Solstice

"I'm underneath the building at your exact coordinates."

"Alright. He should be asleep now; try not to make a ruckus. Also, don't forget to leave the peace letter on his bed or something."

"Yeah… this kidnapping is skyrocketing my nerves, you know."

Sugio laughed. "It should be fine, considering you've seen him hundreds of times."

"It was only 8 quests, so shut up."

"Mhm. Have fun. Don't screw up, or we're dead."

"That's very nice to know. I'd like to add the fact that I'm ALONE on this mission."

"Sorry, I know. The fate of the Voidrunners is in your hands. Over."

The static in my earphone stopped, leaving me in a tunnel of silence. Transport is going to be really difficult with a body…

I sighed. After I found out that the government was planning on wiping out our little group of Voidrunners with a bomb, we decided to stop hiding and make "peace" with the government. Apparently, that got Sugio pretty fired up (influencing the younger children) so we actually named ourselves "Crystal Pavilion." And decided to take the president's son hostage. Hurray.

But, Sugio was right. It was time for us to stand up together. If the government no longer sees us as a threat, we could find out what this "Crystal Shell" is and… hopefully… live a normal life.

I looked up, pointing my flashlight at the earth ceiling.

It's now or never.

Ayden

Crumble…

I opened my eyes. Did I just hear something?

A slight tap.

My gun…

My hand grasped around the familiar handle of my prized HT-42.

"Who's there?"

Another small tap.

"Solstice."

A flashlight clicked on.

Solstice?

The faint glow illuminated her familiar face. The faint twinkle in her eyes, and how her bangs slid across her face…

"H-how?"

She gave me a sad smile. "Do you want to take a stamina potion? You're not looking too well."

"Yeah…"

Am I dreaming? This is a dream, right?

"Here. Take this." She handed me a small vial with rough, leather gloves. The cap was off already, and she set it on my lips, tilting it slightly. The liquid met my tongue, which immediately rejected the taste.

I quickly spat the liquid out, the slight taste dimming my senses.

Something is wrong.

I whipped my gun out and pointed it at the so called "Solstice."

"What are you-"

Her gloves passed through my gun, turning it into black dust. The rough glove clamped across my mouth, muting my shout.

"I'm sorry Ayden…"

My breathing slowed.

Why… what's happening… so tired…

Everything faded into the darkness.

Solstice

"Solstice!" Reyna ran towards me, her ribbon Void wrapping around the limp body I carried on my back. "I'm so glad you're ok… I'll take care of him."

I nodded and let the bright red ribbons lift Ayden's body into the air and onto the floor. The rest of the Voidrunners crowded around me, giving me high-fives or acting plain relieved. The younger ones were poking Ayden and touching his fluffy hair.

"You guys, stop harassing our hostage. It's not nice."

"Fine… but he's a lot cuter in person than he is on TV!" Isha whined.

I sighed. "You guys are way too relaxed…what if he wakes up? I only fed him a little bit of the liquid..."

Reyna laughed. "It's alright, he's unarmed and we have our Voids. Besides, he won't harm his only friend, right?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Shouldn't we tie him up?" Steven looked worried. "What if he attacks us in our sleep?"

"I'll watch. Send the younger ones to sleep, we have to get ready for tomorrow."

Steven nodded and started to round up the yawning children like sheep.

Reyna tapped me on the shoulder. "You want to take shifts?"

"Yeah. I'll take the first one. Let's bring him to the surface in the abandoned apartment."

"No prob," she replied as ribbons started to collect around our hostage. "Let's go."

Ayden

The faint smell of dust tickled my nose, causing it to respond back with a sneeze.

Where am I? What… happened?

In a flash, the memories came back to me. A girl… a glove… dragging me through the darkness…

I flexed my hands, still groggy. The soft moonlight illuminated my surroundings, revealing a small room with a bed.

However, I wasn't alone. Someone was there, in the shadows. Breathing, but staying still.

"Show yourself." I spoke, letting my voice ring through the room.

A small footstep. Hesitation.

"You… need anything?"

I knew it was her. The girl who kidnapped me. The one with the gloves. A Voidrunner. The one… who couldn't be Solstice.

"Who are you?"

Silence.

"Tell me. Tell me who you are!"

"A Voidrunner who wants to live."