By next morning, Lucy's hand flew to her hip before she even fully woke, desperate to feel the blade still strapped there. She had forgotten she placed it beside her nightstand.
She had a nightmare of her being dragged into the Curse's Rot, tearing her apart piece by piece as blood uncontrollably spurted out. Her inaudible screams bellowed no sound, and her bleeding stomach offered no torturous pain. Everything was bare and numb.
And then the sky had mysteriously split open again, imitating Vayne's unknown support by releasing the same murderous hail of invisible blades clouding the skies. Only this time, she wasn't saved. As daggers pierced through the clouds, she felt every single sharp tinge strike her skin, which prompted her to awaken.
She woke with the phantom-like wounds from the dreams still burning. It was only a millisecond before it had faded; although, it seemed so real upon awakening.
Despite that, it was the best sleep she had ever had since leaving Sancta's guard.
She lingered in her room longer than she should have with her stomach tight at the thought of walking down to the hall. She knew she would lose herself the moment all eyes were on her, an outsider among these parts. Still, Vayne was expecting her, so she adjusted mindset quickly before it consumed her. Yet as she steadied herself, another fear of hers had surfaced; had Nocten changed, or not?
As she sat by the edge of her bed, she stared at her pulsing, tingly hands riddled with scars and gashes of war. The same hands touched the manuscript of her language, placing her in an unsure trance of the true nature of her past.
Her memories in Sancta were short lived before the Rot attacked, and her role as a florist only weakened her resolve. She could not even remember where her scars originated from, nor did she even bother to care. All she knew was that she left her life behind, all for a shot in the dark for people she had no close relation with.
Lucy wiped the sweat from her brow and pushed herself upright, only for a violent barrage of knocking to rattle the wooden door entrance. Her eyebrows shot up, hesitating for a brief moment before she lunged toward the entrance with her left hand already gripping the sheath of her blade she equipped. She yanked the door open, watching Martha standing there with her flank pressed against the frame. She hyperventilated so hard that her whole body quaked in fear.
"I need your help," Martha gasped. "Refugees are fighting. Downstairs. Now."
The pressure behind her voice hit Lucy like a blow. "What about Vayne?" She panicked. "I thought he was with you."
"He's not here. Just help me!" Martha cried, bolting down the steps before Lucy could respond.
Lucy followed swiftly after, skipping the steps on the rotating wooden staircase. A torrent of echoed shouting overlapped upon one another. A blinding flash of light cascaded from the top of the rocky expanse, shining down in the center of the hideout where the fight upon two burly males took place. Lucy reached down before Martha could, witnessing the brutality of it all; one man's entire face had been smashed in with their teeth riddled across the stone pavement.
The burly assailant snatched the broken man's collar and yanked him steadily up from his shoulders, only to point at him and whisper an undecipherable threat. Releasing his grip, he turned toward the crowd with a brave and boasted grin. The crowd reacted silently, horrified by the brutality of his actions.
In that exact moment, the assailant crossed eyes with Lucy, showing an ecstatic face of recognition.
"Luce?" The man called.
The man lowered his arms and faced Lucy and Martha, slipping his foot over the bleeding unconscious body below him like a speck of dust. He steadied himself as he approached Lucy with a bright grin on his face, as if he had been waiting for their grand reunion for ages.
Only, Lucy's reaction warranted his sudden halt. His eyes darted toward Lucy's hip sheath, aghast at her palm threateningly resting against it.
"Whoa, hey, easy now," The man said, raising his palms up to surrender himself. He approached Lucy, but she still retreated slowly along with Martha beside her. His voice shuddered in absolute relief. "Man, Luce... you have no idea how happy I am to see you here."
"Brice..." Lucy whispered. Her eyebrows flared up, remembering the beating he gave the civilian. "Why did you do that to him?"
"He was in my way," The soldier named Brice annoyingly stated. "Besides, under Sancta's laws, all of these people have to go. Under the orders of the PA, anyway. You know what I mean, right?"
His words shuddered Lucy for a split second, forcing her to look toward the crowd of bystanders. They appeared in horrendous disbelief, too scared to react indifferently or run away after what had happened to the beaten man. Martha rushed in front of them, attempting to calm them down with words of encouragement, but even her spirit was broken among the soldier's passive threats.
"Anyway, you were supposed to return with the captain last night," Brice continued. "What happened to you? Where is he, anyway?"
Lucy released her hand on her blade and straightened herself. She wanted to blot out the betrayal of Freyd almost immediately, if it were not her own soldier's duties to attend to. After her declaration of change from last night, she struggled with contemplating the decision after seeing Brice's arrival. It was almost as if she was abandoning the build-up of her whole identity by choosing to remain behind.
"Look, I know tensions are high and all..." Brice began. "But you have to tell me where the captain is, Luce. If he's not here-"
"He's... resting," Lucy lied, voice nearly croaking in the process. "Curse attacked us last night, and we barely got out. Soldier Garuz and Domovoy died, while Nocten's recovering too," She looked toward the fearful crowd, and offered a suggestion to upgrade her ruse. "They're the ones that are taking care of them right now. We don't have to kill them."
"Hmm..." Brice thought aloud. "You sure that's what the PA would want? How many of them do you think are Curse refugees?"
"None of them!" Lucy exclaimed.
"And how would you know that?" Brice asked, skeptical about her declaration. He approached the crowd and grinned at them, staring at each and every soul dead in the eye. All of them were too afraid to run. "They're at fault, too. We all know Sancta's rules; even the refugees know it. And they stared at me dead in the eye, and I had to come on such short notice. I noticed how many of you cowards flock here in your little cavern. I had to pay a visit. You see, I've rescued you all," He pointed at himself, gesturing his fingers toward his torso. "All of you can come with me back to Sancta, where you'll be liberated and free."
Small chatter and murmurs of uncertainty and fear came about, causing the crowd to turn their eyes toward each other in doubt. Brice noticed he was losing them, so he stepped further, pushing the others back in retaliation.
"What in the hell..." A young man whispered. "What's going to happen to us?!"
"Go back to your nest, you fucking traitors!" A woman shouted at both Brice and Lucy.
"And who said that?" Brice asked, looking up and about.
Lucy dashed forward, snatching Brice's shoulder to pull him back.
"What are you doing, Luce?" He asked.
"Don't do this. Just - leave them alone," Lucy said in a panicked tone. "They didn't do anything wrong. They saved us!"
"You've really grown soft, haven't you? Then again, you were always the quiet, mysterious type when we were little. Strange of you to be on their side, after everything the world's done to us!"
"It's not their fault. They abandoned their past to live freely like this, so what right do we have to take it from them? What does their life or death matter for Sancta in the long run? They should have a right to choose what they want, not for you to come and choose it for them!"
Brice locked eyes with Lucy, staring at her in disbelief over her words. He dragged his hand across his mouth, not to hide shame, but to keep himself from saying something sharper than he intended. Through his eyes it was impossible for Lucy to tell what he was thinking. She had hoped her words would connect with him, but all it was met with was irritation and disbelief.
As the broken man on the wooden floor lifted a trembling hand, begging for mercy while the others watched in frozen silence, Brice stepped forward. Without hesitation, he drew the blade at his side and drove it into the man's chest, ending his plea before it could fully form. A ripple of horror swept through the crowd filled with gasps, choked cries, and desperate whispers rising.
Lucy's pulse pounded in rage. She couldn't contemplate why no one would listen to her. She tried so hard. Not Freyd, not Nocten, nor Brice; even if she spoke her truth. And still, no one would listen to her.
No one bothered to listen to the florist. She was weak.
So she broke.
"NO!"
Lucy's scream tore through the room, sharp enough to make Brice whip around in shock. Before he could react, she kicked his blade out of his hand, sending it skidding across the floor, and slammed into him with full force. The two of them crashed to the wooden boards, the impact kicked the air from his lungs, leaving him clutching his ribs as pain shot through his side. She heard them snap as she drew the murderous dagger she held on when she saved Nocten, aiming the edge directly for her neck.
Brice showed full resistance, despite his ribs snapping in half. He pushed Lucy's cheek upward to block her vision, but it didn't stop her from stabbing through the edge of his ear. The dagger drew blood, and Lucy's eyes flared in undeniable bloodlust as she twisted her hand toward his neck.
She was reminded of the kill that saved Nocten. A second kill couldn't hurt.
"You fuckin' traitor!" Brice roared, shoving his palm into Lucy's face and hurling her aside. She hit the floor hard, her dagger skittering out of reach as he lunged after her. In a heartbeat he was on top of her, pinning her down with his full weight. His hand clamped around her throat, and his grip tightened as she clawed at his arm, causing her breath choking off under the pressure. Her skin drained of color, her struggles weakening as his hold refused to relent.
The crowd scurried away, now that he was distracted. Martha moved with them, sheltering them several meters away. She worryingly looked back at Lucy but was unwilling to approach them in fear of her own mortality.
"Brice..." Lucy struggled to even utter his name.
"Always looking at me with those fuckin' eyes of yours..." Brice's teeth clenched in bitterness. "Always the center of attention. And now you turn against us?! You don't deserve it... you don't deserve ANY of it!"
Just as Lucy's vision began to blur and her body went limp beneath his grip, a single thud encroached behind Brice. Before he could register it, Brice's blade pierced through his chest from behind, staggering him as he groaned in pain. As the blade ejected itself, his hold on Lucy broke instantly. He collapsed beside her, coughing wetly with pools of blood from his exit wound and the ends of his mouth gushing out.
As the last of his strength slipped away, Brice forced out a few words, each cough sending flecks of blood spilling down his chin. He lifted his head toward the figure who had stabbed him while beside him Lucy gasped for air, curling onto her side in pain.
"You...?" He whispered. "Not you too..."
It was Nocten who stared down at him from above, face riddled with hints of regret, but acceptance of fate. Lucy looked up at him, stunned by his sudden appearance. His neutral face remained still, choosing to remain quiet as his old ally perished under his feet, just like the one he had murdered.
Brice's voice caved as the hole in his chest continued to bleed profusely. He watched as seconds turned into minutes, minutes turning to hours as he finally died at the hands of time, eyes rolling back toward his head and against fate itself.
Turning toward Lucy, he kneeled down and extended his hand toward her. Lucy coughed uncontrollably, still unable to free herself from the bind that nearly tore her throat apart.
"Lucy," Nocten said her nickname without realizing it. "You okay?"
"This-" Lucy coughed once more before placing both of her palms on the wooden floor. She glared at Nocten with spite, despite herself being saved. "This doesn't change my opinion on you. This doesn't change anything." She said.
"Oh, really? Because I was under the impression that keeping you alive would make a difference," Nocten muttered. He offered his hand again. "Come on, Lucy. Get up."
Lucy hesitated, breath ragged, but she needed to stand to offload the tension of her body. She grabbed his hand, and Nocten pulled her up in one strong motion, almost lifting her entirely off the ground. She caught her breath in brief low contorts as seconds passed, looking at Nocten observe her for safety reasons.
"I saw everything and what you said to him. Who was he?"
Diving into a once forgotten memory, Lucy refused to elaborate as she stared at Brice's corpse on the ground. "An old friend." She whispered.
"i don't recognize him."
"He was younger than us by two years. More loyal… and risky. It doesn't matter anymore. He's dead now."
"You attacked him without even thinking of what he'd do to you. You're crazy." He commented.
"Don't start that with me." Lucy retorted.
"Look, I'm sorry about last-"
Their conversation was immediately interrupted by a man hiding within the crowd, which assimilated together after Brice's death. "Sancta freaks," He muttered in insult. "Get out of here!"
"Yeah, get out of here, you pieces of shit!" A woman joined in the newly formed mob.
"You should have never come here!"
"You're the reason he died!"
"Just kill yourselves and die already!"
Martha tried her best to quell the crowd's rage. "Stop!" She cried. "Please-"
Lucy and Nocten stood frozen, unable to react to the sudden outcry around them. Lucy lowered her gaze, staring at her feet as the bodies of Brice and the refugee lay side by side. Shame tightened in her chest. Her thoughts trembled, fear crawling through her as she realized what she'd done. The nightmare she'd tried to outrun, much like the same one that haunted her last night, had unfolded again, and she felt powerless to stop it as the lingering voices of the mob overlapped each other in criticism and chatter.
"Hey, SHIT BIRDS!" A rambunctious sharp voice echoed inside the cavern, nearly stopping the voices of all those who raged toward the two who saved them. "Do me a favor and stop being such pessimists. It's pissing me off!"
Both Lucy and Nocten turned, startled by the voice. High on the fourth‑floor ridge stood a lithe woman with black hair streaked in red, leaning against the wall with a smug tilt to her posture. She struck a snarky pose, then dove off the ledge, spinning through a series of flips before landing gracefully below. Her cybernetic armor gleamed in the crevices of light, unmistakably reminiscent of the Huntress's attire. Her large, bright eyes and exaggerated expressions gave her an almost animated quality to her, with her lively movements stealing the moment's attention.
The unknown crowd breaker stood in between the two and wrapped her arms around their shoulders, reeling them in like a family. "Sorry about the crowd, friends," Her light voice chuckled before switching her gaze upon the two rapidly. "Hell if I know, you saved a ton of their lives today. Since when did you two get here anyway?"
"Since last night-" Nocten's words were interrupted by her dragging him closer to her in the moment.
"Last night!?" The unknown girl's voice seemed unwilling to accept. "And how come Vayne never told me about this?!"
Lucy remained quiet, eager to break free from her grasp. Only, the girl released them early and approached the crowd of refugees, placing her hands on her hips. Nocten watched as well, unsure of what was to come.
"All of you ungrateful shitheads don't really understand what it means to live in this world anymore," The girl said. "Times have changed. People can change. Almost all of you left your own lives like the cowards you are, and you can't accept the change of two who saved your freakin' lives? Coming from a person like me, that's just messed up," Her voice drastically arose in irritation and bitterness. "You all know me. I'm the one in charge. Vayne's the one keeping it all together, but I built this place, me alone. So if any of you fuckers want to mess with these two, you better have a good reason for doing so. Otherwise, FUCK OFF!" She finished.
Lucy and Nocten were both caught off guard when the crowd actually backed away. Whatever authority this girl carried, it was enough to scatter a mob.
"Now that that's handled," She said, slipping back between them with a light, almost childish bounce in her step. "Name's Scarlet. Best tracker METIS ever had, well, what's left of it." Her eyes flicked between the two. "You're Luce, right? And you're..."
"Nocten..." He cut in.
"Right. That," Scarlet's eyes drooped in boredom before flashing up again. "Anyway, Vayne told me this morning that you two wanted to join in on the fun. All for this Savior of Curse, isn't it? That crazy daft old man also told me he's got this plan to bring the Huntress back! Not that I believe him, or anything."
Lucy kept staring at Brice's lifeless body with the voices around her warping into a hollow, distant echo. She didn't hear Scarlet at all until a tap on her shoulder dragged her back into reality.
"You okay?" Scarlet asked, examining Lucy's pale face from top to bottom with a skeptical expression. She leaned her face in to get a closer look. "Ooh, you don't look so good. Do you need a doctor, or something?"
"The man I killed to save her was an old friend of hers. An old friend of ours, if I could remember..." Nocten said.
"Damn, you did all this?" Scarlet leaned back, impressed by Nocten's honesty. "I gotta give you credit; that takes guts. Real guts," She leaned forward and pursed her index finger and thumb together as if she was holding a megaphone close to his mouth. "How does it feel killing someone from your hometown, Noct?"
"I had to save Lucy..." He said, eyes shifting aside to hide the guilt tightening his expression. His voice came out uneven, weighed down by the part of him still clinging to Sancta. "But I... I'm just..."
"Hmph, whatever," Scarlet said, pushing herself back. "Just don't go crying to me or the others when they find you and fuck you up for what you did. Chances are, there'll be more coming, so we gotta snuff them out before it's too late."
"Apologies for arriving late," Vayne's voice echoed from the hideout's entrance, snapping Lucy out of her daze. Scarlet immediately perked up, tossing her head back with a relaxed grin as she strolled toward him, completely unfazed by the bodies on the ground. "Scarlet and I were scouting one of Sancta's encampments. She went ahead, and-" Vayne continued. His eyes shifted to Nocten. "Huh. Seems you handled our intruder quickly."
"Yeah, I didn't really see it myself," Scarlet commented, standing beside him. "Wish I did."
Martha bolted toward Vayne and bowed minimally in respect. "Lord Vayne -" She began. "I tried my best to stop the others from-"
"That'll be all, Martha," Vayne said, raising his palm to interrupt respectfully. "See it that the body gets disposed of. In these times, death is inevitable, and sometimes necessary. You can relax early afterwards. Tell Bardin that drinks are on me after you're finished."
"Yes, Lord Vayne. Right away." Martha said, rushing for aid in the disposing on the bodies.
Vayne exhaled slowly as he approached, his boots scraping against the stone. He'd studied the bodies long enough to silently hide his disappointment. "That's the second one this month," He said flatly. "If this keeps up, they'll realize their numbers are thinning. The cavalry will come, inevitably. Finding another refuge in the middle of Rot territory isn't exactly simple. We're running out of time... though I don't know how much we have left." His gaze hardened. "The only real path forward is finding that Savior. She's the only one who might understand what the manuscript is trying to tell us."
"Oh, it's time, it's time, it's time!" Scarlet cheered. "Time to get changed, you two! You better be amped for this, because we're infiltrating a Sancta convoy!"