working on a serum to live outside the lab"

"And what do you expect? We won't be your cavies" stated Khosrow behind her

"I think that we should put aside our rage and find a solution together" added Gwenore, who usually didn't speak in these situations

"Shut up whore. You just care about fucking Khosrow. You never cared about getting out of here" remarked Cressida with an angered tone

"Do not call…her whore? Apologize Cressida…now"

"What are going to do then?"

"Please…stop"

"Let her choose, she is the only one who is giving us a hope to get out of here and restart anything," said Hector

Gadreel was shaking and he wasn't able to say a word

"You don't need to be on her side Hec. She doesn't care about you" told him Khosrow

"I'm not a selfish cunt. What have you done so far?"

"Please, stop. There's no need to argue"

"I still think that we need to leave this lab"

Khosrow moved toward Cressida. It did faster than usually. It looked like he was going to do something wrong.

Gadreel was still on the trigger. Shaking.

Khosrow inched closer.

The finger slipped.

He didn't want to.

The gun fired.

Khosrow felt on the ground.

Everyone stopped arguing.

Gwenore looked at him and rushed toward his fiancée.

Cressida immediately got down to help him. She was worried. He was wounded where there was his old scar.

Then she realized. Now she had all the power to change the situation.

To save him and all the people in the lab.

Now she was in control.

The beeping sound stopped.

The technicians looked at Gluskap. They were waiting for an order, a direction.

He was thinking.

"Take the record and isolate the beeping sound in the background" requested him

The guy in front of him executed his order briskly.

They listened to it again.

"It's not random, it isn't even a disturbance. It's a message" stated Gluskap

"What do you mean, sir?" asked the technician

"This…this is Morse"

A buzzing sound started approaching their ears. It was far but it was moving fast toward them.

One of the guards appeared at the door.

"Sir, we have a problem"

He didn't even bother to listen to him

"Translate it. Now"

"Sir…you need to…" insisted the guard

"What? Is it more important than what we're doing right now?"

"Fort…" started translating the technician

"Sir, it's an emergency" remarked the guard

"…aride is…"

The buzzing was getting closer

He left the room while the translation was going on and reached the other high ranking Hummigbirds where it was visible the desert.

Then he saw it.

"What do we do, sir?"

The message. His brother wanted to warn him.

"Sir...?"

"We will stand. Put on your suits. Gather your courage"

The guards stood still

"What are you waiting for?"

"Sir, we must flee" suggested one of the lieutenants

"We can only move toward the Shaxes. We'll be annihilated by both sides. I won't take that risk. I say that we defend the Fort. We don't have a choice"

"We do sir. We're not sure if Pyramus has made it to the Shaxes and if he's still alive but he can help us. The Shaxes can be our allies," said another

Gluskap was conflicted.

He never found himself in that situation. Tithon was changing the way history has always been. The Hummingbirds never lose Zerzura in the other reboots. They were right. Running away and seeking refuge was the best option but the Hummingbirds would have been active afterwards.

"Sir, we have no time left. What do we do?"

He was trying to find a solution

"Sir…"

Malsumis, Lilith and the Whisker were together. The Whisker between them and Malsumis in front.

They were walking slowly. It appeared like none of them wanted to reach the room.

Lilith was waiting, trying to find the strength to do what was needed to free Malsumis. She was anxious.

"Is everything alright miss?" asked the Whisker

"Yes…yes" answered her unsure

They kept going until Lilith stopped. She was panting. Her left hand was on his chest, to feel her heart.

The Whisker got worried. Worried enough to turn and forget, for a moment, about Malsumis.

"Miss, may I help you? You look ill"

He came beside her, who felt on the ground.

His weapon was hanging over her.

"I…I…"

"What Miss?"

She conjured all her courage and slipped the Whisker's gun out of his pocket and pointed it at him. He wasn't in the army so that was all he had to defend himself.

Malsumis sneaked behind him and put his handcuffed hands around his neck.

He started choking him.

The Whisker was trying to resist.

They felt on the ground.

He was convulsing and shaking, trying to get rid of Malsumis's grip.

She was pointing the gun at him.

"What…are you waiting…for? Shoot him" told her Malsumis

She had her finger on the trigger. She didn't want to kill. She felt like he had no responsibility.

"Shoot him"

He was just executing the orders of someone else.

Life was starting to get out of the Whisker's body who was trying to stay alive.

"Shoot…him"

Suddenly the Whisker got free of his clamp and hit in the gut.

As Malsumis was on the ground, he went in front of Lilith, with his hands forth.

"Miss, I advise you not to press the trigger. Please, give me back the gun" tried him

She was still shaking.

"You don't want to…" he didn't manage to finish his sentence that Malsumis kicked him on his legs, and he bowed down

Then he took the gun from Lilith and shoot him. Cold.

The Whisker collapsed on the ground.

Lilith didn't expect that. She was astonished.

Meanwhile he reached for the keys and freed himself.

"Next time, you will pull the trigger. Do you hear me?" told Malsumis to her

She didn't say a thing

"Do you hear me?" answered him again

"I…I won't. That's not me," said her

He laughed. He knew that she couldn't do it.

"He didn't need to die"

"Like Alastor, I suppose?"

"What are you saying?"

"You chose him. He was just a sacrifice for greater good for you, wasn't it?"

"I…I just did what my mother asked me to do it"

"He was set up to be killed. Do you think that he was chosen because your fiancée needed a replacement for his old friend?"

"Yes"

He grinned. He pitied her. Her ignorance.

"You chose a slimy guy, one who hated Guels and such because you wanted to incite a fight between them. You chose him because he had a relevant role. You knew that with him gone, Tithon would've had only your mother above him"

She negated it.

"I…I was a different person. I love him now" stated her, trembling

"Soon or later, you will have to tell him about our set up. About the fact that he's there because we manipulated him. Even though we undervalued him because, right now, he's more powerful and threatening than ever"

She knew that it was the truth. She knew that in the past she used to do exactly what her mother wanted.

He puffed and then came beside her.

"I'm sorry for what I've said, and I know that you're different right now. That your love for him is sincere. The only way to change the past is to change the present. Do what you must Lilith. Bring her down"

After that he gave her the gun and then ran away.

She knew what she had to do.

She reached the elevator and got in.

She pushed the button and waited.

Her mother's secrets would've been her downfall. She would've been free of her.

The assault was beautiful in his eyes.

Frightened Hummingbirds who were trying to defend their fortress in vain, overwhelmed by the Whiskers who were coming down from the sky and Dragonflies which were shooting at them with no mercy.

He was witnessing their desperation.

Their helpless condition gave him solace.

His Dragonfly landed in the middle of a square where there were their vehicles. There the battle was on.

His army was taking down masked rebels.

There were people begging for their lives, friends or foe. He didn't care. He just wanted to find the head. The Leader of the Hummingbirds.

He was scanning around like a hawk ready to sling toward his prey while defending himself from the coming attacks. His fighting was different, more refined since he started killing off the rebels in the Kirkegaardsand.

He found it delighting. The thrill of killing.

One of his own was agonizing on the ground, brutally wounded.

"Supreme Leader, help me…please" told him, as Tithon didn't bother to look at him.

He didn't like weak people. He found them petty.

Then he saw him.

Gluskap was there, surrounded by his generals as he was trying to get through the Whiskers. That mask, the same one he saw during the Alusta bombing. He didn't understand his goal. He didn't care.

He calmly strolled toward him. He was preparing himself. The pills were keeping him alert. His mind wasn't alright lately but it didn't concern him.

Now he was close to Gluskap and his soldiers.

They looked at him. His enemy tilted his head.

Tithon grinned and then jumped on them.

It was one against five.

They were good, their technique was remarkable, but they didn't want to kill him. He felt it.

After acknowledging it and testing their abilities he decided that it was the right moment to bring all of them down.

Like a furious animal he started killing all of them off, one by one.

Gluskap was scared.

Now it was his time too die. Endymion would've been avenged.

No more nightmares.

The elevator doors opened, and she got out. No one was guarding the entrance to the lab. She got through the scanners with unexpected fluency. Apparently, her mother registered her in the database without her knowledge.

The Labs showed themselves, with their glowing lights and white coated scientists.

She started walking toward the only la which he wanted to see.

She was walking briskly. She knew that she didn't have a lot of time.

The she saw it. The eight lab was standing there, at the end of the corridor.

She was closer.

Closer.

She was ready to try getting in.

"Miss, can I help you?" asked one of the scientists who was standing outside the nearest lab on the left

She didn't know how to answer yet

"Miss?"

"I…I need to take something in Lab 8 for my mother. She just asked me to do it for her" answered her without thinking about how odd it sounded

"Oh…so…that's unusual. Can I help you getting it?" insisted him

"I appreciate…it but she said that only should find it. It's a…confidential matter"

He didn't look convinced.

"Miss, I know who you are, but your mother is extremely secretive about Lab 8. Therefore, I find hard to…"

"Doctor Pilikia, we need you here, come immediately" screamed his superior from his lab

He puffed and, after giving her a wary look he left.

She sighed. That was close.

She quickly reprised what she was doing when she didn't saw the scientist anymore.

She stepped toward the scanner and showed his hand and eyes.

After it the time went slower, as she waited anxiously to know if she was going to be able to enter the forbidden room.

It was taking too much time.

It wasn't normal.

She was starting to despair when a metallic voice resounded in her ears.

"Welcome back, Lady Gehenna"

Malsumis was running where the guards kept his belongings.

He knew that he should've been somewhere else, finding a refuge, but his mask has a symbolic value for him. It was what bonded him with his brother.

He arrived at the door and found two guards who were watching the entrance.

He hid behind a wall. He was thinking about a way to get in. He didn't have much choice.

After finding his strength he inspired and then rushed to the guards.

Fortunately, the guards were like an unskilled militia, not like the now highly trained Whiskers. He downed both easily without much effort.

He opened the door and found himself in a dark room lighted by few red LEDs. It didn't use to be like that. To his surprise, he found a lot of Hummingbird's masks, trophies of a continued witch hunt.

Those were carefully placed to show all their beauty. Behind them there was a box made of glass. Inside it there was his mask and the battle suit. What looked like it at least. It was too dark to understand clearly what was standing there. The glass didn't look like a particularly resistant one.

He took another mask and put it on his knuckles.

He charged and then crashed it against the box.

The glass shattered and collapsed on the ground, causing a clinking noise.

As soon as he reached for his stuff, an alarm started buzzing in his ears loud and scratchy.

The lights turned on.

It was a trap. Those weren't his things but mere imitations.

He screamed. He hated Tithon even more now.

That bastard knew everything.

The Hummingbirds resistance was suffering major losses and their resistance was dwindling as the sun was starting its descent on the horizon.

He was seeing his comrades slaughter without mercy by angry and trained Whiskers.

Zerzura was falling.

He was trying to defend himself by standing beside his captains. Their shiny masks and thick suits were drenched in blood in sweet.

Then he saw him. A man who was wearing his brother's suit and mask while fighting fiercely against his men, armed with blades and guns, which wasn't using.

It looked like he was loving it. His wrath was annihilating.

It was hard for him to believe that he was his brother. He was a good fighter but not that good, he wasn't better than him.

Why would he do it? Has Lasy Gehenna already rebooted him? Has he defected in the end?

The questions were making his mind heavier and his limbs stiffer.

"Brother?" asked Gluskap

He didn't reply

"Brother, is that you?" tried him again

While he was calling him, the gate started opening. It was his only way to run off with who was still standing.

The fighter didn't care about it, instead killed off the last Hummingbird who was standing between them.

Now he was in front of him.

"Who are you?" asked Gluskap while preparing himself for the incoming fight

He waited a while than charged and jumped on him.

He was fast, strong but a bit rigid. He was using his brute force on him. Each hit felt like a massive rock. He was aggressive and only cared about attacking him. He never faced an opponent like him.

He was able to stand his ground, but his abilities were below that soldier. Nonetheless he managed to hit him.

Suddenly he stopped, to breath. It was his chance to bring him down. Gluskap embraced his staff and hurled it toward the head.

The opponent saw it coming and stopped the weapon in mid air with his hand, which started bleeding. Then he took it down and break it with his fine blade.

He had nothing to defend himself with now. Just his hands.

"I've expected more from you," said the soldier.

That voice, it wasn't new.

He thwarted himself toward Gluskap, who was standing there with his bare hands.

He tried to block his blades.

In vain.

He didn't have enough time that the enemy pierced him in his shoulder.

The cold blade shattered his muscle. Blood started bursting out of the wound.

Gluskap screamed.

Tithon was ready to kill him. His blades will have beheaded him.

Two shots fired.

Gluskap was ready to die.

Tithon's mask shattered into two pieces and his chest started bleeding. A gun's bullet was there, on the right side of his breast.

The mask felt down and revealed Tithon's face to Gluskap who didn't expect it.

Then someone picked him up and dragged him on an armored vehicle.

The Hummingirds were fleeing away.

Zerzura was lost.

Tithon was still standing there, looking at him and his comrades with an enraged and wounded face.

As they got out of the fortress they went in the desert.

Their destiny was in Drekavac now.

Above them multiple stars were shining like diamonds.

The door opened and revealed a lab illuminated by a bunch of LEDs. There were eight pods, each of them had a screen on its side and two letters engraved on top.

She moved near those, to understand what was standing in front of her.

Those weren't just pods. There were people inside it. All of them frozen in what looked like their last breath.

One of them wasn't closed. It wasn't clear if it was opened by the inside or the inside, but the glass screen was cracked.

What was so important about them?

He went by the touch screens and started looking at them. Each had two names. He knew all of them. There was even one which held her name, but it was empty.

The glass screens were too opaque to understand what was under it. There must have been a way to clear it.

She started tinkering with the touch screens to find a solution. The system was too complicated.

Time was moving fast, and she knew that she didn't have much left.

Then, she saw it. It was a rendering of a chip which was being inserted in the brain of a Shax. She didn't want to know more about it. She needed to see what was inside the pods.

Lady Gehenna arrived at the Aokigahara Tower and left the car briskly, followed by her loyal guards.

Everything is slipping out of his control. Tithon, her daughter, Gluskap,they were all diverting from the usual storyline. The one which was intended to grant the city a long and safe life. They were trying to destroy all her work.

She didn't feel like it was time to use the cavalry.

She stopped by the elevator and waited it.

Everytime she went through that hall, memories of her past struggles emerged. The flying devil who destroyed the city was still there, haunting her life.

The elevator arrived and she got in.

Malsumis was running from the guards. He was still thinking about the trap that Tithon set for him.

He was looking for a car, anything which could have helped him reach the outer rim to get out of the city. Zerzura wasn't even considered, his brother wasn't there anymore. He just hoped that his message had reached him on time.

The guards were firing at him with a poor aim. Unlike the efficient Whiskers, those were just Lady Gehenna's paladin. They were more like an escort than an actual army of watchers.

A Whisker's car was standing on the other side of the road.

He turned in an alley and hid himself behind a trashchurn.

The guards stopped for a second at the alley's entrance than went forth.

He was safe, he thought.

He waited a few more minutes to be careful.

Then he stood up and started walking to the main street.

He was almost there when, suddenly, someone knocked him in the head.

He fainted and felt on the ground.

"I have him" said a Whisker who was armed with a rifle which was holding by the muzzle.

Someone answered to him and, immediately after, he grabbed Malsumis body and started dragging him toward his vehicle.

Tithon was still bleeding on the ground while the sky was darkening. The purple aster was revealing itself with the other stars and the moon.

His Whiskers and generals were around him. They were waiting for a stretcher to show up.

He was moving his lips, but no one was able to hear.

One of them decided to come near his mouth to understand what he was saying.

"Do not…follow them. Imprison who…is left"

As he heard that, Fanon stood up and screamed what he commanded.

The crowd moved itself and shattered.

The Dragonflies were descending upon them.

As those landed, the prisoners started getting on them, followed by the army.

Afterwards came his Dragonfly, bigger than the others. He was then put over a stretcher and brought over it.

Tithon was set in the middle of the aircraft, protected on both sides by his beloved soldiers.

Then he took the sleeve of one of his generals, to have his attention.

He put his hear near the Supreme Leader mouth.

He murmured something in his hear, which wasn't clear.

He nodded.

Then he gave him another command.

"No…one should…see me"

Lilith was still trying to understand how the touch panels worked. She was touching everywhere, looking for anything when, suddenly, she found it.

All the pods had a scanner hidden in opaque glass. She noticed it because the glass wasn't at the same temperature as the environment. The scanner's circuits were heating up the material.

She put his right hand on the pond. She thought that there wouldn't have been any problem, since she was recognized as her mother.

She waited then the glass cleared.

Then she saw him.

Tithon, or someone looking like him, was lying there, frozen in a sleep without end. He was crippled and his face looked bad, like he was affected by a certain type of illness. But he wasn't named Tithon Ikuinen, it wasn't the name which had a huge bold font. His name was Khosrow Fastlast.

She thought that it was just a coincidence, maybe a twin which was mistakenly placed there by a heedless scientist. She was trying to think what she was looking at. The fact that her mother kept her in the dark about it, bugged her mind.

She moved to the next one. Mabdil was there too, as Gadreel Pyrgos. Endymion as Gwenore Ikuinen, Gluskap and Malsumis as Janus Bourne. A certain Pyramus as Patroclus Huotou, Alastor as Uhrata.

Two of them were either open, like the one who had a L and a V on it, or empty.

She put her hand on it.

The glass started clearing.

Suddenly the lab's door opened. A familiar aura got into the room. She knew it, because she felt it every day, and she hated it.

"Is that how you intend to betray me, daughter?" asked Lady Gehenna

Lilith's face appeared on the glass with a name, one she never heard before: Cressida Gehenna Marduk.

Her mother came by her side and looked at it.

Lilith was speechless.

"Just look at her. So young, so beautiful, so hopeful…" joked her while turning the screen off.

"Why is there a picture of me there? Why do I have another name?" asked Lilith

Gehenna played a bit with the chip on the desk then looked at her daughter.

"You're not a real person, none of you here is real"

"What…what do you mean?"

Gehenna moved to a chair and sat on it. The black veil covered all of her, like a deadly ghost.

"I did what was necessary to save this city, to rebuild it and give it a purpose"

"What are you talking about? I don't understand" asked Lilith

A group of four scientists bursted into the lab and surrounded the girl.

"What is happening? Mother, what are you doing?"

Lady Gehenna stood up and moved close to Lilith.

"You're my firstborn, my first clone. I feel you like you're a piece of myself but its time to let go of the past. You're the past"

They took her by force and brought her outside. Her mother was behind them, walking peacefully.

Lilith was trying to wriggle herself out of the scientists grip. She wasn't strong enough to free herself.

"Why mother? Why are doing this? Explain it to me I beg you" was screaming her

They went into one of the other labs and after a while they stopped.

She was put on a table and tied to it.

Then the room was lightly shaken by what felt like a shockwave.

The scientists panicked a little.

Gehenna tilted her head.

The explosion happened in a matter of seconds. Fire was devouring what was left of Zerzura, torn by the merciless Dragonflies.

The smoke's column was erecting from the rubbles.

There was no coming back.

Gluskap was clenching his teeth while tears were coming down his eyes.

The vehicles were moving fast. The Hummingbirds near were shaking. Some were looking at the burning fortress with tearful eyes, other were keeping their head in their hands.

Silence was reigning undisputed.

Then something flickered in Gluskap's pocket.

She was looking for him.

He didn't want to answer. He wasn't able.

"Sir…the sun is…coming down. It isn't safe to…venture in Drekavac after the sunset" stated one of his general.

There was uncertainty in his words. His hands were trembling.

"Sir…we don't have enough…men to face another attack…. We can't face the…Shaxes" added him

"They will kill us" shouted another one

"We have no chance against them," said another

"I think that we should…try and resonate with them as Pyramus said"

"Shut up, no way our Leader is going to compromise with those abominations"

"But they can give us shelter. How are we supposed to survive in the desert?"

Gluskap squeezed his right hand with what was left of his strength.

"Please stop," told him

No one cared because no one heared him

He tried again.

And again.

"Please stop" screamed him suddenly.

Afterwards he groaned. The scar was hurting.

He knew that the Shaxes weren't the only choice they had but the other one was too far, and the Hummingbirds weren't in a condition to try it.

More than an alternative, it was a bet.

"Did you see it?" asked Lunukin to Kera and Kurban

His friends were both speechless

"I think…I think that we should tell the others. I think that Pyramus should know"

"Do you trust him?" asked Kera

"It isn't about trust, it's about the fact that something was destroyed there, and he should know about it" told Kurban while getting back into the hole, followed by his friends

As they got down, the Shaxes King asked them what happened.

"I think that the Hummingbirds has been attacked but I don't know what they lost. I need to talk to the prisoner"

"Jusst, bes carefull withs himm" said the King

Kurban nodded while looking at him and then walked past the creature

Kera and Lunukin wanted to follow him, but they were blocked by a wall of Shaxes.

When Kurban reached Pyramus, he found him standing on his bed. He looked like he was waiting for something.

"Pyramus, I think that your people are coming here" started Kurban by skipping formalities

"Why? Why would they come here? I thought that they were against my idea of an alliance with the Shaxes"

"A battle has taken place. We saw smoke and fire…"

"He did it then"

"Who?"

"Tithon. He attacked us" said Pyramus with a melancholic voice

Kurban didn't know what to say. He wanted to leave him mourning but then the prisoner called him.

"I beg you. Spare them. Do whatever is necessary to convince the Shaxes that we need you now. Please, I beg you" told him with a sobbing voice

"I…I will try"

"Promise me"

"I can't…I can only assure you that I will try. I believe in your vision Pyramus" said Kurban while leaving.

Pyramus took his legs and brought them toward his torso and started crying.

His thoughts were for Gluskap. He hoped that he was still alive. He was the one who was keeping the rebellion's fire alive. The Hummingbirds couldn't afford to lose him.

Lilith was screaming and convulsing. Her body was pinned down to the table with strong, tight metallic straps.

"My lady, shouldn't we move her into one of the pods to transfer her conscience?" asked a confused scientist

Gehenna didn't care about what he said.

A guard appeared behind her. He was shaking.

"My lady, the Supreme Leader is on his way back to the city. What should we do?"

She detached herself from the table and her daughter.

"What are his conditions?" asked her without any kind of expression

"Apparently he is…badly injured"

"What about the rebel's Leader?"

"We…we don't know my lady"

Gehenna stayed there, looking in front of her. In the background there were Lilith's screams.

"My lady…"

She moved her right hand and the guard stopped talking. She tipped her head. Her hand was ticking on her leg.

"My…"

"All the guards must be to the Academy before his landing. Bring the latest reboot with you. I want him separated from his army; I want him here"

"But, my lady, shouldn't he be…"

She put her hand on the guard shoulder and looked at him.

She felt his trembling body, shaking like a leaf in the wind.

"Yes, my lady," told him while a pod containing one of Gehenna clone passed by.

The pod was emptied, and the clone was set on a table near Lilith.

"My lady, should we anesthetize her?" asked one of the scientists

"No" answered her dryly

She went by her daughter and whispered and looked at her

"Mother, please. Please, I'll do everything you want. Let me live"

Gehenna didn't answer. A tear slided down on his cheek.

She took Lilith hand and squeezed it gently.

A saw started buzzing behind her.

"Mother…please. Mother, I won't betray you again. Please. I beg you"

Lilith felt her black robe near her body, as she was bringing her mouth close to Lilith's hear.

"I love you, darling," said Gehenna while caressing her daughter's face and wiping her tears.

She didn't want to sacrifice her.

But she had to.

The explosion was like a symphony in his ears. He was hurt but he was satisfied. The Hummingbird's fortress was gone. The rebellion was clinging to his last hopes.

The buzzing sound of Dragonflies was bothering him, but he couldn't stop it.

He was thinking about Gluskap.

He was thinking about Lilith, he needed her. Her sweet embrace. She was the one who would've helped him to get through his rehabilitation.

Pills. He wanted his pills. He didn't want to feel sad or hurt. He wanted to ingest happiness and get hooked on rage.

"Sir, we have him. The prisoner didn't go far" told him one Whisker

He nodded what was left of his strength.

The Dragonfly started the descent. The smell of sand wasn't in is nostrils anymore.

As the aircrafts were coming down, the Whiskers around him became tense. Something on the ground was making them unsure.

"Sir…Supreme Leader…there're Lady Gehenna's guards on the ground. They don't look friendly"

He widened his eyes.

"What should…we do…sir?"

He was sweating. His breath was discontinuous.

"Land" ordered him

"But Sir…in your condition it's not advisable to face them, to face her"

"You're with me...till death, aren't…you?" asked Tithon

"Yes Sir, always" answered them

"Then…trust me. Land the…Dragonfly"

Then did as instructed.

The guards were all around the army. There was a figure covered by a white shroud.

While the Whiskers were bringing the stretchers down, the ghost-like figure advanced toward them followed by a few guards.

He wasn't understanding what was happening. He was too tired.

"Lady Gehenna has ordered to bring him to her for the necessary cures" stated a familiar voice

The Whiskers looked at each other. Few of them shook their head.

"Sir…?" asked Fanon to him

The figure went near him and stinged him with a needle.

"I…I…." tried to say Tithon who started seeing everything blurred

"This is Lady Gehenna's order" said her while putting a hand on the stretcher

That perfume, the mannerism.

"E…En…End…" was saying Tithon to her

He felt her cold and detached.

"You…are..a…al…"

She turned toward him and looked him through the pure veil.

He recognized her eyes.

He was trying to take her hand, but she felt distant. He wanted to feel her. To be sure.

Ghosts don't exist, they live as a remainder of our sins.

He needed his pills.

He blacked out for a while.

When he opened his eyes with difficulty saw the black hooded Lady Gehenna standing in front of her, the phantom. She touched her.

"I ki…I…"

Lady Gehenna heard him and came beside him.

There were screams in the background. Lilith was being tortured by her.

He tried to move his limbs.

Nothing. He was a useless and helpless heap of flesh and bones.

Now she was there, her mouth near his hear.

"Not anymore Khosrow"