Redacted
Prologue
And here we are to the sequel of Tormented! :D
To those who are new, this is the sequel to another story of mine titled 'Tormented' and as such, it is preferred if you ready that first before 'Redacted', as there will be parts of the story that won't make much sense otherwise.
To those who had been following since the beginning, I appreciate you all for reading 'Tormented' and I am happy to present you its sequel, 'Redacted'.
Enjoy C:
Edited: 06/19/2022
Instinct forced her to search, the pull to find a 'replacement' strong despite her grief.
Crystalline had lost her Chosen weeks earlier, the pair investigating reports that Splicers were setting up a new base, a place to rebuild their losses. Something that they could not allow. As such, with confidence, both she and her Chosen volunteered, believing that they have the situation under control.
Thinking back, Crystalline realized just how foolish they were.
The pair hadn't realized how deep, how far underground the Splicer's operations were, and when they finally made it to reported location, the Fallen were ready, waiting. It didn't take long for her Chosen to be subdued.
Wounded and in agony, when her Chosen had requested Crystalline to leave the safety of his mind, she had initially thought it was to report back to the others, to tell them what they had discovered; she had never intended to leave alone. And alive.
As such, Crystalline was taken off guard when she was suddenly snatched out of the air and thrown out of the room. Before she could even gather what had happened, an explosion erupted through her sensors, causing the underground cavern to shake and crumble. Seconds later, the underground lair they had located was buried with the Splicers. And her Hunter.
They had accomplished their mission, but now, Crystalline was alone, the Darkness too stifling underground to resurrect her Chosen. Days later, she found their connection, their bond, fade, and Crystalline grieved. He had stayed dead in the Darkness' abyssal hold for too long.
And now, here she was, pulsating her light around her to replace what she had lost.
Ignoring the tendrils of red wrapping around the debris, Crystalline hovered a safe distance away from prying eyes; with their enhancements, it was easy to hear the mechanical workings of the Splicer's limbs from miles away, giving the Ghost ample time to hide if need be.
But just as she heard metal limbs grinding against each other, a familiar tug forced her to turn, her white optic spotting two rusted storage units. Feeling a tingle within her core, Crystalline glided over, scanning her light as she hovered between them. That is when she felt her light click.
Deaf to her surroundings, Crystalline shifted her focus, her attention to her discovery, scanning through the snow and dirt. And it didn't take long to for her to find a skeletal remain.
Although knowing it takes years for a body to decompose, Crystalline couldn't help but be surprised; most Chosen are nothing more than fragments. Most Ghosts are fortunate if they even find physical evidence of their Chosen before they are resurrected. To find a full skeletal remain however, and not to mention that this one is quite small.
As she scanned further, Crystalline started finding further problems.
Despite the small stature, she also took notice of the brittleness in the bones, signs of mended breaks evident but, none were the cause of their death. To the Ghost, it looked like they had simply laid here, curled in, and died. Natural causes perhaps. Something told her that this candidate was not suitable for the life of battle.
However, as she turned to leave, Crystalline felt her instincts tug at her core, her mind, whispering.
Why look for another when there is one here right in front of you?
It was deafening, a whirlwind in her sensors, and Crystalline found herself in a daze, a fog filtering into her core. Then, the next thing she knew, she realized she had extended her shell, exposing her core as her light settled over the Chosen she had found. Her Chosen.
Snow and dirt were the first to go, cleaning the skeletal remains before the muscle, the flesh took shape. Skin is next, Crystalline spotting tinges of brown before it was quickly covered by white armor, to help keep the body together through the resurrection process. Black strands then formed on the head, followed by the Chosen's twisted expression on their face before it was quickly covered by the swept back helmet of a Titan. Then finally, a deep gasp, body twitching as air was forced into their lungs.
Sending out one final wave of light for stability, Crystalline then let the Chosen settle, seeing them collapsed onto their hands and knees, trembling.
"Are you alright?"
Crystalline tentatively glided close to the newborn, seeing them slowly lift their gaze towards her. However, as she came close, she came to realize that something wasn't right.
The Ghost had seen her fair share of Chosen of short stature, some hardly even reaching the chest of their fellows, but the one before her is especially small. And thin, underdeveloped in her sight. It was only when her Chosen tried to stand, struggling to keep steady, that she finally realized.
"Why in the�" She breathed out, sensing a confused stare from the newborn, "You are, you are just a child."
