Protecting meant something, right?
Per'kele had been clear there would be danger. And that there would be fourteen participants.
Counting the passengers, Samarie noted twelve passengers left alive on the train, meaning there was either one or more in the city of Prehevil…
And what of the other passengers of the train?
Only their bodies remained. Torn limb from limb in their seats. A literal pool of blood gathering on the floors of their train cars.
Thankfully, none of them were near Marina. Her super secret crush having picked a seat closer to the conductor to rid herself of the poors near the back.
So graceful, Marina…. So elegant!
It was expected. For one such as her, those kinds of actions came naturally.
Marina would never dare lower herself to the same level as common folk… that was also why she was not yet allowed to stand next to her…
But that didn't mean she couldn't be in her thoughts.
Reaching out through one of her spells, she entered an ether space of consciousness.
It was like swimming through a thick soup. One that was flavored by everyone who thought and had ever lived.
Navigating the space was difficult, even in the most remote of locations…
However, Marina's consciousness was like a beacon that shone brighter than any star. More dazzling than any diamond. More precious than any amount of money or gold.
She would never need a marker or tracker to spot where to go. After all, Marina was her goddess!
Although, thinking about Marina like other would of Lady Sylvian was quite shameful… She would never dirty her figure in such a way.
Samarie shook her head.
Not unless my Goddess-
She shook her head again.
Samarie was getting lost in Marina's beauty. She couldn't be too transfixed on her radiance, lest Samarie fail in the one job she was required of.
Besides, it wasn't like her Goddess would ever notice her… She was too ugly for that…
Entering Marina's consciousness, she was able to see everything she saw, hear everything she thought.
She was one with her Goddess, and it was more euphoric than her rituals to Sylvian.
Sometimes, she'd imagine Marina as the avatar of-
Clamping down on her thoughts, Samarie took a calming breath, before slipping deeper, watching event unfold.
{---}
The smell of forest dew on the leaves, of the cold morning air.
Marina stood outside the train, arms crossed, and standing around a group of others who endured that nightmare.
Of course, she was just barely able to run away after casting Hurting on the workshop's Janitor, as it were.
However, it seemed as the others weren't as lucky as I was.
Some had their limbs torn, forced to work the factory line until they were able to sneak away.
Others were able to fight back with their first.
One wouldn't say, but with the expression on the disgusting man's face, Marina doubted she wanted to hear what it was.
Shaking her head, Marina massaged her temples. A slight irritation irking her as the blonde continued to rant.
"This is a conspiracy by the Brehmen Empire. The Kaiser put sleeping gas laced with hallucinogens to make us compliant!" The woman, Karin raved.
"But isn't it such a big coincidence that we all had the same dream?" A man wearing an eye patch pointed out. "Besides, the front three cars were the only ones to have survivors. Have you seen what happened behind us?"
A collective shudder shook through the survivors of the train.
Although, blondie still was not convinced.
"Of course you'd think it's some hippie nonsense, you dress like a lunatic cultist," She scoffed, crossing her arms. "Besides, we all saw that soldier who ran earlier. He clearly went to the other train cars and slaughtered them under the Kaiser's orders."
Even for her, it was quite the stretch.
But, if the woman didn't want to believe there were supernatural elements afoot, then that was her problem.
She knew there was something beneath the surface…
"Now, let's all calm down." The lady in a wheelchair, Olivia cautioned, trying to be the voice of reason in a place where reason was in short supply. "We might find an answer to all of this if we look around enough. We might even find it in the city."
"Well, the way we came seemed to be a dead end. Fog's so thick that I walk right back out, even when I was following the tracks." A tough guy wearing a trench coat, Marcoh, said.
"See! We're under the effects of a hallucinogen. How can you walk right back where you started if the train didn't even make a loop on the way here?"
Marcoh scoffed at the notion he was either stupid or high, but it seemed like the woman had enough of everything. "That's it. Maybe I'll find the real reason why in the city. I'm sure it'll be a huge scoop!"
"Hey," Daan called the retreating woman. "It could be dangerous out there. And what about the Brehmen soldier you've been so worried about? Too proud to think he wouldn't take a stab at you too?"
Turning back for just a moment, the blonde pulled up her own weapon, a handgun, and the confidence to show she knew how to use it.
"I've covered wars, you know? Maybe read some of the news about the war happening, you might just find my name as one of the writers."
With that, she left without another word. Leaving the rest of the group in silence.
"So, you think you can get the train running again?" Asked the person helping the mechanic fix the engine.
"I might need some parts to get the train operational again," The mechanic said, wiping some sweat off her forehead. "Engine's busted, and the conductor is nowhere to be found…"
"Suspicious, isn't it?" Daan questioned, lighting a cigarette. "All this happens, and nobody has a single clue as to how it happened."
"Right-o," An eastern man agreed, glancing at the watch on his wrist. "Howeva, I am running late. I must meetu with a busuness partner." Tipping his Fedora, the man walked into the thicket, disappearing past some trees.
"And I'll follow along," The mechanic perked up. "With any luck, we might be able to fix up the train with some parts from Prehevil. But, I'll need a guide since I'm not very familiar with the city's layout."
Looking at the situation, Marina shrugged.
What was the worst that could happen?
If the group needed a guide, there wouldn't be anyone better than her. Even if she was as familiar with the slums as she was with the city proper.
"I'll take you up on that offer." She offered.
The help coming easily enough, as the female mechanic smile back, offering a hand to shake. "Abella. Though, my friends call me Bella for short."
"My name's Marina… Isn't that just a letter off from your actual name?"
Abella helplessly shrugged, a fond smile on her face. "Can't help it, you know. Some of the guys back at the shop I used to work at were just more familiar with Bella, than Abella. 'Sides, it slides off the tongue better."
Marina shrugged as well. She really couldn't argue with that logic.
"Well then, Bella. You won't find a better guide to the city of Prehevil than me. I've been walking these streets since I was born."
"I like that energy Marina, thanks!" Bella laid out her hand, grease stained as it was.
Still, it would be rude not to accept.
Shaking it, Marina took out a map she'd found in her train compartment. She then pointed out where they might be able to find the parts they needed.
{---}
A seething, boiling anger bloom from Samarie's chest. Like a furnace the continued and continued to burn, she felt as though she was about to explode.
However, it was then a thought struck her.
Would Marina appreciate it, if Samarie barged in and disturbed her, when for all intents and purposes, they were just doing things like that to make the work quicker?
Would she appreciate it if Marina barged into her work because she didn't like something, even if what she was doing for Marina would help her too?
No…
Samarie wouldn't appreciate it.
It felt weird… But maybe Samarie should think about how she would feel if she were in Marina's shoes and she continued with her plan of action.
Her fists clenched.
Not out of anger, but guilt.
For all she could read other's thoughts, she never once had the idea to put herself in the perspective of another person.
The Vatican had scarred her. Broken the girl who could have been Samarie. And for what?
If she wanted Marina to acknowledge her, she needed to show that she was better than anyone else… But how?
She could be more confident in herself?
It was a start, but how would she go about this?
Samarie pondered, hard. But each and every idea she was able to come up with all came back to acting more like Marina…
However, Samarie knew she couldn't act like that.
So confident. Free.
That first time they had met under the frankincense scented halls of the Vatican.
She bore a mask, her face covered from the world, as she was paraded as a sinner.
They were punishing her.
A failed escape attempt from another one of her sibling had made the experiments harsher. Then another "forced" them to do this.
They encouraged others to strike her, an assortment of tools laid out on a table, her blood seeping onto a circle of chalk laid on a floor.
"This is normal" They said.
"You deserve it!" They repeated.
Samarie's mind had reached out that day, for the first time.
It scoured the Vatican, anywhere. Searching for someone to stop it.
No mind was safe.
Except for a girl sitting by a window.
She could do whatever she wanted.
She wasn't disfigured at all, not a blemish on her body.
That girl wasn't burdened by punishment. Nor did she revel in it.
But instead, she acted out of selfless action. Acting not because she had been forced to, but because she wanted to.
Suddenly, Samarie's pain lightened.
Not because they had stopped.
But because she had realized there was more to everything than just living day to day.
There was hope.
And she just wanted Marina to feel the hope that she herself was able to experience.
It was just rather unfortunate that her body had been so depraved. As it were, she would need more than a blessing to make sure she wouldn't taint Marina's body…
So, how would Samarie become more confident on her own?
She wouldn't.
Samarie wasn't going to show her face. While she might have been more self aware, she still wasn't ready to reveal herself to Marina, not just yet… some time soon, but not now…