by Amanda Churi
Lucy looked up from her lap, puzzled by his tone. “What? Kevin, honey, I’m not leaving you?”
Kevin froze, embarrassed. “Oh…”
Lucy raised a hand, sniffling once more as she pressed her palm against Kevin’s cheek, Kevin resting his hand on top of hers and staring into her beautiful black eyes. “I’m never leaving you; don’t ever think that.”
“Then what can’t you do?” Kevin pressed.
She sighed, slowly pulling her hand away and shaking her head. “All of this queen stuff,” she finished solemnly. “I don’t think I’m right for the job.”
“Why wouldn’t you be?!” he exclaimed in shock, lifting her chin up with a finger. “You’re an amazing role model!”
She scoffed. “A Returned?”
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Kevin said with a smile.
“To you, maybe,” she argued lightly, “but they need someone stronger than I am.”
“Lucy…” Kevin tried.
“No,” she cut him off. “Really. A queen has to be able to face any challenge.”
“And how do you know you won’t be able to do that?” Kevin rounded. “You’ve already overcome so much.”
“It’s not what I’ve beat that makes me strong, Kevin,” she urged, her eyes begging him to understand. “I need to be so many things in my current position: strong but fragile, sympathetic but assertive, elegant but rough, passive yet demanding…” She paused. “Beautiful…”
Kevin turned her drifting chin back in his direction, the motion cutting Lucy off mid-speech. “It’s impossible to be all of those things,” he reasoned gently. “No one has ever been perfect at their job, believe me. Neither of us will be no matter how hard we try.” He tilted his head to the side. “And you are beautiful…”
“Not really…” she admitted glumly, pulling away.
“What makes you say that?” he wondered, baffled. “Do you not remember that practically every boy in the kingdom wanted to date you when we were young?”
“You were all driven by your privates,” she scoffed. “All boys are at that age, and I’m worth more than that.”
Kevin frowned, hurt. “Do you remember the rose I gave you when I was fourteen…? Right before I left to protect Eero?”
Lucy nodded but would not speak.
“It was still alive, even eight years later when I finally came back. I may have been young, yes, but when the most beautiful girl in Phantome, both inside and out, wanted to stay friends with a hideous fiend like me, I knew that I was in love… And truly. If I just wanted you for your body, I wouldn’t have waited so long nor cried so hard when I found out you were gone…”
Her shoulders sagged, Lucy taking a deep, defeated breath. Silently, she took her hands away from Kevin, pulling her arms out of her dress and lowering the fabric to her line of cleavage before leaning forward and pressing her head into Kevin’s chest. Kevin’s eyes widened, his body stiff and breath wedged in his throat. The marking of the Returned looked different; the design was still the same, but at the edges of the symbol, strings of black ran under her skin like poison, turning her pale skin a sickly black hue, infecting each and every vein it could find. Currently, it ran across her shoulder blades and under arms, even contaminating the edges of her breasts.
“Look at it,” she urged in a miserable tone, sitting up once more and staring down. “It’s spreading…”
Kevin stuttered, trying to form words but failing epically. The heat inside the room began to intensify, his blood pounding furiously against his skin as he tried to straighten his thoughts out. He swallowed heavily, slowly leaning forward and hesitantly pressing a hand over her heart.
He looked up at her, Lucy saying nothing, though the look he received was nothing short of the most innocent gaze. “I-I don’t know what it is,” he said, his insides filling with butterflies the longer he stared at her. “Maybe it will go away…?” As much as he hoped that was true, he knew he was trying to convince himself more than her. The markings truly did look awful… But he didn’t know what it meant.
Lucy grunted in response, keeping her wide eyes fixed on Kevin.
Neither of them moved for a moment, not sure what to do. The longer Kevin sat there staring at her, the harder it became to look away. This woman whom he had loved endlessly through death… Who had returned to him… He loved her so much and seeing what he just had scared him beyond words.
He didn’t know what he felt; he had never experienced anything like this, but the fire inside of him was raging. He couldn’t hide what feelings were racing through him, and in response to his jittery emotions and the fright of losing her, he suddenly found himself kissing the woman he loved more than anything else, refusing to let her go.
Lucy kissed him back, her lips dancing against his in utter bliss and holding him close as the two of them became locked in their own world with nothing but each other. Slowly, Lucy pulled away from him, breaking their kiss and bringing Kevin slightly back into reality. He said nothing, only staring at her as Lucy gently retracted her arms. “I love you…” she whispered softly.
Kevin was unable to speak, his mouth impaired as he tried to process the situation.
Lucy smiled shyly, lifting her arms and slowly lowering her dress. As soon as she did that, Kevin found that his voice had suddenly returned to him as he pulled Lucy closer, his eyes blending with hers. He wasn’t sure if he had ever wanted anything more… He had been trapped inside her spell.
“I wish it had been you first…” she said with longing.
Kevin smiled. “But now, it is me…” he breathed whimsically, his hands racing over her soft, exposed skin. “And I promise, I love you, Lucy de Vaux, and I’m not going anywhere ever again…”
Lucy sniffled, her eyes surging with tears once more, but this time, they were filled with nothing but eternal peace and happiness. “I love you too…” she cooed. “And… Don’t worry, honey. No matter what happens, I promise, I will always love you too… Forever.”
With those final words, their lips became one once more, the once-powerful sorcerer permanently surrendering himself to his new life.
Twelve
Transcendence
The five of us huddled in the darkness that night, taking the place of average, misfortunate souls. We wandered for hours more through the elaborate city before Kaitlyn finally declared it was time to stop. The black sky took over what was once owned by the moon, offering zero luminance to the abandoned house that we took refuge in. I hardly saw why it was necessary to risk getting caught for trespassing instead of taking our chances in an alleyway, but the tone of Kaitlyn’s voice told us that it wasn’t just preferable but mandatory if we wanted to continue in one piece.
The home we stayed in was claustrophobic and well-hidden since it was in the lowest slums of the city. The floor was a cold slab of dirt—nothing more. The thin walls of crumbling concrete stood around us at a length hardly greater than my arm span, and there were no items inside; not one thing could be taken for granted these days, apparently, including a simple wrapper.
I sat against the wall, lightly stroking Mabel’s head as she slept soundly in my lap. Griffin and Laelia were cuddled up, Griffin remaining awake and alert while Laelia passed out with her face tucked into his chest, clutching her blanket for warmth. Both girls were out like a light, but sleep evaded Griffin and me, along with Kaitlyn. She sat with her head against the wall opposite to us, staring up through the fractures in the roof at the cold nighttime sky. She did not speak nor move, lost in her own thoughts for the past hour or so.
My heart shuddered as I stared at Kaitlyn, though either she didn’t notice me or didn’t care. How could I possibly have caused all of this—made people cold replicas of what they should have been? Sure, I did help Tah, and that led to Reeve’s revival… But it just didn’t seem reasonable—not on a scale this large, at least. If this was my fault, though, how was I supposed to reverse the devastation? I needed to fix the mess I made; it was my
responsibility, but I didn’t know where to start. In this backward world where I knew nothing, it felt like I was learning how to live all over again.
Laelia groaned painfully in her sleep, gripping the covers tighter. Griffin looked at her, sighing in despair. Unlike us, she still had yet to eat or drink, refusing the meal cube yet again before bed, saying she was not hungry. I did not know how that was possible, and for the first time in a while, I found myself to be very concerned about her.
Griffin frowned, resting his hand gently on her head and brushing the hair out of her eyes, helplessly staring down at the roots of her hair which seemed to become increasingly dark. She no longer had light, bleached blonde hair; it had transformed into dirty blonde in the course of two days.
“Do you think she’s going to be ok…?” Griffin asked, his voice breaking.
“That has yet to be determined.”
Our focus turned to Kaitlyn, who continued to stare at the sky.
“What do you mean?” Griffin urged.
Kaitlyn sighed, running a gruff hand across her face before allowing her sharp blue gaze to settle upon ours. “When we were escaping Pikë,” she began in a sluggish voice, “we had an odd being on our trail, no?”
“You mean the ghost?” I wondered.
She nodded stiffly. “Yes. Though despite his appearance, he is no ghost. His name is Typo; he is the Lord’s henchman and top Elite.”
I shook my head. “Hold up,” I interrupted, raising my hand for silence. “Before you continue, you need to give us some information.”
Her eyes sank. “What do you ask for, exactly?”
“How about an explanation as to what the hell happened here?” I spat indignantly. “You and Seek keep piling information on us as though we understand. How are we supposed to know what is going on or, better yet, what we’re up against, if we’re not from here?”
In spite of my harsh tone, Kaitlyn smirked, curling the corners of her lips in a devious fashion. “Are you sure you’re ready to know?”
Her sly smile definitely worried me, but I knew it was necessary. We were stuck here; there was no way to get back. This was our home now, and we needed to catch up on history as fast as we could so that we could make wiser decisions in the future.
“Yes,” I answered surely. “Please, Kaitlyn… What happened?”
Her back straightened as she processed my decision. She lowered her head, closing her eyes as finally, many of the mysteries that had plagued us for days prepared to reveal themselves.
“I suppose I should start from the beginning of what I know,” she began in a husky, dark voice. “The day that everything changed for the worst…
“It began nearly a millennia ago—eight hundred years, to be precise. A terrible darkness swept across the land, its origins unknown. People turned to darkness overnight, an oppressor wielding the power of ice forcing any and all who they came across into submission. They were dark, they were cruel, and above all, they sought revenge.
“The world collapsed under their hand; no one could stop it, no matter how strong. They destroyed the boundary between Earth and Hell, allowing havoc to flood the Earth; the very chasm they created happens to be the one we crossed yesterday. We call it Devil’s Divide. From there, it is rumored they brought down a world opposite to that of Hell as well—Heaven.”
“What…?” I gasped in awe. Despite me wondering where God had been while we fought the Devil for our lives, Heaven was really there, looming in the clouds far above us at an unreachable distance.
…Had. Not anymore, according to Kaitlyn. How could anything break the boundaries of dimensions and cause an entire spiritual world to collapse? No matter how hard that was to believe, I kept quiet. It wasn’t like I knew anything about the time period we were in, and in a world where everything was twisted and destroyed, I believed almost anything could happen, even if I didn’t know how or why.
“Hope vanished,” Kaitlyn continued. “Heat became a thing of the past; ice and winter now had control. Those trapped within the chasm suffered under the new rule but lived. Those outside starved… Froze. They lost themselves when their faith abandoned them, and in their desperation, they crossed the divide and allowed the one who had caused this madness to lead them.
“Things only became worse as the years went by. An army of Elites—ice soldiers—was built up. Truly a nightmare to face, they are… On top of that, the knowledge of technology quickly expanded. People were kept under the thumb of oppression, while the overlord rose higher and higher above their subjects. They captured the power of lightning, and with their unique ability, they learned how to create lightning for their soldiers through the power of plasma naturally found in blood.”
“…Blood is the main energy source?” I reinforced, stunned.
“Yes.” She held up two fingers. “The Proxez are made up of two groups: Haxors—the common, though very threatening, soldier who wields electricity; and the Elites—soldiers of ice. Typo is the exception to this rule. He is an immortal who has stood by every Lord since the opening of Hell, loyally sticking by their side and doing the dirtiest jobs.”
“Typo…” Griffin growled, watching his distraught friend as she began to twitch once more in her troubled sleep.
Kaitlyn frowned. “He is a being created by the Devil Himself,” she explained gently, allowing the information to sink in. “He is literally a being of darkness—one enshrouded in nightmares and evil. What he did to your friend…” Her voice trailed away.
“What?” Griffin pressed in a vexed, worried tone, securing his hold on Laelia to protect her from further harm.
Kaitlyn sighed. “She was struck by a congregation of nightmares,” she rasped. “I was struck as well, but the back is not a vital place. The heart and head, though… Either can be fatal if the attack is strong enough.”
“B-but she’s alive!” Griffin rounded shakily, forcing himself to smile.
“…For now,” Kaitlyn grumbled. “It’s not an instant death… It’s slow and painful… Their body and mental state crumble until they become their own worst enemy.”
Griffin looked like he was about to faint. He closed his eyes, whimpering in distress and forcing back a sniffle as he pressed his forehead to Laelia’s. He cupped her cheek gently in his hand, squeezing his eyes as he tried to hold in his tears. Laelia did not register the feeling of being touched—another spear driven through Griffin’s heart as he came to the conclusion that it didn’t matter what he did from here on out; Laelia, his old worst enemy, now best friend and possibly more, would never be the same person.
I didn’t have to say anything; I knew that not even they could give me a worse lashing than my guilt. Typo had been after me. It was only because Laelia stumbled that she became the victim. I felt as though I was to blame for whatever happened to her.
“It’s not impossible to pull through,” Kaitlyn tried to reassure him. “When we get to base, I promise, they will do everything they can to help.”
“Why can’t we just go now?” he pleaded, opening his eyes and staring at Kaitlyn through tear-strewn pupils. “The sooner she gets help, the better her chance.”
“It’s curfew,” Kaitlyn told him. “If we are caught on the streets at this hour, the Haxors will arrest us, and believe me, disobedience of any degree is not tolerated. It would be best to just wait until morning.”
Griffin sighed but dropped it at that.
“So, the Proxez are the ruling force here,” I continued in a strong attempt to push Laelia’s crumbling state from my mind. “You said you’re part of a group called the Encryption, and that is what exactly?”
Kaitlyn turned to me, a warm smile finding its way to her lips. “We are what remains of a chaotic world broken by change,” she said simply. “We are the force, the revolution, trying to bring back the light. We hide, and we strike when fit, waiting for the fire to start—one strong enough that will allow us to destroy the Proxez once and for all.”
“A resistance,” I clari
fied.
“Of course. The Proxez have kept their hold on us for centuries now; it’s about time we changed that.” She unfolded her arms, glumly looking down at the palm of her right hand before holding it out to us.
A strange tattoo that resembled a barcode was inked into her skin—uncountable lines in a unique pattern with a nearly microscopic number below it. Hers, however, was broken; a deep gash ran through the center, leaving a disgusting scar. “We are nothing but tools,” she growled. “They can track our every movement from birth, every hormone changing in our body, and every piece of data surrounding our existence.” She chuckled heinously, her eyes narrowing as she stretched her fingers so that we could fully see the severity of her wound. “I’m no subject like those mindless fools,” she told us. “I removed my chip; I destroyed my code so that I am inaccessible. I am a Glitch, and I am proud of it.”
“So, a Glitch is…?” I pressed unsurely.
She huffed, lowering her arm and pressing her hands to the frozen earth. “Let’s just say that if you stray from the ideal path that the Proxez laid out for you, you are a malfunction to them—a Glitch—an error in their cycle. Glitches are not tolerated; they are an error which has to be removed to maintain balance.”
“That would explain why Sybil thought we were Glitches…” Griffin input, slowly getting sucked back into the conversation. “We went where no one else would and didn’t know anything about this place.”
Kaitlyn nodded to show he was correct. “But Glitches don’t have to be people who are disobedient. The Proxez recently began to manipulate people at birth, making them infertile, twisting their minds, and inserting circuitry. A piece of faulty code could lead to disobedience as well or, yes, to obliviousness in regard to the world and laws around you.”
I took a deep breath, running my hands through my hair. If you had given me a million years to guess what had happened here, there was no way I could have ever figured it out. It was so complex and, above all, crazy; I don’t think the wildest parts of my imagination would have ever processed what I heard as an actual possibility.