Wipsy murmurs seemed to ring out from the glass and shadows as small black hands dug into Elizabeth’s skin. The chandelier became the only source of light that burned throughout the room, creating long shadows behind everyone.

General Kristiansen walked up right beneath her, chin angled up as if he could look down on her even though she was much higher than him. “Do you have any accomplices, beautiful?”

Her face twisted with other rage and hatred, her body trembling as she struggled against the hands. Eyes blazing with fury, she spat down towards him, the bead landing on his face before slowly trickling down. He met her gaze, wiping it off with a handkerchief before he pocketed it in silent hatred.

Turning back toward everyone else, unbothered by the booming whispers that spread among them, he adjusted his jacket. “What do we think about a show trial here? Mr. and Mrs. Song, do you have any objections?”

Alyssa’s mother took a passionate step forward. “None at all! She’s a criminal, a monster! I recognize her! She tried to hurt my daughter just before the fundraiser,” she cried, burying her face in her hands.

Juro: We need to interfere now! They’ll kill her on the spot if we don’t.

Morrigan: Stop. Don’t do anything. You’ll reveal all our identities.

Juro: She needs help! We can’t just sit here and watch!

Morrigan: Juro, stop! Trust me!

“Let’s see what’ll happen with you accomplices, beautiful,” General Kristiansen said with a smile slowly creeping up his face. His eyes were crazed, manic. “Leiths — have fun.”

Juro ripped the paralysis gun from the holster and quickly fired multiple shots toward where the chandelier met the ceiling as Bruno crouched down, covering his ears. The chandelier came crashing down, shattering on impact as it rang out in rippling shockwaves.

The shrieks within the chandeliers ceased as the room was left in complete darkness other than the peeping moon, the shadows gripping Elizabeth now vanishing — there was no more light for shadows to even exist. As Elizabeth hurdled toward the ground Juro sprinted toward her, trying to break her fall. She crashed down on his arms, the weight causing Juro to fall onto the ground. She stood up, shoving him back.

“Goddamn you. Goddamn you. I don’t need anyone to help me!” she spat, getting right back onto her feet.

The room's lighting was adjusted as light bulbs were quickly turned on, but not before Elizabeth ripped two glistening knives from her holster. Alyssa’s eyes widened as she grabbed Morrigan’s shoulders, screaming.

“Was that what was in the tote bag?” She said, her voice tense as her hands dug her fingers into Morrigan’s shoulders.

“What?”

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“The tote bag!” she cried, grabbing Morrigan even harder, “you brought those weapons into my house and look at where we are now! I told you Morrigan, I told you! I told you!”

“They were a precaution! If we didn’t bring them, Elizabeth would have died! She’s the only one that could wield them.”

“Where did you even get them?” Alyssa looked completely defeated as she still clung onto Morrigan’s shoulders. Every finger, every look, everything seemed to scream at Morrigan to reassure her, to take it all back, and it was all too raw and desperate.

Morrigan grabbed Alyssa’s hands and pried them off of her. “Victor. They rely on human energy based on how confident you are weidling them. Are you happy now?” Morrigan met Alyssa’s glare one more moment before heading toward Elizabeth.

Alyssa ran into the crowd, shouting at all the Leiths, her voice bellowing over the chaos, ethereal and thrilling. “Everyone, get out of here! We don’t know how many there are!”

Elizabeth lunged forward toward General Kristiansen, both knives in hand as she ran forward with stunning agility and technicality. The hands began to fire toward her again as the flames grew, and she would quickly slide back into the confines of the dark room, her now bare feet skidding on the tile, before sprinting at General Kristiansen again. General Kristiansen met her still with far superior skill with his bare hands, the Leith guards now encircling a horrifiying Elizabeth.

Morrigan headed straight toward the fire Leiths who were illuminating the room, reaching her hands up as she tried to quell their flames as they licked the ceiling. Morrigan gasped in pain at the overwhelming struggle, her dress bursting into flames as they overwhelmed her. She quickly healed her burns by putting it out, glaring through her brows as she tried to put out their fire. One Leith shot a fire with terrifying accuracy at her face, causing her skin to erupt in an overbearing heat as she screamed, desperately trying to heal her skin.

Morrigan barred her teeth, throwing the flames out from her body and around her as she screamed in anger, redirecting all of it toward the Leiths.

Help. She barely got out the thought as her lungs started to burn up. She felt a burning feeling on her bare foot, and looking down, she realized the melted plastic clumps scattered across the floor. Realizing the chandelier was only an acrylic display, laughter nearly bubbles up and out of her throat, sizzling and branding her throat in its spite.

[Th e m an. W or k ed w i th Wat er P oten ate.]

Morrigan quickly turned around, running from the Leiths. She spotted Alyssa from the corner of her eye quickly escorting them out, her dress tattered and spotted with black soot. Morrigan desperately searched around the room, skidding to a halt when she spotted Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was lying on the floor, trying to crawl her way up with a crazed look in her depraved face as General Kristiansen pummeled her with his bare hands. He lifted her up before tossing her like a ragdoll across the room, slamming her into a wall as her body splayed out like an annihilated roach. Hacking up blood she continued to try to get up, the knives still in her hands.

“Not even Leith technology can save a whore like you,” he declared, slowly walking up to her as if he was stalking his prey.

She clutched her stomach, blood welding between her fingers as she screamed, sprinting up to him while swinging the knives.

“Elizabeth!” Morrigan shrieked, reaching out to her before being slammed into the ground from the eruption behind her.

Morrigan turned around, watching the fountain explode as the man she had been looking for was warping the water and turning it into long, menacing icicles, throwing it straight at Juro and Bruno, who had been watching Juro's back. Juro dove toward the ground on top of Bruno before he aimed the paralysis gun at the man, hitting him clear in the neck. The man stumbled for a moment before collapsing to the ground, eyes panicking.

Morrigan looked down on his paralyzed body, hesitating for a moment before her face hardened. She reached a hand down toward the man and watched the life perish in his eyes, the last thing they’d ever see being her own lively ones bearing down sin and judgment upon him.

[I t w or ke d.]