Sera was in the dark, wading through hip deep water, she had no idea where she was.
"Hello little one." A familiar voice echoed in the darkness of her mind. "Tell mother what you are doing."
Sera started moving faster, the water thick... And there where things floating in it, she had to get away, had to keep her daughter safe.
"Now now, it's not nice to hide things from mother.... Who are you hiding." The voice was both a bellow and a whisper, twisting through her like a knife.
With out warning, two great search lights shone into he darkness, revealing that Sera was in fact wading through blood, the things floating in it where bodies, she could feel bile rise in her throat as she looked up at the source of the light to see it come from Praetor Tilman, floating over the lake of blood.
"You dirtied you hands to keep someone safe....tell mother who you hide...TELL ME!"
Sera jerked awake, blinking wildly as she grabbed for the night stand, finding the light switch she flicked it on.... She was in her bed, in one of Seraph's spare rooms in King's Row... She brought her hands to her face and shuddered. She didn't want to go back to sleep, she needed air.
Getting to her feet, she poked her head out into the corridor, shuffling out bare footed, she walked by each room, pausing as she saw light under one door, gently she knocked on it. "Hello?" She called softly.
She heard a cough. "Come in." It was Neph, Seraph's daughter that got pulled into Praetoria. Opening the door, Sera could not help but smile as she smelt smoke and saw Neph grinding out a cigar, the cyborg looking at her. "Sorry, habit I got hooked on in the resistance, helped with the sewer smell." Neph explained.
Sera walked over and sat on her bed. "I don't blame you.... Tell me, when you worked for the resistance.... Do you regret any of it?"
Neph's face took on a pained look. "There where times I could of done better... Tried harder to save lives... Why do you ask?"
Sera took a deep breath. "I... Had to do things, things I'm not proud of to keep Lief and myself out of the seer program and safe in the tunnels, I... I am haunted by some of what I did, but I kept telling myself it was for Lief...." She could feel tears stinging her eyes.
Neph gently rested a mechanical arm around the elf's shoulders. "I can guess, I heard of some of the darker things they did in the name of freedom.... You want to know it is okay." Neph took a deep breath. "It isn't, that blood is on our hands, those cries of mercy in our ears, we will live with that until our dying days."
Sera looked at Neph. "Then... What do I do?"
Neph sighed. "Spend every day, trying to make up for it, to make this world a better place, do that no one else must do as you did."
Sera wiped her eyes. "You are wise kid."
Neph shrugged. "I read a lot."
"Seraph and Tish are lucky to have you.... Thank you." Sera gently kisses the cyborg on the forehead before getting up.
"Hello little one." A familiar voice echoed in the darkness of her mind. "Tell mother what you are doing."
Sera started moving faster, the water thick... And there where things floating in it, she had to get away, had to keep her daughter safe.
"Now now, it's not nice to hide things from mother.... Who are you hiding." The voice was both a bellow and a whisper, twisting through her like a knife.
With out warning, two great search lights shone into he darkness, revealing that Sera was in fact wading through blood, the things floating in it where bodies, she could feel bile rise in her throat as she looked up at the source of the light to see it come from Praetor Tilman, floating over the lake of blood.
"You dirtied you hands to keep someone safe....tell mother who you hide...TELL ME!"
Sera jerked awake, blinking wildly as she grabbed for the night stand, finding the light switch she flicked it on.... She was in her bed, in one of Seraph's spare rooms in King's Row... She brought her hands to her face and shuddered. She didn't want to go back to sleep, she needed air.
Getting to her feet, she poked her head out into the corridor, shuffling out bare footed, she walked by each room, pausing as she saw light under one door, gently she knocked on it. "Hello?" She called softly.
She heard a cough. "Come in." It was Neph, Seraph's daughter that got pulled into Praetoria. Opening the door, Sera could not help but smile as she smelt smoke and saw Neph grinding out a cigar, the cyborg looking at her. "Sorry, habit I got hooked on in the resistance, helped with the sewer smell." Neph explained.
Sera walked over and sat on her bed. "I don't blame you.... Tell me, when you worked for the resistance.... Do you regret any of it?"
Neph's face took on a pained look. "There where times I could of done better... Tried harder to save lives... Why do you ask?"
Sera took a deep breath. "I... Had to do things, things I'm not proud of to keep Lief and myself out of the seer program and safe in the tunnels, I... I am haunted by some of what I did, but I kept telling myself it was for Lief...." She could feel tears stinging her eyes.
Neph gently rested a mechanical arm around the elf's shoulders. "I can guess, I heard of some of the darker things they did in the name of freedom.... You want to know it is okay." Neph took a deep breath. "It isn't, that blood is on our hands, those cries of mercy in our ears, we will live with that until our dying days."
Sera looked at Neph. "Then... What do I do?"
Neph sighed. "Spend every day, trying to make up for it, to make this world a better place, do that no one else must do as you did."
Sera wiped her eyes. "You are wise kid."
Neph shrugged. "I read a lot."
"Seraph and Tish are lucky to have you.... Thank you." Sera gently kisses the cyborg on the forehead before getting up.
Neph: I wanna fight!