Reignite: Down Fall.

Cillen slowly came back to the realm of consciousness, doing his best to shake off any sense of grogginess. He winced in pain as he shifted his weight; from the pain he could tell he had broken a couple of ribs in the crash. He looked down at Luna who was still out cold, from what he could tell with the little light that was left in the cockpit; he saw Luna had a few cuts and scrapes but she wasn’t as worse for wear than he was.

“Bring up the map…” He coughed, “Nearest outpost…” The 3D map he carried around lit up and showed him the route to the nearest outpost, which from the look of it wasn’t that far off. “…Heh, lucky us.” He grinned, “Let’s just hope our luck holds out.”

“Nrgh…” Luna groaned wincing in pain, “…anyone get the number of that runaway cart?”

“Well good morning to you, gorgeous.” Cillen grinned, “…How are you holding up?” Luna didn’t bother answering him, but shot him an unamused glare.

“Ugh…What next?” She asked.

“We get our wounds treated and some rest, three days in that HARDFRAME hasn’t left us in a good position.” Cillen explained as he opened the pilot slot, wincing in pain as he did so. “Yeah, definitely broken a couple of ribs.” He muttered to himself grabbing his side to check, making him wince once more. “It a mile down the tunnel, a half hour walk tops.”

“…Good.” Luna replied, “I’m sure it would do us both some good.”

They both walked through the huge cavern like tunnel, lights were flickering on and off as an indication of how bad things were down there. Cillen stopped for a moment,

“Luna, wait a moment.” He said, Luna stopped in mid limp and turned to face him, “A head of the outpost there is a sealed off section we would have to travel through.” He explained, “We would have to both wear a survival suit to get through there.”

“Why would I need to?” Luna inquired, he just shrugged.

“Better safe than sorry, the place is sealed of due to gravity field and life support malfunction” He continued, showing her the area on the 3D map display. “Only problem is you would need to be a human to wear one.”

“Is that all?” Luna asked, a delicate brow rose in amusement. “Trust me it won’t be an issue.” Cillen just sighed and shook his head.

“The medical equipment there only works on a human as well, but judging from that expression of yours…” Cillen went quiet for a moment, “Meh, you probably got that covered too.”

As they continued on, they both took a moment to examine their surroundings; it was dark and almost impossible to see without the light of the torch and the dim amount of light from the few that were flickering. The stench of blood and charred metal was heavy in the air, and from the looks of the walls…something had literally painted the walls red with the people stationed here.

“This is very bad, there’s probably a nest of the Memoria further on down the tunnels.” Cillen whispered, “Thousands of the fuckers crawling around the lowest levels from the looks of it.” He held the 3D map in front of him, pointing to the floor they were on. “We’re gonna have to be quiet…” Luna just nodded as they continued on their way to the outpost.

Cillen took point, being sure to take his time and check every inch of the tunnel as they progressed. The silence between them both was heavy as they pressed on, injured and tired doing their best not to make a noise.

“SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!” Cillen readied his weapon, as he heard the death cry echo from further down the tunnel from where they just came. Both of them froze as the noise was suddenly silenced, but to Cillen something felt wrong as he felt a wetness fall down his cheek.

“Cillen, are you alright…?” Luna asked, “You’re crying…” Cillen just dried his eyes with his sleeves.

“I…think another Memoria was just killed just now…” Cillen guess, “Probably killed by the weather outside.” Luna just looked at him concerned.

“What do you remember?” Luna asked dreading the answer.

“My mother, sister and Serena…” Cillen answered. “Let’s just get going…”

Not another word was spoken between them as they continued the long walk to the outpost; Luna could tell Cillen’s silence was his own way of mourning the loss of his now forgotten little brother. What Cillen was going through was just horrific, it was like some slow torture the fates seemed to be enjoying inflicting on him and they’ll most likely continue their sick game of picking apart his sanity until he begs for death.

“Luna…C’mon we’re here…” Cillen whispered in a soft quiet voice.

The outpost for the most part was still fully functional, and it had that odd scent of that stuff Cillen had used to keep the Memoria from tracking them. The outpost for the most part was a series of small to medium sized rooms suitable for five to six people.

“I’m going to grab a shower to clean my wounds, feel free to have a look around and get something to eat.” Cillen spoke. “I’ll get around treating yours once I’m done; you only have a few cuts and scratches.” He laughed bitterly, “From the looks of it I took most of the damage when we crashed.”

Luna was left alone once again, she did as Cillen suggested and had good look around. The Cafeteria seemed to be the largest of the rooms, and for the most part seemed tidy aside from the signs of people rushing out in a hurry. She wondered how Cillen knew about this place, and did he know the people here? She dismissed the thought as she continued looking throughout the outpost, but it was the same story in most of the rooms.

“By my sister this is horrible.” Luna muttered to herself, the state of the outpost was one thing but there was clear signs of people being dragged off to goodness knows where.

Cillen was right about one thing though, she would have to take a human form if they were to continue deeper into the tunnels. There was a brief glow in the room filled up with magic, her form slipped into something that was more suitable for the environment. She still had her injuries, and for the most part felt exhausted. She decided a shower would be a good idea right now…

Cillen for the most part remained silent as he treated and disinfected his own cuts, being careful not to cause himself anymore grief to his broken ribs. The water that sprayed from the shower calmed his stiff muscles and as he craned his own neck in an effort to ease some of the stress out of it.

Another of the Memoria had been killed, but it was another member of his family gone…practically erased from his own memory when it died. He wondered what he would do if he encountered the remaining three, but he quickly pushed those thoughts aside.

“Cillen…” A soft and familiar voice spoke.

Cillen turned around and immediately was rendered speechless by the sight in front of him; there stood a gorgeous raven haired, pale skinned nude woman. Her expressive blue eyes looked at him with a look of concern at Cillen’s apparent reaction. Cillen just got up, still silent and bearing an expression that made him look like he was looking at a ghost.

“…S-Serena!?” Cillen wasted no time in hugging the woman in front of him, “…O-oh thank god you’re alive!” The woman didn’t know how to respond to Cillen’s actions, as the man in front of her began to cry, “…I-I’m so sorry I left…please forgive me…p-please babe I’m so sorry I took off like that…”

“Cillen…I-I…” She was cut off by Cillen kissing her, the happiness, relief and the love in his voice in his earlier words rang throughout her mind. She didn’t want to do this to him, but the harsh reality had to come crashing down… “Cillen…It’s me, Luna…”

Cillen’s heart sank when he heard those words; he took a step back in the utter shock. He leaned against the nearest wall as he slid down into a sitting position, the world was fucking with him he was sure of it.

“L-Luna…? But…” Cillen stammered out confused and horrified, “…you look like my Serena…” Luna looked back in confusion and then down at herself, did she really look exactly like Serena. “…O-oh god…and I was just about to…”

Luna leaned down underneath the shower with Cillen, not sure of what to say to explain this to him.

“…” Cillen could say nothing, “Cillen…I’m sorry…I honestly didn’t know…” Luna spoke softly, “…Everything must seem like one big nightmare to you right now doesn’t it? And it’s one you can’t wake up from…”

“…” Again Cillen said nothing.

“…Please don’t hate me Cillen.” Luna whispered, “I don’t think I could bear it…” Luna felt wetness on her cheeks but she knew it wasn’t from the water cascading down from the shower. She felt Cillen’s hand gently turn her head to face him, his dark blue eyes hard and stern.

“…I don’t hate you Luna.” Cillen reassured her, “After the past few days together I don’t think I could anyway.” He gave her wry smile, “…I shouldn’t have reacted like that, not when I know Serena’s gone…” His smile fell, replacing his expression with one of loss and sorrow. “…But the likeness…even your personality…it’s downright scary…”

“…” Luna could say nothing; the blush was evident on both their cheeks. They could only both stare each other in the eyes, inching closer and closer. They were both soaked from head to toe from the hot water of the shower, both Luna and Cillen’s hair was drenched and clinging around their faces as they kissed. Cillen’s arms wrapping around Luna’s waist as she straddled him…

Somewhere in the back of both their minds, they both knew they needed this badly…even if they would never admit it to themselves…