Infinity: Rising of the Soul Weavers

*ILLENIUM and Tori Kelly - Blame Myself *

Although Raven didn't specifically explain or elaborate on who 'she' was, it was clear to Axane that she meant Liz. 

After all, it is no secret that her dark powers have been sealed away using the Seal of the Eight Fires that is now controlled by Raven herself.

The seal is composed of two parts; the first is the tattoo of the sun surrounded by eight torches on Liz's chest, and the second is the tattoo of the lonely sun on Raven's.

The eight torches on Liz's end represent the power of the seal. However, now that Raven has transferred two torches onto herself, it can only mean one thing; she has weakened the sealing powers by two eighths of its original, which is equivalent to releasing two eighths of the total power of the seal!

Although she was strongly against such actions, she could only comply with Liz who had begged her countless times.

The poor girl saw how everyone was getting ready to fight to death and, with her pure personality and generous character, she could not just stay on the side to watch. It was too tormenting for herself, especially after what she has done before and the many lives she has taken.

With that being said, Raven wasn't ready to just give her strange powers back and get her back on the streets. 

So, as a safety measure, Raven didn't want her to be out on the field before making sure she is able to fully control the released portion of her powers. As a result, she was locked up behind closed doors. To be more specific, she was locked behind a Brilliant Primordial Radiance barrier that only she can open and close at will.

"Axane, does Liz need help?" Seeing the hesitation in Axane's eyes, Raven repeated the question in concern.

"I- I am not sure," Axane shook her head. "But her screams have subdued now, I am not sure whether that's a good or a bad thing… Can you please check up on her?"

"Uhm, it's my intention," Raven nodded with a serious expression. She could see the fear in Axane's eyes.

Although Liz has a direct relationship with baby Rituxi's death, Axane has a pure heart and she knows that Liz is simply a victim just like the rest of them. So, she can't bring herself to be harsh on her, let alone watch her scream in pain. However, realizing that the screams have subdued, she could not help but think of the worst!

Nodding towards Axane, Raven instantly disappeared from her spot.

Reappearing in front of a secret room underground, Raven took a deep breath and stared at the large set of doors.

On the outside of these doors, a thin layer of translucent barrier was placed. 

Without much hesitation, Raven stepped forward and passed through the translucent light, which promptly closed behind her, and then entered the secret room through the doors.

Inside, a blindingly dark cocoon was suspended midair, seemingly floating. However, with Raven's special eyesight, she was able to see the thin and almost invisible black silk wires connecting the cocoon to the walls.

Raven could instinctively feel danger behind those seemingly simple dark wires. It was as if their existence is pretty dangerous to hers.

Frowning, Raven blinked once, turning her eyes a shade of white. A brilliant aura enveloped her as she stimulated the power of the seal on her chest. One of the dark torches started glowing, giving the illusion of coming to life.

"Why didn't you kill me?" A familiar voice, with an unfamiliar tone, called out from inside the dark cocoon.

"Is she in pain?" Raven ignored the question and asked while gritting her teeth.

"She's always in pain, what do you understand?" The voice asked in a cold manner.

"Then how about letting her go?" Raven asked, trying to keep herself calm.

"Little girl, you have the wrong idea," the voice sounded. At the same time, a strange crackling sound came from the dark cocoon.

"Oh, enlighten me," Raven said with raised eyebrows.

"Hehe, she's not in pain because of me," the voice said, as a matter of factly. The cocoon was shaking violently at this point. "She's in pain because she's alone. She's in pain because you killed the only person who cared about her. You are the person who is causing her pain. How about you die?"

Suddenly, a huge gap appeared on the surface of the suspended cocoon. From that crack, two soft snow-white hands touched the outer layer of the cocoon and used them as a support to jump outside of it.

Liz's figure slowly came into view. Descending to the ground, the dark wires and cocoon started moving towards her body, attempting to merge with her body.

As the darkness enveloped her, her smile grew colder. Around her, a dark dress that was made out of pure darkness was born, making a remarkable contrast to her milky skin, highlighting her tender features.

"Is that your will, or hers?" Raven tilted her head and asked. "Does Liz blame me for her pain?"

"Yes," dark Liz simply confirmed. "So, can you please die and make her feel better?"

"Oh, then how about my pain?" Raven's calm appearance started getting colder the longer she stared at the girl in front of her. Nightmarish memories flashed in front of her eyes, reminiscence of the blood and wing marks still engraved on the ground somewhere in the city.

"Your pain?" Dark Liz asked, confused. "Your pain is caused by your own actions. You killed Liam, and as a result, a person who is close to you got killed. Isn't that called karma, or fairness? Many people would say it is."

*Sigh*

Letting out a cold breath, Raven looked Liz up and down but said nothing.

"What, done talking?" Seeing her get quiet, dark Liz was confused once more. "Aren't you supposed to be wasting time in order to complete the seal?"

Strictly speaking, it's smarter for Raven to keep talking in order. I buy some time for the seal to reactivate. The act of staying silent is simply giving a chance for dark Liz to act.

"No, it's alright," Raven shook her head.. "Let Liz out, I'd like to talk to her while in this form before the seal has been reactivated."