Chapter 138

"Here you are," I broke the silence surrounding me.

It was a dimly lit room dug deep into the crust, with a single entry and exit point. Vines, roots and plumbing ran along the cell walls and thick trunks served as bars. The room was bare but was supplied with minimum amenities like running water and a functional toilet.

A haggard figure turned her head in my direction. The moment she met my inquisitive stare she flinched in surprise. She distanced herself, trying to find refuge in one of the corners of the cell away from me. She continued to stare at me, guarded and trembling slightly.

She was roughed up, her skin dirty and her clothes damaged, but she still appeared to be in good health. I expected to find her in much worse condition but Faye appeared to have left orders to treat her better than I would have expected.

"Chloe Ortiz, I heard you stood on Caleb's side. I cannot call it a betrayal, as we were never particularly close, but you do understand your choice puts you… in an awkward position, to say the least. Do you?" I addressed her once again, leaning against the bars.

She stared at me fixedly, without opening her mouth. I sighed.

"It would be better for you to try and plead your case. As you may imagine, nobody here looks upon you favourably. You should also know that I am very surprised you are still kicking, considering my dear Faye's temperament. She told me she didn't know how I would want to proceed, so she held herself back. You obviously wouldn't agree with me, but I find it really sweet.

Anyway, as I was saying, you are in a really inconvenient position. Had it been just a few days before, I would have been inclined to follow my dear Faye's suggestions, but I've found myself to be a bit more mellow recently. But just a bit. I'm still the impatient type," my eyes became feral.

She yelped and hid her face in her lap. She began to sob quietly. I rested my back against the wall as I left her time to calm down and collect her thoughts. I instinctively didn't look kindly upon her. She was not one of mine. She was an existence birthed uniquely by my enemies, and for this reason, she was a potential disturbance, although not a threat.

Nevertheless, she was different from the now-extinct altered humans of the Epsilon. Although not completely free, as she was most likely bound to her Mother, she still had some agency over her actions. After all, she descended from Caleb and, even if it disgusted me to admit it, he was one of my kin. Corrupted from surrendering his being to Her, but still my kin.

She could as well be given a second chance. I stared at her again before looking away.

"How troublesome," I whispered to myself.

For a moment, I thought it might have been better to wait before piercing my shards back together. I wouldn't have felt so troubled in that case.

Her sobbing finally died down and she raised her eyes. Once she seemed to understand I was waiting for her to speak, she became daring and timidly approached me. I remained silent, my eyes closed and my back against the wall, to appear less threatening. She rested herself against the wall on the opposite side of the arboreal bars. Less than two metres separated us. Her breathing had gotten quicker and her heart was beating like crazy.

I continued to remain silent as she gathered up her courage. She calmed down and slowly began to recount her story.

She was born in the depths of the Epsilon as a normal human girl. She spent her entire childhood in the depths of the earth, far away from the rays of the sun and surrounded only by metal tunnels and flickering lights. Food was extremely scarce, hygiene was nonexistent and dead bodies were a sight almost as common as living ones. Illnesses weren't frequent but wounds were.

The only thing distracting people from the horrors of their daily lives, spent trying to avoid each others' short tempers, was praying to the Mother. It was more of an imposition than an actual distraction, as the "surface-dwellers", that was what they called the ones who weren't trapped underground, routinely traversed the tunnels to make sure the worship hours were respected. If someone dared to be even a minute late, he was made to disappear, not to be seen again.

She found her calling when she was five. She would aid the ones suffering beside her. Or at least, that was what the people who "raised" her continuously told her when she was left with the order, the group of people dedicated to spreading the Mother's creed. She dedicated the next several years to the afflicted, although she was focussed more on ensuring they remembered the Mother's will than actually aiding their recovery.

When she was ten, everything changed. One day, she woke up in a state she never experienced before. She wasn't aching over her entire body, sounds were clear and the flickering light appeared brighter than she remembered. For the first time in her life, she stood up upright and walked along the corridors with full strides. A newfound strength had taken over her body and joy filled her to the brim.

Her "brothers" and "sisters" showed great surprise at her sudden change, but it was only after she approached the wounded and her warm aura first manifested that they cried to the Mother's blessing. The same day, the "surface dwellers" came and took her with them. She tried to flee their grasp dragging her to the surface. She had seen the bodies of those who had tried to leave the confines of the metal tunnels. She still saw their empty husks in her nightmare.

Nevertheless, she couldn't oppose them. Although she had been reborn, the outsiders were strong, too strong for even the entire population of the underground to face just a few of them. As she was about to surrender to her destiny, she witnessed the glory of the sun.

"Can you sum it up?" I interjected. Although I had given her time to speak, there was no need for me to listen to her entire story. Everything boiled down to a single question.

"Who are you loyal to?" I asked.

She fell into deep thought and silence engulfed the grim room once again. The dim light emitted by the phosphorescent flowers created a gloomy atmosphere, which perfectly suited Chloe's current mind state.

"... I don't know," she finally spoke again.

"You don't know?" I gazed at her, intrigued. Her tone had changed, no trace of tears remaining. She had decided to stop her half-unconscious attempt to gain my pity.

"I don't know the entire story… but Caleb had this habit of whispering to himself, and with everything I was taught…"

"You put things together"

"I was… made with a purpose. I was made for Caleb, but… his eyes… I never liked how he stared at me. It felt wrong. Yet… I was made for him…"

I met her gaze. She was a smart girl, but she didn't understand the whole picture. Nevertheless, if I told her that she wasn't simply made for Caleb, but by Caleb, I doubted she would react positively. After all, she already felt instinctive revulsion towards her maker's lechery.

"Your answer then?" I urged her on.

"... I want to be free," she declared softly but proudly.

I continued to stare at her. Several thoughts crossed my head. Memories of my old world. Of its destruction brought upon by the deal between Caleb and Her. Of my people disappearing into nothingness. Of only me and Caleb as its sole survivors.

Of the calling of my species.

I finally came to a decision. It was a gamble, but I had a hunch my choice would be repaid. I lightly swung my hand and the bars broke into a thousand pieces. Chloe yelped in surprise as I approached her.

I kneeled in front of her and stretched my hands towards her. She closed her eyes, terrified, but I simply grabbed the vines wrapped around her ankles and broke them off. I helped her up. Her legs couldn't hold her and she fell down to her knees once again.

"Second chance. Don't ruin it," I recommended, before leaving the room.