Chapter 80
(A/N: I went back and made a few adjustments to the previous chapter. I have decided to try something new and hope you all like it. Enjoy!)
Liam
Awaking in the Land of Darkness, Liam slowly sat upright. He was surrounded by pools of Grimm.
Getting to his feet, Liam saw no landmarks in sight. Picking a direction, he began walking.
Chrome
Walking along the shoreline, Chrome kept an eye out for any familiar faces. However, as he came to a cliffside on the beach, Chrome stopped and looked up at it. Turning his head, Chrome could see the cliff seemed to go on for some time.
(Could I climb this?) Chrome asked himself.
Before he could answer, something snapped a twig in the brush. Placing a hand on one of his swords, Chrome turned to the source, only to see Ruby emerge.
"Ruby." Chrome said in relief. "Glad to see you're okay. Do you-"
Before he could finish, Ruby attacked him.
"Ruby?!" Chrome shouted as he swiftly deflected her attack. "What're you-"
Her eyes suddenly flashed from their silver color to pink and brown heterochromatic eyes.
"Neo?"
Discarding her disguise, Neo, now shown to be wielding her parasol, continued to attack.
Doing his best to dodge or block her strikes, Chrome was knocked back, sliding across the ground on his feet.
"ENOUGH!" Chrome boomed as he glared at Neo.
The volume of his voice alone was enough to momentarily cease Neo's advance.
"Are you serious right now?!" Chrome shouted.
Neo only stared at Chrome in confusion.
"We have no idea where we are! No idea what's going on! And you attack the first person you see?!" Chrome huffed. "Can't you wait to figure shit out beforehand?!"
Neo, contemplating Chrome's words, put her parasol away and crossed her arms.
"Thank you!" Pushing his hair back, Chrome let out a breath as he sat down on the sand. "I'm so damn tired."
Neo joined him while maintaining her distance.
Chrome wasn't sure if he could trust Neo or not, but he was too tired to care. He didn't want to fight. After all, they just got done with all that shit in Atlas.
Right now, Chrome just wanted a single, simple thing: a break.
Liam
After hours of wandering around, Liam had found himself in a forested area, finally out of the Land of Darkness.
But, just as he entered, a pack of Beowolves attacked.
Knocking Liam down from behind, he quickly maneuvered himself onto his feet.
"Whoa." Liam said in awe as he looked at his hands.
Hearing a growl from his left, Liam instinctively ducked under it as it pounced. Before another had the chance to attack, Liam drew Blake's weapon, holding it in front of himself.
Seeing their glowing red eyes, Liam decided not to fight and, instead, turned around and began sprinting through the trees.
As Liam ran blindly through the forest, he came to a cliffside. With the Beowolves hot on his trail, he had no choice but to leap without looking.
But that turned out to be a mistake.
Directly beneath him was a massive river.
Splashing into it, the current dragged Liam along like a ragdoll. Trying to swim up for air, the force of the water sent Liam into a rock, knocking him out.
In his unconscious state, visions flashed through his mind of Weiss before fading just as quickly as they appeared.
When he regained consciousness, Liam found himself inside a house, looking up at the ceiling. Pulling the covers off himself, Liam rubbed his face before standing up.
"Where the hell am I?" He asked himself as he walked over to the mirror.
Seeing his reflection, Liam's appearance was completely different. His hair was a snow white and his silver eye had been replaced by a completely black eye. It was as if staring into the void itself. Even though his reflection was drastically different, Liam had no reaction to it.
"Oh, you're awake!" A surprised voice came from the door.
Looking over, a beautiful woman stood in the doorway. She was rather petite, and appeared the same age as himself. Her red hair flowed down her back, and she held Liam's clothes, now clean.
"What happened?"
"You washed up on the riverbed." The woman told him. She had somewhat of a Scottish accent. "Yer lucky."
"Huh?"
"This forest is infested with Grimm." The woman informed him. "I'm surprised one hadn't found you before I did."
"What were you doing out there, then?" Liam asked, politely.
"Pickin' flowers." The woman replied nonchalantly. "I run a flower shop in the central area. Only able to be found in the deeper parts of the forest. Now, enough about me, I'm curious to know about you. What's yer story?"
"My story..." Liam said softly.
"How'd you end up in the river?"
Liam shook his head.
"I was running from those things." Liam replied. "Had to jump in to escape 'em."
"Well, I know everyone around these parts, small village and all." The woman said. "So I know you ain't from around here. Where are you from?"
"I don't know." Liam answered.
"Oh. Well, surely you know yer own name."
Liam took a second to think before shaking his head.
"I don't remember anything."
End of chapter 80
