Svenja's eyes narrowed. "Kurovika, huh?" she repeated, the name rolling off her tongue. "An' what business do ye have with us?"
Kurovika remained unperturbed, her gaze unflinching as she responded, "My business...well, let's just say, I have a certain interest in keeping an eye on you two.”
Ahina, remaining as calm as possible, asked, "And what is this 'interest' you have in us? Like, YOU'RE more interesting than us! Why or how is your skin darker than a black hole?” she added with a curious tone.
Kurovika crossed her arms with a slight scowl. “...I was afflicted with Necrospace,”
“...Necrospace, innit?” Svenja echoed, her eyebrows raised in interest. “Sounds like somethin’ serious. How’d ye even get afflicted with it in the first place?”
Kurovika's expression darkened for a moment, clearly not eager to discuss the details. Her gaze darted between Svenja and Ahina, as if weighing whether she should even share the information. After a short pause, she relented and answered, her voice somewhat resigned.
"Necrospace," she started, her lips twisting into a bitter smile, "It's a rare and unpredictable disease that mutates the victim's body on a cellular level.”
“Mutates?” Ahina interjected, her curiosity piqued. “And it gave you that black skin, and those eyes?”
Kurovika nodded, her gaze distant. “Black skin, glowing eyes, and these markings…” she said, gesturing to the multi-colored tattoos that glowed all over her body. “All part of the mutation. Necrospace not only changes the body, but it also grants the infected with certain…abilities.”
Svenja's eyes widened at this revelation. “Abilities?” she repeated, a hint of disbelief in her voice. “Like what?”
"Well," Kurovika started, "I have greater strength, endurance, agility, and masterful control of Void Magic, especially the Dark variation of it. I can also sense danger before it happens, and I even have regenerative abilities."
She paused, her eyes narrowing as if recalling something unpleasant. "But it comes with a price.”
Ahina leaned forward. "What do you mean, a price?”
"As the disease progresses," Kurovika explained, a hint of bitterness in her voice, "It slowly consumes the mind. I've already started to experience memory loss, as well as mood swings and moments of extreme aggression.”
Svenja and Ahina exchanged a quick glance, the gravity of the situation sinking in. "So this Necrospace not only changes your body but also your mind...?" Ahina asked, her voice low.
Kurovika nodded, her gaze darkening further. "It eats away at your memories, your personality... everything that makes you who you are. And the worse part is, there is no cure. At least, not yet.”
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Svenja let out a low whistle, her eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Damn, that's rough, mate. Is there any way to slow down the progression, at least?”
Kurovika's face tightened at the question. "There are methods to try to control the mutations, but they're not guaranteed. And the longer Necrospace is left unchecked, the less chance there is of slowing it down. It's essentially a ticking time bomb, and no one knows when it will explode.”
Ahina's gaze turned sympathetic. "So, you're basically stuck in this never-ending battle against your own body…”
Kurovika gave a bitter laugh. "You could say that, yeah. Every day is a fight for survival. Fighting against the disease, fighting against my own mind…sometimes, it feels like I'm losing both battles.”
Svenja reached out and placed a hand on Kurovika's shoulder, her grip firm but gentle. "Oi, ye ain't alone in this. We're here for ya. We'll do whatever we can to help."
Ahina nodded, her eyes filled with determination. "That's right. We won't let this disease win, no matter what.”
Kurovika's gaze softened at the words, gratitude and vulnerability in her eyes. It was clear that she hadn't experienced such support in a long time. "I appreciate that," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "More than you know.”
"Ye don't haveta go through this alone," Svenja reassured, her grip on Kurovika's shoulder firm, comforting. "We're in this together. If this Necrospace is gonna try to fight ya, it's gonna needa fight all a’ us too."
Ahina nodded, her eyes resolute. "You're part of our team now, like it or not. And we don't leave each other behind.”
Kurovika couldn't help but crack a small smile for the first time at their words. "I...I'm not really used to having a team. Or friends, for that matter."
She paused for a moment, her expression becoming more somber. "You both should probably know... As Necrospace progresses, there will be times when I'm not myself. The disease will take over, and I might become a danger to myself and others.”
Svenja's grip on Kurovika's shoulder tightened slightly, her eyes narrowing with conviction. "We know. But we ain't gonna give up on ya, no matter what. We'll find a way through this, together."
Ahina nodded in agreement, her voice firm. "We know the risks, and we're willing to take them. You're not a burden, you're a member of our team now.”
Kurovika's eyes filled with a glimmer of hope at their words. "You guys are nuts," she said, a hint of humor in her voice. "No one in their right mind would sign up for dealing with a ticking time bomb like me.”
Svenja chuckled. "We never claimed to be in our right minds."
Ahina chimed in with a smirk. "Besides, we like a little danger. Keeps things interesting.”
Kurovika rolled her eyes, a small laugh escaping her lips. "Yeah, you two are definitely crazy."
For the first time since they'd started talking, a sliver of genuine warmth reached her glowing eyes.
Svenja and Ahina shared a glance, their own grins growing wider at the sight of Kurovika's rare smile.
"Damn right, we are," Svenja agreed, her tone lighthearted. "Good thing we found each other, then. We're a buncha nutcases.”
Ahina chuckled in agreement. "Well, they say the best teams are the ones built on mutual craziness."
The room fell silent for a moment as Kurovika considered their words. The gravity of their decision to stay by her side through this disease was sinking in, for all of them. As Ahina took another good look at the glowing markings on Kurovika's black body…suddenly, it hit her. “Woah wait, where are your clothes?!”
Kurovika blinked at the sudden change in topic, but kept a composed exterior. “You're seriously just now realizing? Anyways, I'm unable to wear any clothing due to Necrospace since the fabric becomes infected with the Darkness and wither away like ashes.”
After the initial shock of Kurovika's appearance, Ahina's curious nature couldn't help but get the better of her. "Wait a second...so you're legit just walking around here without any clothes?" She looked Kurovika up and down, still trying to process the unexpected sight of her bare body.
Kurovika shrugged. "It's a condition of my affliction. As I said, any fabric that makes contact with my body is instantly destroyed. So, I've had to adapt. But—even though you cannot see it due to my skin's color blending into it, I do utilize my Dark Aura to cover up my…private bits.”
Ahina and Svenja exchanged a quick glance, clearly still taken aback, but understanding the unique situation. “Damn…that must be something else. But hey, I guess looking like a goddess makes up for it, huh?” Ahina said with a slight smirk.
Kurovika rolled her eyes at the comment. “Yes, because being naked all the time is truly a dream come true,” she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Kurovika then let out a soft sigh, realizing her lack of clothing was a constant distraction for these two. "Now can we please move on from my attire, or rather...lack thereof?”
"Right, right, sorry ‘bout that," Svenja apologized, realizing they had probably made Kurovika a bit uncomfortable.
Ahina nodded in agreement, "Yeah, just...caught us a bit off guard. But we understand that it's not exactly something you have control over. Anyways, we're looking for someone here named Evelynn, if you happen to know who that is.”
Kurovika nodded, looking to her right before taking a step forward. “Yes, I do. She is much deeper into the depths of this realm, in her usual spot. I can take you both to her if you're willing to tag along. Come.” she commanded, turning her back to the other two women and walking forward, with them following her closely.