Red Lights (2)

'...Davian- that bastard!-'

Groaning, Atlas felt as if he had awoken from one of his roughest nights after drinking, almost on par with one of the worst hangovers he had experienced in his entire life.

At first, he had thought he was experiencing another one of his nightmares again, but when he realized he wasn't falling endlessly, the assumption was quickly dispelled.

His thoughts were about to wander off again when his sense of touch suddenly returned.

Every bone in Atlas' body felt sore, and he felt as if his head had gotten multiple times heavier. He could smell something that resembled rotten eggs, but it was very faint.

It felt as if he was drowned in some sort of substance; it stuck to his skin and clothes as he lay there on the ground.

The restraints on his arms and legs seemed to weigh much more than he remembered, practically tying him to the floor.

He opened his eyes, and everything seemed to be blurry- going in and out of focus, the only thing that he could make out was his rough breathing.

Tens of questions flooded his mind: where was he? What happened?

He tried lifting his head; all he could make out were little dots of lights that did not do much to brighten the room, and perhaps a few white pillars as well. In front of him was a small platform, perhaps a few stairs as well leading up to the top.

There on the top of the platform seem to be an altar of sorts.

Just then a pair of shoes and the ends of a coat walked into his vision, blocking the mysterious structures.

"Ah~ Atlas! You're awake! Nice of you to join us, don't you think?"

Mr. Davian stood in front of him, Atlas couldn't tell what kind of expression he was currently wearing, however, he could tell exactly what kind of shoes he wore.

He felt someone beside him tense, wait- someone beside him?

Atlas turned what he could of his head slightly to the left, and through his blurry vision, he could make out someone who was struggling next to him.

They seem to be fighting the restraints imposed on them, though to no avail.

In his half-dazed state, he couldn't help but laugh a little bit, it was funny, the way they struggled. What was the point? He couldn't see why they were still trying.

"Atlas? Are you awake there?~"

Ah- who was talking to him again? Right, he can't be rude now, can he?

Atlas turned his head back around before tilting his head slightly up to see the blurry outline of Mr. Davian.

It was only then that it occurred to him that they had probably drugged him and the others.

Oh- the others, he finally remembered. Where were they?

At that moment his ear seemed to pick up on a few muffled noises coming from above. Atlas squinted, trying to look past Mr. Davian's face which was blocking his view. As his eyes focused past Mr. Davian he could see someone else- hanging from the ceiling from their arms.

They resembled a bit like Kane.

The person met eye contact with Atlas and seem to be trying to communicate with him with wide desperate eyes, though it only sounded to Atlas like someone trying to speak through ducktape.

What a sight.

"I might've given him an extra dose, he was a troublesome one. Kept waking up in the middle of the process," There was a sigh, "Don't worry, by the time he comes around this whole thing will be wrapped up. Elijah is taking care of our uninvited visitors."

This time a feminine voice spoke up, Atlas could hear the clicks of heels as they grew closer.

He thought he heard someone familiar. Did she say, Elijah? Huh, Atlas thought to himself, that name sounded so familiar. There was a slight tug in the back of his mind, trying to tell him something important.

Yet through his blurry fog of a mind, he just couldn't seem to recall. What he wanted to do was close his eyes and go back to sleep, maybe take a deep long nap.

Unwelcomed visitors be damned.

He ought to have deserved one after all, it has been a long day since he last slept comfortably.

He almost managed to fall asleep when there was a harsh grab on his shoulder

A bit annoyed, he turned towards the perpetrator, trying to squint to make out who had done it. It was the same person he had seen struggling beside him.

They spoke in a very low voice, "Atlas."

Kai was speaking to him.

He rolled his eyes and turned away, why did he need to listen to Kai? That bastard. Couldn't even do his job right! What's the point of being strong when you fail at your only job? Tch, maybe humanity might have won if-

If…

He felt himself hit a wall in his mind, unable to recall why he was mad at Kai in the first place. In fact- why was Kai next to him? What a silly situation he found himself in.

The muffling sounds grew louder as he contemplated the whole situation, sparing a look up he met Kane's eyes, they darted to him and towards the altar that was in front of him. What was so special about that altar?

He tilted his head so that he could see what lay behind Mr. Davian's lanky legs, staring back at the altar.

There was a dark substance- the same one that covered him. It dripped slowly onto the altar.

Drip. Drip.

It stained the white pristine surface, painting it in a dark color. Atlas trailed his eyes up from where the substance came from to find out it was leaking from one of the pillars nearby.

Strange, he thought, pillars aren't supposed to do that.

Forcing his mind to concentrate, he took a closer look, soon realizing the 'white' pillars weren't as white as he intentionally thought.

There seemed to be something that was a part of the pillar- that made the pillar. It molded together to form a pillar-like shape that reached toward the ceiling.

It gave off a horrendous smell.

The dark substance dripped from it, forming puddles below.

One formed underneath the altar that made a little river, trailing its way towards where Atlas lay. It was strange however, the substance resembled blood but it wasn't the blood Atlas was used to. It seems to be in a much darker shade and much thicker as well.

Another pang of pain went off in his mind, there it was again, that feeling of remembering something yet not being able to quite reach it.

"Atlas Silverthorne, you should feel honored to be part of such a divine event."

Since when did Mr. Davian know his full name? "Your sacrifice will lay the foundation for our liege's new world!" He appeared to shed a fake tear. "It's unfortunate, I truly feel sad for all of you, you won't be there to witness it."

Sacrifice? New world? Atlas didn't recall agreeing or consenting to anything like that.

"Do not fret; you will be remembered. Your very soul will contribute to the future powers our liege shall wield."

"Now, now, Davian," the feminine voice interjected. "Don't you think you've talked enough?" She approached Mr. Davian and then stood before Atlas.

"Ah- but I'm only spreading the word of our lord, is not such a sin?"

Kneeling down, she grabbed ahold of Atlas' cheek, closely inspecting him. From this blurry view Atlas could make out her unique eyes, in his state he thought he was looking at the galaxy.

Her face seemed slightly amused as she stared at him, her eye bags showing through her light makeup as the red lights illuminated the tones on her face.

Did his face look funny? In all honesty, owing to the recent incident, he hadn't had the opportunity to follow his customary seventeen-step skincare routine, potentially robbing his face of its usual charm.

"So, this is a Silverthorne, huh? First time I've seen one. I guess the rumors about their white hair are true."

She plucked a strand of his hair, its color reflecting the red lights around the room, causing his hair to appear a similar hue.

"It's a shame you're not your older siblings," she mused. "Had it been them, we might have spared you. Pity – if only you had a fraction of their talent, you'd make an excellent toy."

"But," she continued, "this is perhaps a better fate for you. My toys always seem to break eventually. That wouldn't be fun, right?"

Atlas couldn't muster a response; he struggled even to comprehend her words.

She let out a small smile and released his cheek, leaving nail marks behind.

Rising to her full height, she addressed Mr. Davian: "Davian, the card."

"Ah – here it is!" Mr. Davian beckoned a guard forwards and took the wooden box from their grasp. He opened it and presented the contents to the dark-haired woman.

She picked it up – a card, unlike any Atlas had seen before. It didn't fit any existing tier system; it was dark and encircled by chains from top to bottom.

The woman twirled the card between her fingers, the rattling chains echoing off the walls.

"What a peculiar thing. Our liege collects such odd items in his spare time," she remarked.

It gave off a strong sense of aura, its very presence seem to make the room drop a few degrees colder.

"Elijah himself delivered it when he arrived earlier! I tried to engage him in conversation," Mr. Davian sighed, "but before I could introduce myself, he told me to tell you to get on with it."

She rolled her eyes. "That man has no patience. Fine, I suppose we must begin before he loses interest."

What were they doing? Atlas thought to himself as he stared at the retreating figure of the mysterious woman.

'That person named Elijah…' Atlas doesn't think he and Elijah would get along if they were to meet, plus that person sounded like someone quick to anger.

He felt a tug at his shoulder, it was annoying- really. Could he just lie down and rest in peace? Mentally, he felt like he hadn't taken a proper rest in a long time.

The clicking of heels got further away, each step calming his mind, dragging it further away from the present.

He was starting to miss his dorm bed.

His eyelids drooped heavily—maybe a brief nap wouldn't hurt. After all, he wouldn't be missing out on much, would he?

Just as he was on the brink of plunging back into the realm of dreams, a loud voice pierced his ears once more, coming from a distant place yet inexplicably managing to forcefully reel him back to the present.

"Atlas!"