Chapter Text
It’s not your fault.
You can hardly be blamed for not recognising the red silk or the blade carved sigil.
Most of all, you can hardly be blamed for not recognising her.
It had barely been a week since the Upper Circle had deemed you worthy to carry your duties out in the field. The real world, with real consequences and real monsters. Your trial had been tedious, but the verdict was largely in your favour, with authorities clearly trying to sweep their declining statistics under the rug with a shiny new mantlepiece. You.
Your attending peers, young demigods— just like you— were visibly shocked when the announcement was made of your prompt departure into Zaun. With the city’s grimy track record, you’d be lying if a surge of frustration didn’t swell in your throat the moment the word was given. You were no fighter, not trained in any sort of aggressive, physical combat. Hell, you weren’t offered a self-defence session like you’d seen the temple guards go through. And apparently, you weren’t even important enough to be briefed on any major criminals to avoid, of which you know Zaun was nothing short of teeming with. The only name you knew to avoid was Silco. It was well known that anyone who came remotely close to Silco or his colleagues would not be making it out alive. You’d lost count of how many of your brothers and sisters had fallen victim to his clutches during rescue missions, only to have their throats slit or to be enslaved and experimented on like lab rats for his drug. It leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, but as a mere demigoddess, you have little say in whose hands your fate falls into. You’re not really even a certified Healer, having yet to undergo your final test under the judgement of the greater Gods of Healing.
But crime waits for no man or goddess.
And you’d come to find that it rewards them far less.
You’re thrust into your work with amateur skill and a dangerously kind heart. It isn’t easy, but you’re just… carrying out your duties to the best of your abilities. So it really isn’t your fault you’ve just innocently saved the life of one of the most notorious linchpins the Undercity has ever harboured.
Still, Sevika can’t wait to see the look on your face when you find out.
- - - - - - - - - -
The altercation you ‘save’ her from was just another cleanup operation. Sevika certainly wasn’t new to these. Except this one had gone slightly pear-shaped. Unsurprisingly, eliminating an assassin proved to be a bit more fine tuned than the average apostate, and it had left her— albeit victorious— badly brutalised with her Shimmer arm tangled unforgivingly in a barbed fence.
“Hello? Is… is someone there? I heard a noise.”
Sevika halts her attempts at tugging free at the voice that flits through the air. It’s too soft, too feminine and far too naive for any native of these rougher city parts. Through dirty vision, she squints in the direction of your voice.
And then, through the hissing smoke of exposed piping, like a flame in the night, you emerge with a hand over your mouth and the other navigating out ahead. Unbeknownst to you, Sevika had seen you first, and it was taking everything in her not to burst out laughing at the sight of you. God, are you unfitting for a place like this. It’s positively ridiculous, your pristine white uniform, with not so much as a crease in the sleeve. Where did you think you were being subtle, here?
“I wouldn’t be here if I were you, little girl,” the strange woman spits as you approach within earshot. “The show’s over, get lost.”
Show? Over?
You shake your head, ignoring the insult. She seems coherent, despite the very obvious blood loss from that unsightly gash in her side. You don’t understand anything else she says because she’s obviously in shock from her injuries, so she probably doesn’t either. You’re focused on your job. Free her, heal her and notify The Upper Circle of your rescue.
You’re too busy to notice how the woman’s eyes widen at the way you’re able to pry at the barbed wire without so much as a scratch on your skin. As if that wasn’t confirmation enough, the slow, pulsating glow that emits from your palms confirms her suspicions instantly.
A healer.
You’re a minor goddess.
Sevika had seen your kind every now and again, sometimes on the missions Silco sent her on. But if Silco was the wolf, your kind were hyenas sans killer instincts— you only appeared in the aftermath, only saved the victims.
So why the hell are you here?
You scan the surroundings after getting the bloodied woman out of her confines and safely away from the fence. Bullet shrapnel and broken glass litter the ground you tread. There’s a distinct smell of chemicals and singed metal, but that’s nothing out of the ordinary. You conclude that the altercation must’ve been terrible and whoever this was was lucky she’d made it out alive. Amongst the rubble lies a scrap of ruby red cloth and a ring with some carvings in it that you choose to ignore in favour of locating any vital wounds.
“It’s okay, civilian. You’re safe with me,” you reassure, remembering your training to calm victims even if they don’t seem to be panicking.
Civilian? Sevika has to roll her eyes at this. Civilian, really? Even if you hadn’t taken heed of the insignia on her discarded ring, surely just the sight of her should’ve given you an inkling as to who you were dealing with. Had you still not noticed the neon purple chamber in her arm?
Are you pretending not to know?
Are you working with Topside?
Is this all just a ploy to gain Silco’s trust?
Or… Her dark lips curl up humourlessly. Are you genuinely that clueless? If that really is the case, then that’s… perfect.
Sevika sucks in a sharp breath as you place your hand over a major laceration, but quickly sighs in relief once your healing takes effect. The light from your palm intensifies to a blinding radiance and she has to screw her eyes shut to block it out. Sensing her discomfort, you place your other hand on her chest.
“Don’t worry, everything will be okay now. I’m here to help.”
This time, Sevika does laugh. Your brow raises in concern as you catch her poorly concealed smirk. Though you have been taught that humans do tend to have inappropriate responses when their systems are in shock, so you brush it off yet again. Another oddity about your first rescue mission. Just focus and get this over with, you tell yourself.
As soon as the last cut closes, you help the woman to her feet, doing your best not to reveal how exhausted you are from using that much of your magic to stitch her up. You’re standing opposite each other and she’s already pulling her phone out to text someone. After a second, she looks up at you.
“Thank you so much for saving me. Please, do let me repay your kindness.”
Despite her exaggerated courtesy, a relieved smile blooms on your face. “It’s alright, really. Would you be okay with me escorting you home?” That is the final part of your job, after all. “I’d just want to make sure you’re completely safe.”
You extend your hand. It feels like misplaced judgement on your part, but her eyes almost glint with something… sinister, when she takes yours.
“Oh, I’d be so grateful if you would.”
- - - - - - - - - -
Things start getting clearer as you near your rescuee’s home.
A ‘home’, if you could call it that.
You’d pass a person like her to live in a small apartment, maybe even underneath a tavern or something. However, whatever lay behind those heavy, ornate wooden doors of this… mansion, you were starting to doubt if you wanted to know. But with a strong sense of duty, and the even stronger hand curled around your shoulder, you weren’t sure you had much of a choice.
Why was this beginning to feel… wrong.
Still, you’re a Healer. The comfort and security of others is an innate priority of yours, and you’re determined to make this rescuee feel as comfortable as you can. Even if it’s at your own expense. It’s why you don’t protest when she shows you the inside of her house that peculiarly enough doesn’t have a bed, a kitchen or any other common household amenity. It’s why you just smile and nod when she explains what all the complex machinery spanning wall to wall is for. And it’s why, even as genuine fear prickles in your chest when you see the gargantuan vat of liquid amethyst bubbling above both your heads, you graciously show your appreciation for her time and tell her you have to get going.
Sevika takes your hand again, but seems to acquiesce.
She lets go once you reach the entrance to bid you goodbye. “Tell me though, Healer, why would you save me?”
You think she’s being modest, so you chuckle softly. “Ah, it’s nothing, really.” You can’t resist the humourous quip. “And hey, I wouldn’t be a very good Healer if I didn’t save an innocent life!”
“Mine?” Sevika steps closer.
You instinctively take a step back. You keep your eyes trained on the woman currently looking a bit too scheming for your comfort. “O-Of course!”
“You know who I am, don’t you… you know who I work for.”
“Know you? No… n-no, I—”
“Don’t lie to me, sweetheart. You’re not even a little scared?” She takes another step.
You do the same. Though… you’re not quite sure why you’re backing away from the victim you’ve supposedly just rescued.
“I promise, I’m not lying,” you reply, nerves heavily setting in. “I’d only be scared of one person here, and he’s a man and you’re obviously not him, so I’m really not… scared.” The words tumble out of your mouth before you can stop yourself.
“Ah, this ‘man’.” Sevika raises a brow, folding her arms in front of her. “Who might he be?”
“Oh, uh, Silco! My family has an unfortunate history with his um… organisation.” You’re unaware of how emotional you are. “My brother was actually the latest one to try to stop him, but it—” the painful memory of your late sibling makes your voice quiver, “— it didn’t work.”
Call it a weakness, but the silence prompts your rambling.
“I know I’m just a minor god, but if there was anything I could do to put him behind bars, I would see to it personally.” Your fists clench at your sides and Sevika takes note of it. You’ve let on too much.
You shouldn’t have said that.
“What happened to your brother?” She asks, half aware of how low her voice has gotten.
“M-My brother?” You scoff, even though you didn’t mean to. “That… that lunatic and his damned drug— ”
“Drug,” Sevika interrupts, calmly stepping into your personal space until you’re forced to look up at her. Even with your modest height, she towers over you. “What do you know about it, hm?”
“I— ” Is it fair to say that you feel cornered right now? A voice, an instinct deep inside you is telling you to run. You ignore it. This woman is still a civilian, right? It isn’t uncommon for them to have questions, as prying as they may be. “W-Well… I don’t know its name, but it’s… it’s a bright colour, from what I’ve heard. And I would imagine it looks something like— ”
And it’s in that moment that your eyes fall naturally to the vial of glowing purple secured in her prosthetic arm. The whole contraption that had seemed so much less villainous when it was caught in barbed wire.
Sevika's smile glistens.
Your heart drops.
“— like… that.”
The grin on her face only grows. It took you a while, but you got there eventually. “So you’re not just a pretty airhead then. You do recognise this.”
You try to step away from her but in a movement too quick for you to process, mechanical fingers have your shirt collar in an iron grip. Literally. The scarred woman leans in with a snarl. “And do you know me, now?”
Oh god, oh god. You absolute idiot. How could you have been so blind? How did you not bolt on sight? You might’ve been a rookie, but everyone knew of Silco’s right hand man… or in this case, very intimidating woman. The metal arm, the ring, the literal drug in her… you should’ve known. You should’ve left her trapped in that fence.
“S-Sevika.”
“Aaand she finally gets it,” Sevika scorns. “A pleasure to meet you too.” She’s far too enthusiastic for someone who as good as murdered your family member. “And of course, as much as I’d love to see you go, I can’t do that now, can I?”
Breath leaves you in short, shallow pants. Are you having a panic attack? Is this what hyperventilating feels like? It’s your turn to go into shock. She’s so close to you. “W-Why?”
“Why do you think? You know my name, who I work for, what we do. Hell, you’ve seen one of our factories and exactly what lies in it.” It dawns on you that the charming little tour she gave you served a purpose as well. “And hey, I wouldn’t be a very good villain if I just… let you snitch, would I?”
You want to throw up. If Sevika wants to kill you— and why wouldn’t she?— you’re dead.
When your pleading eyes get you nowhere, you resort to sheer brawn. “I-If you don’t release me, I’ll—”
“You’ll what, baby?”
“I’ll fight,” you whisper.
You’re struggling against her hold, and Sevika doesn’t resist the urge to laugh. “You’ll fight… me.” It’s a ridiculous scenario, but that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t like to see you try.
Before you can retort, the scent of gravel hits your nose. Sevika had suddenly relented her grip on you, letting you fall to the ground. Instantly, your self-preservation instincts kick in, and you haul yourself to your feet and run. All prospects of hand-to-hand combat with a killing machine like Sevika overwhelmed by the urge to just survive. You run— doesn’t matter which direction, as long as it’s away from that damned factory and away from her.
You can already hear the sound of heavy boots getting closer and closer.
Hot adrenaline sears your veins. The air is ice cold in your throat. You aren’t a fighter. You aren’t. As powerful as your magic may be, you aren’t invincible. And it shakes you to the core, thinking of what might become of you if Sevika manages to catch you.
Run. Run. Run.
Zaun feels like a maze to an outsider, and you couldn’t be more of one. All the turns look identical and everything is drenched in darkness. Your stamina depletes much faster thanks to having used so much concentrated energy for healing the one person who wants your head on a silver platter right now. It's hopeless. Your body forces you to stop, and you make a last ditch attempt at losing Sevika by throwing yourself into an adjacent alley.
Another dead-end.
You don’t wait a second longer. Turning on your heels, you begin hurtling out of the alleyway. But just as you get close to the end, the sight of a figure looming around the corner sends you skidding on the cobblestone, almost losing your balance. Your lip trembles and you shake your head as you back away, fear tight in your chest.
Eclipsing your only exit is Sevika. And she looks thrilled.
“Come here, little one.”