Colin's posts

Those that worked at the Unit were silent for a moment, before Zeke sighed.

"She keeps herself blinded to... well... keep her sane." he said.

"She can see the elements, mana, life essence... everything that is around her." he went on. "EVERYTHING." he stressed.

"...she doesn't have the heart or guts to do it permanently." he then said further.

"If she goes without that blindfold, she'll suffer from constant migraines." he finished.

"...but she's not wearing it NOW..." Cain said.

"Meaning she probably has a migraine, but is too submissive and obedient to mention it." Ilias chimed in quietly.

"........" Cain was silent for a moment, almost not acknowledging Kiah, before grabbing the test.

"That did not feel good." he said.

"That felt awful." he said further.

"I know." Zeke commented.

"For now, just... get the test done." he told him.

Ilias, meanwhile, just looked away slightly, a small blush to his face, as Cain poured the solution into the filtration system for the enclosure.

"Good to go." he said.

There was a heavy silence in the room, before Zeke broke it.

"Someone tell her what to do." he said.

"Um..." Cain muttered.

"Hazel, would you mind helping us-" he started to say, but Zeke interrupted.

"No. TELL her what to do. Give her an order. A direct order." he told him.

"...." Cain was silent again, and then sighed.

"Hazel, get into the chemical shower station over there." he told her, gesturing to the glass enclosure to the right.

There was silence for a moment, before Zeke spoke.

"...what about Hazel?" he suggested.

"Well... if there's anyone that's used to being a test subject, it's her." Ilias sighed. "But where IS she?" he asked.

"She's here in the lab." Zeke replied. "I saw her wandering about aimlessly, but I think she should still be here." he went on.

"Then let's find her and bring her here." Cain replied.

"...if she's here, no need." Zeke said quietly.

"Hazel! Front and centre!" the nephilim then bellowed out in a commanding tone.

Uriel nodded in response.

"I am." he said.

"I want to make sure this gets fixed." he told them.

"Excellent." Cain responded.

"We'll need samples of your mana, then." he told him.

"Very well." Uriel said.

"I suggest those with demonic mana not try. You may get injured." he warned.

"Well, Mom, that's you." Cain told Aedan.

"Ah.... huh." Uriel muttered.

After Cain and Aeden gave a little more explanation as to what it was, he sighed.

"So you're thinking that her double is responsible for her blackouts." the archangel summarised.

"Essentially, yes." Cain responded.

"Though it could be something as simple as when her double tries to concentrate on something, it takes away from Erica, and vice versa." he reasoned.

"So you'll need to find that double." Uriel said.

"Yes. But for now, we concentrate on the world situation." Cain responded.

Cain was stunned for a moment.

"I... yes." he said.

"Yes, you're absolutely right." he told her.

"Such a strange phenomenon WOULD likely coincide with that result." he continued.

"Right." Uriel said.

"Care to give me the cliffs notes version of what you're talking about?" he asked.

"Before we get to saving the world." he then added.

"Well, see, 'hijack' is a strong word." Uriel replied.

"It's as though someone is trying to control her, but... they can't." he said further.

"Can't?" Cain asked.

"It seems like they can only get so far as to make her more susceptible to suggestion, but it's not an outright takeover." Uriel explained.

"So it's not an outright security risk." he assured them.

"Who could do such a thing." Ilias asked.

"That... I have no idea." Uriel admitted.

Cain shook his head.

"Yeah." he said.

"And it seems like she's very receptive to suggestion at that point." he commented.

"Oh?" Uriel asked.

"When I was teaching her to focus her demonic mana in her eyes, she blanked out a bit, but in that state, she grasped the directions almost immediately." Cain explained further.

"Well, that makes sense, I suppose." Uriel said.

"It does?" Cain asked.

"Her mind is essentially being hijacked. Or at least, these are attempts to." the archangel replied.

"Again?" Uriel asked as Aedan said what she did.

"So this is a regular occurrence?" he asked further as they walked, and came into view.

"What the?" Cain said, seeing this.

"..." he was silent, as Ilias sighed.

"What happened?" he asked.

"She passed out, it would seem." Uriel commented, wondering if anyone else knew what this was.

Now, someone else might have not been quick enough to save her.

Uriel was an archangel.

So the next thing that happened was that Erica fell into his arms, and he caught her safely.

"......" he was silent as this happened, and shook his head.

"Damn it." he cursed.

He then sighed and started to carry her towards the lab.

"Young lady, you are in a pickle, it seems." he lamented quietly.

"Hm. I see." Uriel replied.

"Well, to that end, I suppose we-" he started to say, before he felt something... odd.

"Hm?" he mumbled, turning around.

"Young lady, are you all right?" he asked Erica.

"...." he was silent, eyeing her closely.

'This feeling... is someone...?' he wondered, as he checked her attentiveness.

"Very well." Uriel responded.

"...yeah... yeah, I can tell who you are." Jake said, buzzing them in.

With that, the two of them disappeared inside.

"Let's go." Uriel said.

"Whatever's happening, I want it to end." he told her.

"It's spreading, and will cause the end of the world, effectively."

"Huh." Jake muttered.

"I see." he said.

"That's... I never thought about it like that." he admitted.

Before they could say anything, the imposing form of Uriel stepped through the front doors.

"All right, here I am." he announced, before eyeing Erica suspiciously.

"Hm." he mumbled quietly.