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[Re:Cursed] Chapter 27: Lockdown
🕑 Added 2025-02-10 11:42:10 +0000 UTCWhen Nix turned away from K’tan, she found Tarchon’s eyes on her. Those glass lenses flicked to the man she’d been discretely watching, but he revealed no emotion on his face. Though when Nix glanced back, K’tan was sweating.
It was impossible to tell how much Tarchon knew, and while she hoped he’d only looked her way because he’d recognised her, the intensity of his figure was enough that she questioned whether he knew everything. Her overseer must be experiencing a very similar feeling. Only he had a much more pressing reason to be concerned, considering Ari was still alive.
Tarchon gestured the embracing pair to return to the crowd, and cleared his throat. The noise more like that of a turbine revving than anything natural.
“An hour and fourteen minutes ago, Coral experienced a Dark Star Event.” His voice carried through the hall without any need to yell. It was simply louder. “The disaster’s proximity to the safe zone has left it corrupt far beyond safe levels. For the foreseeable future, the wards are on lockdown. Nobody is allowed to leave.”
The Technocultist glanced towards the shutter’s control panel, and without anyone operating it, the heavy doors shunted, beginning their slow descent.
“I will be back within the week to inspect for corruption.” He casually stepped outside while everyone watched on in silence. “As long as protocol has remained upkept, there won’t be a problem.”
The shutters clanged shut to the silence of the ward. There had been no ritual about it, no discussion or warning, Tarchon had locked them in without hearing a word of opposition.
Okay… he absolutely knows something, Nix thought, then glanced back to K’tan. And he thinks so too.
Completely forgetting the rest of the kids, the overseer was already storming towards the halls she’d once held classes. K’kali was only steps behind. Off to stress and fear together, out of sight of everyone else.
The silence lingered in the hall for a few moments before, almost as one, a thousands kids broke in chatter. So many fearful, worried, and excited voices mixed with the cries of toddlers. It was enough to give Nix a headache.
Without waiting for permission from the overseers that had far too much on their plates dealing with the tumultuous crowd, Nix slid down the corridor to her dorm. A couple other teens were doing the same, but for the most part, it remained empty.
While everyone talked about the Dark Star’s appearance and what they would now do that they were locked inside the Rearing Ward, Nix wanted to sleep. Not that she could just yet. She still needed to better cover her hands and treat her wounds. She could feel her old robe clinging to the blood.
Nix had wrapped herself in bandages before leaving the bath, but apparently it wasn’t enough to stop the blood seeping through. She was lucky it had yet to discolour her robe.
“Nix!”
She froze at the voice and tucked her hands back beneath her arms. Considering how he thought Ari had died, she hadn’t expected him to want to speak with her again tonight.
Spinning while trying to make the way she tucked her hands out of sight seem natural despite the lack of chill, she faced Dan. The boy was busy pulling a shaken Ari behind him.
That Tarchon hadn’t mentioned the dream-bug to any of the overseers seemed strange to Nix. Either he suspected all of them, or he simply didn’t have the time. There was a Dark Star Event going on outside; he likely had a lot to deal with right now.
The cages that were the Rearing Wards were designed almost explicitly for disasters like this, so even with that breach in the room a few down from her own, they were safe from the worst effects. Some of which she’d witnessed on her way back.
It wasn’t great when the lifeless trees reached for you. Or a missing tile revealed and endless hole.
The Dark Star Event she experienced in her last life had been pretty bad, but limited to the already heavily corrupt lower surface of Coral. This was right next to the safe zone. By tomorrow morning, there wouldn’t be anywhere left uncorrupted, if it wasn’t all already.
“Were you serious?” Dan asked. “Are you going to…”
He trailed off as Nix’s glare nearly burnt through him. Ari glanced between them confused, and Nix couldn’t help but be relieved that the girl didn’t seem to remember what had happened only an hour ago. She had been in the forced dream of that disgusting worm, but one didn’t always forget their dreams… only mostly.
“We can speak of that later,” she said and turned to Ari. “What happened? Did he take you?” Nix had to do her best to resist asking ‘what do you remember?’
“I… don’t know? I was asleep, but I think I was inside,” she said. “The Dark Star I mean; I think I was inside. My dream… my nightmare… I remember when it began. There were people all around, then suddenly they were gone. After that, I woke up outside, looking at the black star.”
For a moment there, Nix had felt her heart jump into her throat. If Ari remembered anything, it would be devastating. But, it was a dream, so the longer she left the memory, the more it would fade. By the morning, any slight glimmers that remained would be gone.
“We should go write everything you remember down,” Dan said, and without turning her head, Nix’s eyes found him. She could strangle him. That was the last thing they should do.
Technically, it was the proper action to take for anything dream and nightmare related, but she didn’t exactly want Ari to gain any insight. Normally, it would be right, because who knew what sort of creature was trying to reach through your slumber to bless, or curse you. And then there were the prophetic dreams. So rare they were probably nothing but myth. Most of the time, there was no harm in trying to memorise those nightmares.
Most of the time.
“Should you really try to recall what you experienced?” Nix asked, before hurrying to continue. “In the Dark Star. You’ve heard what’s been said about their core; what if its enough to melt your mind?”
Dan looked back at Ari with a horrified expression. Nix tried her best to not appear relieved. He wasn’t about to let her write them down with that sort of possibility floating over their heads.
“I want to try.” Ari had to go and ruin her plan. “I get the feeling that something really important happened, and I want to know what.”
“You really shouldn’t…” Dan said, his opinion switched in but a moment, yet Ari wasn’t to be swayed, and he eventually sighed in acceptance.
“I’ll leave you two to it, then.” Nix didn’t say that she felt her own presence might spike some memory if she lingered for much longer. Besides, she still needed to fix up these wounds… and cover her hands.
“But, about K’tan?”
“We’ll speak tomorrow,” Nix said. “Not like we’ll be going anywhere for the next few days.”
He seemed appeased with that and turned to lead Ari to one of the couches of their ward’s lounge. Ari wasn’t so quick to turn. She stared at Nix’s hands, where they were tucked away and out of sight.
Nix didn’t move them. She didn’t so much as react to the girls interest. Instead, she turned and fled. She fled while doing everything she could to make it seem like she wasn’t. The quicker she was out of sight, the sooner any memory that might be rising to the surface would disappear.
When she entered her room, she shut the door and leaned against it on the off chance the two would come chasing after her. Ari was too perceptive. Why was the girl looking at Nix’s hands? Had she noticed, or remembered something? Nix had been using them to slaughter amalgamations, so if there was any one thing her dreaming mind might have focused on, it would have been Nix’s claws.
Well, regardless of outcome, it was out of Nix’s hands. She could only hope they didn’t succeed with recalling any specific details except maybe K’tan’s presence.
As stressed as Nix was, she could relish in the assurance that K’tan likely felt a thousand times worse. The one thing that could go wrong for him, had. There was a slight concern that he might try to end Ari here and now before Tarchon launched his investigation… but K’tan wouldn’t take the chance. The overseer knew there was already scrutiny on him; if his ward in question suddenly disappeared, then there was no way he would get off.
Like Nix, he could only hope that Ari didn’t remember.
Still, she was certain the man wouldn’t leave things to chance. While she didn’t know exactly how he would weasel his way out of this mess, he would try something. All Nix had to do, was observe. Once she could figure out his intent now that everything had gone wrong, she would find a way to twist that into a trap.
Nix was determined to make him a sacrifice. She didn’t care what he would be a sacrifice for, nor did it matter how it came about, but it would happen.
Glancing down at her hands, she slowly had the claws extract. It was strange to see the long talons again. In her past life, she’d been too terrified to extend them when they’d replaced her soft hands. And eventually, the opportunity to do so had been taken from her.
Now that she watched the chitinous knives slide from deep within her forearm and through her fingers, she realised she felt strong. Stronger than ever. Most of her dexterity disappeared when they extended like this, but that lack of control was dwarfed by the impulse to snap.
She did so, and the clang rung through the room loud enough that anyone out in the hall would have heard.
They had the power to cleave bones. They could kill. They had killed. In these claws, Nix held strength that she had been far too afraid to explore in her last life. But now? Even if she didn’t like her body mutating away from humanity, it was something she would learn to use.
And yet… her claws weren’t the only thing she had available. Her claws weren’t the only way she’d killed.
By opening her name, Nix created a Dark Star Event. All the chaos outside was because of her. All the deaths were because of her.
The image of the man who’s own flesh came alive and fled his body flashed through Nix’s mind. She didn’t mind the deaths of the cultists; they’d all been there to sacrifice Ari. They deserved whatever miserable fate they got. But… the Dark Star wouldn’t have affected the Fleshsmiths alone.
How many had died because Nix somehow had enough corruption in her name to ignite a Dark Star Event? How many would suffer without the safety of a corruption free zone?
Should she even care? They were a few amongst the millions on Coral that knew of her sacrifice and didn’t oppose it. So why should she worry about them in turn? It was an accident, and they were just unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Nix wanted to think that way. It would easy. But she couldn’t help but consider how many of the lower creed — or even those not part of any cult — were like Dan and Ari, or any of the other kids; they knew of these atrocities, but didn’t dare cry out in opposition lest they face the same fate as those they might want to help?
In a way, Nix felt they still didn’t deserve her care if they weren’t willing to act themselves, but she also couldn’t deny she would have done the same.
Not now, though. She couldn’t leave the cults to their ways.
Her name might have revealed itself to be the corruptive equivalent of a bomb, but it was — unfortunately — not something she could use again. Not unless she wanted every cultist on Coral after her head.
It was truly too bad the peak creeds could survive in the heart of a Dark Star. If the option had been there, she might have sacrificed everything to take out the cult leaders.
