Something sparked suddenly within Neela and she became violently aware of her situation… or lack thereof. She was floating through an endless void, her mind replaying the moment that the beast slammed into her and played with her body violently like a rag doll. She assumed she wasn't dead, she had heard people talking about her condition, but despite that fact, she didn't seem to be able to force her actual body awake. And then there was silence. She hadn't heard anything for a while.
Drifting. Darkness. Cold. Alone. What would happen? Would she wake up? Did she need to? Was this her time? It was hard to say… it was hard to say how long she'd been like this even. But there was something that happened on the other side that made her aware of everything once more. She tried to move. Swimming? Flying? Was she getting any closer?
"Neela," echoed a voice. Eliana? One of her parents? Titus or Ilia? Or was it someone else? Neela looked around, or what she assumed was around, but initially spotted nothing. What was happening? "Neela. Come on. Let's go."
"Hello?" Neela called back.
"We are at an impasse," the voice informed her.
"Who? What are you talking about?" Neela questioned.
"You must choose," they stated.
"Choose what?!" Neela shouted. Instantly she stood in the midst of a forest that didn't appear familiar to her but gave her chills nonetheless.
"Hello, Neela," someone said directly behind her. She turned slowly to find herself face to face with… herself. Or what she would have been. She had scars on her arms and wore battle garbs that were almost primal in a sense, with a mask covering her face, that of a Manticore. The real girl took a swing, her double grabbing her fist and holding her in place, almost looking amused.
"What's going on?" Neela questioned.
"This is it. After a miserable year of trying to figure out who you are without that wretched girl you finally ended up here and you only have one option. You can go back, and fulfill your destiny to become the savior of the White Fang, or you can die," the doppelgänger explained.
"I don't really like either of those options," Neela grunted as she uppercut with her free fist. The fake slid back and Neela could feel her smirk through the mask as she bowed.
"Feel free to try, but there's no changing your fate, Xiao Long," the clone insisted.
"Tell that to my entire family," Neela scoffed as her bow formed in her hand. Jaeger straightened and formed Wilt and Blush, taking a battle stance as she placed her hand on the sword.
"Those people aren't your family," Jaeger informed her.
"I beg to differ since they raised me and my parents tried giving me away," Neela argued, unloading arrows rapidly that were blocked by her opponent's blade. Jaeger didn't seem impressed, screaming in with speed that Neela recognized as her own semblance, activating her own and meeting the sword. A shockwave crashed through the woods.
"You were meant for a greater purpose!" Jaeger yelled.
"Just not your purpose," Neela grunted as they hashed it out.
"I don't need to convince you that I'm right about what we should have been," Jaeger chuckled, changing her strategy as metal met metal. "I just need to make you understand that you're either leaving here with a piece of me or in a body bag."
"I choose neither," Neela exclaimed as they both leapt back. The clone shook her head.
"Not! An! Option!" She declared. "You've been weak and despairing over Eliana for too long. Your deep-seated hatred of humans tucked away in your unconscious is the only way you're getting out now. Or you can give up! If you destroy me, you destroy the only chance of getting out of here. Either I win, or we both lose." Neela stared the other down for far too long before shaking her head.
"I don't believe you," Neela denied.
"What is there not to believe, you know I'm right!" The copy shouted.
"Prove it," Neela demanded. Jaeger stared at her in confusion.
"I knew we were dense, but not this dense," the doppelganger groaned.
"I don't give up so easily, and you sure as hell aren't going to talk your way out of fighting me," Neela exclaimed.
"We're equally matched! What would be the point?! So we both die of exhaustion!?" Her replica yelled. Neela stared her down. She wouldn't agree with either option. There had to be another way, and she knew that she could defeat the other her, which seemed afraid to fight. Did she know what Neela knew? It was possible, they were the same, but this other Neela couldn't fight like her.
"I have the edge over you and that's what really scares you," Neela informed her. "If I destroy you, that's it, those thoughts are gone once and for all. And on this ethereal plane of sorts we have no limitation of Aura, so you know that I can outplay you."
"Wrong and wrong," the clone pointed out. "Why would I lie? I only know what you know, for one, and I know that I don't want us to die."
Was Raven right when she said that being calm helps stabilize semblances?
"Yes, she was," Ruby replied. No longer in the forest with the other her, Neela was sitting at her desk in Atlas, sifting through papers as she spoke to her aunt. "But something tells me that you already knew that… Still having problems with yours overreacting when you think about Elli?" Neela looked away and sighed.
"Yeah, but that's not what I wanted to ask," Neela informed her.
"Oh?" Ruby lit up. "Then what did you want to ask?"
"How do your eyes work?" Neela pressed as she moved closer in her chair. Ruby chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her neck.
"I don't think knowing that will help in your case," Ruby noted.
"Why's that?" Neela questioned, slightly disheartened. Ruby stood and laughed.
"Yours are related to your semblance, and mine are separate," Ruby pointed out to her.
"But what if mine are actually separate? It would explain the speed or whatever it is my body is doing to compensate," Neela explained excitedly. Ruby rubbed her face.
"Maybe, but it seems unlikely," Ruby said. "Though I guess it can't hurt to tell you how mine work." Ruby smiled. "It's a great mindset to have regardless."
"Something similar to what Raven said?" Neela questioned. Ruby laughed.
"I'd be shocked if Raven and I ever said anything that sounded along the lines of the same ideology," Ruby cackled. "But anyway, all I have to do is think about my loved ones."
"That's it?" Neela asked jaw slacked.
"Well, that's pretty watered down," Ruby laughed under her breath. "Just think about why you're fighting…"
Focus on who you want to protect…
"You're standing in the way of me and my family," Neela gritted her teeth. Jaeger shook her head and prepared to fight once more.
"You still don't get it… I'm your way out, and they aren't your family!" Jaeger shouted at her. Neela closed her eyes and took a deep breath, they lit up as she reopened them, and before Jaeger could react she was there, knocking Wilt out of her hand with ease. Jaeger watched in horror and shock as she barely blocked with Blush. She could use their semblance too, but what Neela had just done seemed supernatural. She blasted Neela away but the girl reappeared behind her, running Wilt through her without hesitation. However, Neela's victory was short-lived…
"What..?" Neela groaned as she noted the blade through her own torso.
"You seem surprised even though I warned you this would happen," the copy said, stepping out of Neela's body. "We leave together, or we die together."
"I refuse," Neela grunted as her opposite pulled out the blade.
"Then I guess we'll wait a while and let your so-called family keep holding on for nothing," Jaeger scoffed.
"I guess they really were right when they said that good things come to those who wait, huh?" Coco asked Emerald over her earpiece as the girl was making another lap around the school grounds to make sure that nothing strange was going on during the expo. She chuckled to herself, leaned back against the wall, and sighed, staring out at the full moon.
"The first date went well, but we've both decided that we want to take things slowly, to begin with," Emerald explained to Coco, feeling warm and happy for the first time in a while. Was this all too good to be true? Good things didn't normally come her way…
"Aw," Coco groaned. "And here I was hoping that I'd get all sorts of juicy details about what went down." Emerald laughed.
"I assure you, it was just a date," Emerald informed her.
"Well, if it's more next time, I'm here to talk," Coco jested. "Seriously though, it'll help me take my mind off work and really gets me in the mood for Velvet."
"I need to go make sure things are alright inside, and that's more information than I needed," Emerald told Coco.
"I'm just saying!" Coco shouted back before Emerald muted her for the time being. Emerald greeted a few more of the people that were filing in and looked at the front of the main hall, which was done up with long flowing red banners that displayed Dust crystals and atoms, letting all of Vale below know that the Science and Dust expo was in full swing, the lights were probably visible from space, and VIPs were arriving via their private airships in a steady stream, some of the seniors and staff members greeting them at the dock. Anybody in Remnant who considered themselves somebody was at the expo that night, save most of the council as they kept watch over their respective kingdoms, and couldn't risk all being in the same public location at the same time… though it did raise questions about the medals ceremony…
"Welcome one and all to the Science and Dust Technologies expo, which Beacon Academy was gracious enough to lend us the venue for this year!" A voice that Emerald didn't recognize thundered through the hall over the public announcement system. It was met by quiet claps, most people continued talking through the declaration. It wasn't Emerald's scene, that was for certain, these people wore clothing that she couldn't possibly hope to afford in her lifetime, making small talk and quiet laughter over things she would never understand, staring at their champagne flutes every now and again as if they were meeting the gaze of a god, or witnessing a piece of priceless artwork.
She moved through the ocean of significant figures, keeping her eyes out for anything out of place, but only finding the occasional eyes falling on her and giving her a once over before rolling their eyes or murmuring to each other. Emerald shook it off, she didn't need their validation, she had grown beyond that. As long as she did her job, that was the only thing that mattered tonight. These crowds… weren't her scene.
She felt a set of eyes on her that held less sting than the others and she turned to meet the man's stare, he smiled at her and raised his glass before taking a sip of his drink, his face soft and beckoning. She cautiously approached the man, a woman standing beside him gave her a harsher look, but she thought it best to ignore it.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" Emerald asked him. He seemed amused by her question, and she began to wonder if he assumed her as a fellow scientist or engineer despite her attire. "I'm working security tonight, my name's…"
"Emerald Sustrai," he interrupted her. She was shocked to find that he knew her name, as she didn't think she'd ever done anything noteworthy in her life to gain her recognition among these people. She blushed slightly before glancing at the floor.
"Have we met?" She questioned. He laughed, which seemed to annoy his female companion, who rolled her eyes and traded champagne glasses as a waitress strolled by.
"No, I guess not," the man jested. He reached out a hand to shake hers. "Sterling Stratford. Head seat of the Mistral Council." Emerald chuckled.
"I'm aware of that much," she replied, shaking in return.
"And this is my second in command, Siobhan…" Stratford began introducing her.
"Just Siobhan is fine," she smirked, shaking Emerald's hand. "No need to be so formal."
"Right," Stratford dismissed.
"Just didn't expect you to know who I was outright," Emerald noted.
"Coco assured us that you'd be adequate in stopping Mercury if he in fact did go through with his attack tonight," Stratford noted. Emerald tried to hide the nervousness in her chuckle.
"I'll do my best," Emerald assured him. Stratford placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled softly.
"Let me tell you a story of the warring brothers," Stratford began. "There once were two brothers, close in age, born to the same father, who was king. They only had each other as their father was often busy, and so they grew together and fought each other to strengthen their mettle and metal. But as they grew older, they drifted apart, the older meaning to use the throne for his own means of strength, while the younger cared about the people."
"I feel like you're making this up," Siobhan groaned. He shook his head.
"The father feared what would happen to the people as well, tasking the younger with fighting the elder for the throne, as he knew that the older would acknowledge the result, and was stronger than any fighter in the entire kingdom," Stratford explained. "The younger brother's strength was little in comparison, but the king knew only the younger brother could stop him."
"Why's that?" Emerald asked.
"The love for his elder," Stratford noted. "A need to prevent the older from destroying himself…" Something caught Emerald's eye as he finished, and without a doubt, she knew that she had spotted Jett amongst the crowd.
"I'd love to stay and chat more, but I've got rounds to make," Emerald blurted. "Great meeting you!" They watched as she scrambled away and Stratford sighed.
"If you didn't make it up, how did it end?" Siobhan questioned. He chuckled under his breath.
"I had no intention of telling her that," Stratford pointed out. "The younger was forced to kill the elder… and I don't think she's ready to accept that as an outcome…"
"Well, if it isn't the big shot of Mistral himself," a sultry voice spoke to them from behind. "Sterling Stratford. I didn't think I'd have the pleasure of meeting you this evening since you haven't actually made any contributions to the world of Dust advancements." His head cocked slightly before he turned back to meet whoever had greeted him with such a crass remark.
"Well, if it isn't Luna Sol," Stratford smiled and reached a hand out for her to shake. "You're one to talk, since I'm fairly certain your contribution to said cause is simply showing off Dust-based clothing, and let's be honest, that doesn't take real talent, does it?" She frowned.
"Your words wound me," she scoffed. "I've been on the cover of Remnant's Threads magazine, oh, seven times? How many times have you been featured for being one of Remnant's Most Attractive People and Faunus?"
"Beauty is vanity… and fleeting," he replied. "I'll keep my power, thank you. Protecting you makes my job that much more worth it." He drank her in. To say that she wasn't an eleven out of ten would be to kid himself, what with her long legs, a killer red dress that accentuated all of her curves, a bosom that any woman would be jealous of, all tied together with those ice-blue eyes, and blonde hair was done up in a messy bun. A scar that was covered on her right jaw with makeup caught Sterling's eye, but he thought it safer not to mention it.
"Right, protecting people," she jested, enjoying the feeling of Siobhan's eyes searing into her flesh. "What's the council hiding this time? More White Fang activity? Is Salem already back? Perhaps a reemergence of the Crown?" The last one caught him off guard and he chuckled.
"The Crown? Surely you're joking. They were nothing more than a minor nuisance, to begin with. Theodore and his students took them down swiftly, and the rest was cleaned up after Salem was dealt with, long before the last recorded Fang activity."
"One can never be too sure," she offered as she looked out into the crowd.
"Have you heard something," Siobhan pried.
"If I'd heard something, I wouldn't be asking the two of you, would I?" Luna remarked.
"Why are you here?" Sterling asked.
"If you must know, this is one of Flynt's newest designs, and the latest in Dust fashion," she answered excitedly. A flame formed in her hand and she looked her dress over. "No indication of Dust use at all." Stratford had to admit that he was impressed, and leaned forward to further inspect the garment. "Now, Sterling. Shouldn't you take me to dinner first?"
"He has a girlfriend," Siobhan defended.
"Fiancé actually," Stratford corrected, standing up.
"Really?" Both women asked at the same time, though Siobhan's came out more aggressively.
"We haven't made an announcement yet, but we've been waiting for the right time to do so," he explained.
"Well," Luna chuckled. "Congratulations." She began to walk away before turning back to him. "You never did tell me why you're here tonight."
"I'd be happy to show you," Stratford offered. Siobhan watched on in disbelief as they walked away.
Did Sterling's story resonate with Emerald? Next week, Chapter 39: Siblings!
A big thank you to AG_Nonsuch, Helihi, Cadhla182, Carlomontie, Nliast, Y8ay8a, Sa-Dui, Diyaru4500, Demize00Zero, TheCipherNine, SketchHungry, Ookaminoki, Lightning-in-my-Hand, and Dishwasher1910. The artwork can be found at Deviantart, you can search Silent-Celica and under my favorites tab, I have a collection for NITE.
Until next week, stay classy!