In the hall. Cassandra and Violence faced each other, gripping their weapons tightly, neither willing to give up easily.
Violence approached her slowly, putting her weapon back in her hand. This time, it wasn't to fight.
"So... you were the ones who received the signal? So my signal made it to the outside world?"
Feeling she had softened, Cassandra loosened her grip on her scythe. Looking at her while smiling gently.
"Yes..... even though the message was strange, we had expert detectives who deciphered it and brought us here. We want to save you."
Violence asked softly.
"Is there a cure for terminal cancer where you live?"
Cassandra replied.
"I don't know yet. But we have the greatest doctor ever, and she can work on it."
Without warning, Violence hugged Cassandra tightly. Her voice was soft, like tears of joy, even though she was a robot. Cassandra smiled and hugged Violence tightly, wanting to reassure her that she would be okay and that she would get her out of this place.
On the other side. Voltrania broke down a door so hard that it scattered everywhere, inside the room there was still light from the blue liquid from several hoses to a certain point. As she walked deeper, she saw a blue glowing tube shining illuminating the dark room. Voltrania approached it slowly, she was surprised to see a blue-haired girl with a severed arm and leg sleeping half awake inside.
Sensing something was amiss, she checked several active monitors to determine the girl's identity. She obtained her biodata.
Name: Eleanor Vallmont
Age: 20 years old (320 in a state of near-death)
Status: Near-death
Blood type: AB
"So this liquid keeps her young, huh..." Voltrania said softly.
Suddenly, someone slammed the door open, shaking the room and sending small pieces of debris flying. From behind the door, three women with dark auras entered the room, one of them pointing a shotgun at Voltrania.
Voltrania sensed the threat emanating from them, taking a ready stance and gripping her sword tightly.
"Who are you?" she asked coldly.
The woman holding the shotgun took a step forward. Her hair was silver-gray, her eyes were blind, and her right cheek bore a rotting hole that revealed her teeth. Her name was Gladia.
"We are messengers from our mother to bring the girl with us," Gladia replied, pointing at Eleanor.
Voltrania narrowed her eyes.
"So you're Alone's lackeys? From Valentina?"
Gladia spat at her feet.
"Ugh... I don't want to be that bitch's lackey. Our primary duty is to bring that girl home with us."
"You two catch that girl, I'll handle this." Gladia ordered the two her friend.
The two women nodded. They shot towards Eleanor's tube, but Voltrania kicked them into the wall, causing it to crack.
Gladia dashed towards Voltrania, choking her and throwing her out, causing them both to fall to the ground with great force. Voltrania quickly stood up and launched a swift slash at her. Gladia parried the attack easily, kicking Voltrania's sword to the ground.
Voltrania didn't hold back, punching her in the face so hard that she flew backward. Gladia landed perfectly, summoning her six darkness-proof shotguns and aiming them at her.
"You're just playing queen like a child. You don't deserve that title because you created it," Gladia said, trying to put pressure on Voltrania's mind.
Voltrania didn't flinch; she replied calmly.
"It's true. I consider myself queen even though there's no official coronation. But no matter my title, I always carry the hope of humanity, leading it to freedom."
Gladia fired six bullets at her at once. Voltrania dodged them all and retrieved her sword. After catching it, she spun around and dashed forward, preparing to attack her with her red electric slash.
Gladia created another shadow clone of herself, wielding two pistols. She stepped back to let the shadow face her. The shadow blocked Voltrania's slash with both pistols.
"You speak as if you are the 'chosen one' in this cursed world to achieve peace. You are merely a false queen who manipulates her people into recognizing you as queen and leaving them without the courage to criticize you," Gladia said again, wanting to catch her off guard and lose focus.
Voltrania shattered the shadow, then froze in place. She began to consider her words, shame and humiliation hitting her right in the face. She gripped her sword tighter, feeling her emotions starting to boil over. Despite her blindness, Gladia knew she had managed to calm her nerves by the sound of her trembling voice.
She continued.
"You act like a judge, even though you've never held a single trial in your life. In your life, you've only played the roles of 'Queen' and 'Judge' in your city to gain the fear and respect of the people there, preventing them from criticizing you, let alone committing crimes. You only use your name, tied to a title, to exert authority over them all."
Voltrania lowered her head. Guilt, shame, and humiliation combined to assail her. The sea breeze hit her legs, weakening her knees this time, and her legs trembled slightly.
"How... did you know that?" she asked softly.
Gladia replied, pointing her pistol of darkness. "I may be blind, but I can sense your filthy soul still burning with the fire of revenge."
Suddenly, another shadow of Gladia appeared and punched Voltrania in the face, sending her flying. Her body slammed hard against the tower wall. Gladia emerged from the dust and shot Voltrania in the left shoulder, but Voltrania managed to dodge the shot.
"I won't let my emotions control me. I have to wait until this is over," Voltrania exclaimed.
Gladia snapped her fingers, and a white shadow of Gladia appeared, possessing her body.
"Wherever you go... you can't escape reality," Gladia said, summoning a small ball of wind from her hand.
Voltrania's gaze widened as she recognized the power of the wind.
"Is that wind? But I only know Lyra has it."
Gladia approached, the wind around her growing stronger and stronger.
"After the war between the Crimson Wing and White Moon factions some time ago, you and your subordinates killed Lyra. Before you took her body to be buried, I cloned her power core into my own."
Voltrania realized something.
"So you were there at the time?"
"That's right, so that's how I know about you and what you did back then," Gladia replied.
Meanwhile, Gladia's two friends were about to open Eleanor's tube system. Suddenly, Lisa appeared and punched one of them in the face, sending her flying against the wall. The other woman reflexively stepped back. Lisa stared at Eleanor's body, then back at them.
"State your identities and your purpose!!" she demanded firmly.
"We are from the Alone...our mother told us to take this girl with us," one of the women replied, pulling out her axe.
Lisa's eyes widened.
"So you are the Alone!"
Then Cassandra and Violence rushed into the room. Cassandra looked at them in surprise, sensing a threat from the two women. She immediately stood beside Lisa and pointed her scythe at them.
Cassandra glared at them, then turned to Violence.
"Get your sister out and bring her to our airship above. We'll handle this."
Violence nodded, she immediately went to the control monitor, reopening the system that had imprisoned Eleanor for hundreds of years. Slowly the liquid inside the tube began to fade, the glass began to open. Violence held Eleanor's body in her arms, feeling happy to finally be able to hug her sister's body again after so long even though it was in a robot body. She could still feel Eleanor's heart beating weakly, that meant she still had hope. Violence took Eleanor upstairs where the Crimson Wing plane was parked.
Lisa said as she took her stance.
"Whoever they are, I know they're no fun."
Cassandra glanced at her.
"Huh...wanna bet? Whoever defeats them the fastest wins. The loser has to give 2% of their monthly salary to the winner."
The two of them began to take their positions, preparing to fight them. Gladia's two friends also had their axes and chainsaws ready.
Back outside the tower, Voltrania was overwhelmed by Gladia, not only physically but mentally as well. Gladia threw four air discs, but Voltrania managed to dodge them. Behind her, Gladia was darting with an air drill in her hand, ready to stab her.
Voltrania blocked the attack with her spear, sending her flying backward and landing hard on the ground. Voltrania stood weakly, slowly discerning Gladia's attack pattern and power, and she understood now.
Voltrania gripped her sword and spear tightly, launching several red lightning slashes at her. Gladia deflected the attacks with her wind, slowly approaching. Another shadow of Gladia appeared, this time a gray one, preparing to enter her body.
Gladia stomped her feet, preparing to use another power but before she could move. Suddenly Voltrania's spear shot towards her, Gladia immediately dodged into the air. But she realized something, she lost Voltrania's presence, she couldn't hear her footsteps, her breath and even her heartbeat. Gladia landed and touched the ground at her feet, trying to find Voltrania's trace but she couldn't find it.
"Where...where...WHERE ARE YOU!!" Gladia screamed.
Gladia began attacking wildly in all directions, hoping to hit Voltrania and pinpoint his whereabouts. Voltrania stood on a rock, her body's device having placed her in Silent mode, making her undetectable even to superhuman senses.
Voltrania stared intently at the confused Gladia. She felt as if she saw a blind, unseen girl searching frantically for her parents. Voltrania's gaze softened, and she smiled slightly.
"She...just needs...some care, doesn't she?" Voltrania thought to herself, seemingly understanding something.
Voltrania pulled out a mini stun gun and fired a rapid-fire stun gun, hitting Gladia in the neck. Gladia was shocked by the shot, her head slowly becoming dizzy and her body weakening. Finally, Gladia collapsed to the ground unconscious.
Voltrania slowly approached her, cuffing her hands and feet. She stared at her unconscious face, sensing the immense potential hidden within her and the wounds that needed healing. Voltrania gently embraced Gladia.
"Shh...calm down...you'll be safe with us." Voltrania said softly while rubbing her rotten, holed cheek, "I don't know what happened to you...but I'll save you too. Thank you for opening my eyes."
On the other hand, Cassandra and Lisa had defeated Gladia's two friends in the tower.
"Looks like we're tied this time," Cassandra said.
"Huh, I failed to get 2% of your salary," Lisa said.
Gladia's two friends hurriedly fled to their airship, ignoring Gladia. They flew away from the island, empty-handed, having failed their mission and having to leave Gladia behind, the only thing they had to worry about was Cyntheria's wrath.
Voltrania approached Cassandra and Lisa, holding Gladia with blank stares as the cold air enveloped their bodies. Cassandra and Lisa were shocked to see her.
"Are you sure you want to take her home?" Lisa asked.
"Yes~ I can still sense a threatening aura from her," Cassandra said.
Voltrania answered softly, almost a whisper.
"I want to keep her in the Crimson Wing...she will have the care and access to whatever facilities she wants. She has opened my eyes to my authority over Lyovianne...I am very grateful to her."
Cassandra was taken aback.
"What do you mean?"
Voltrania slowly walked back to their patrol plane, the two of them following, she said quietly.
"We will take her home, we will heal her physical and emotional wounds slowly."
Cassandra smiled, then chuckled softly.
"Oh, I know what you mean."
With that, they began to fly away from the dangerous island, leaving it behind as a memory. Voltrania sat beside Eleanor and Gladia, who were still unconscious in bed. She replayed Gladia's words in her mind; they were painful, but they were a truth she couldn't avoid.
To be continued...