Infinity: Rising of the Soul Weavers

***

* Halsey - Castle *

- six floors underground, in a secret collection of laboratory facilities, on the Floor of Operations -

Inside Operation Room number seven, a young teen was restrained by many leather bindings that connected him to a metal bed that looked more like an autopsy table than anything else.

Three researchers were standing on top of four others that were laying in a puddle of their own blood, dead, with kitchen knives coming out of their chests, faces, or necks.

If they had scalpels, they would have used them, but the experiments conducted in these labs didn't require such a thing.

The three researchers wore white lab coats that had red splashes of blood all over them, together with a look of complete oblivion.

They started undoing the leather bindings on the young teen efficiently, making sure he could move freely again.

Standing up with the grace of a young queen, the boy had pale white skin, medium length bright brown hair, and two deep orange eyes that reflected the bright white lights inside the operation room.

However, with his emotionless face, it made him look like a living doll of a long lost prince, rather than a normal living being.

Walking slowly towards the room's metallic double door, he signalled to one of the three researchers.

The researcher swiped a key card of sorts in the digital lock to the right of the door.

A small screen above the digital lock showed the picture of an eye, to which the researcher promptly stared at, allowing in it to scan her own eye.

The moment the door opened, the boy nodded silently for the researcher as she pulled out one of the kitchen knives that was stuck inside a dead researcher's left eye.

Without much of a struggle, the two other researchers had their throats cut open as they fell to their death on top of the other bodies.

Before existing the room, the young boy and the one left researcher threw the plastic bags they wore as shoes in their feet, making sure no blood prints would follow their trail.

Walking out of the metallic door behind the boy, the researcher locked the door of Operation Room number seven from the outside and proceeded towards one of the other rooms.

"Danger! Hazardous Chemicals and Radioactive Materials inside!" was written with red LED lights above the double door entrance.

The LED lights were turned off, meaning no operations were being conducted inside at the moment.

The researcher entered alone and returned after a minute with two yellow hazmat suits.

The boy put the suit on without much of a change to his expression, much like the researcher.

She herself looked more like a walking dummy, or a skeletal with flesh. Her movements were robotic and slow.

Whereas the boy looked like an emotionless AI (Artificial Intelligence) trapped in a human body, planning to take over the entire world.

Wearing the Haz-suits covered every bit of their body, except for their face that one could see through the transparent plastic screen.

However, considering how the light was reflected off of its surface, no one would notice who's inside the suit.

Signalling for the researcher again, she went inside the double door entrance again and pressed a big red botton.

"Deadly radioactive materials in the air, if you have access to a hazmat suit please wear it. Otherwise, please proceed to the nearest exit point!

"Deadly radioactive materials in the air, if you have access to a hazmat suit please wear it. Otherwise, please proceed to the nearest exit point!"

Hearing the loud robotic voice beaming and seeing the red light flashing, the boy and the researcher waited for a couple of minutes before making their way to the exist, together with every other panicking researcher or office worker.

***

* Unknown Brain - Why Do I (feat. Bri Tolani) [NCS Release] *

"So, um... how did this happen?" Mike asked as he pointed up and down at Raven.

The classmates were currently sitting in one of the living rooms, together with Joey who stayed since he knew Mike from the soccer match.

Maria and Camilla were preparing some juice, while Axane with baby Rituxi, Maya, and Rain were having a conversation outside.

"Well," Raven looked down at herself with a look that made her look like a kid lost in a part. "Apparently I'm a girl, and never was a boy to start with..."

Telling the group a condensed version of the events that has unfolded on the other side of the portal, they couldn't help but have their mouths wide open.

"Wait, so you entered as a D ranker, and left the portal as a B ranker?" Mike asked in surprise.

"On top of that, even though you yourself thought that you were a human, you ended being an alien... of sorts?" Remi was surprised too, she's never expected her childhood friend to be a person from another planet.

"Uhm," Raven nodded with a tired smile, "yes, and yes... anyhow, um, i see that you made a new friend, huh?" she tried to change the subject as she didn't want to discuss the matter further, she was already drained mentally.

*cough* Noticing Raven's gaze, Rachel coughed politely before starting to speak, "I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself yet, You've probably forgot who I am but I was the new s-"

"Rachel, right?" Raven asked with a confused expression. "You've introduced yourself when you transferred to our class, nice to meet you by the way, haha."

"Ah, yes, you remembered?" Rachel didn't expect her to remember her name as even back then, Draven looked as though he didn't acknowledge her presence.

"Uhm, sorry at the time I was kinda out of it," Raven smiled again, "you must be really nice if Remi's sticking with you," she said, looking at the two girls.

"Hehe, yea she is!" Remi said enthusiastically, appreciating the way Raven thought about her.

"Thank you, both," Rachel said quietly as her face started to turn red.

"Well, um, so considering that you guys have probably heard the news and know what's happening around the world, with the portals and all... care to explain?" Raven asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah for sure," Mike said with a smile, "So, as of an hour ago, no one knows what's actually happening.

"Portals have opened all around the globe, and either monsters are rushing out, or people are being sucked in. And sometimes, like the case of the soccer field portal, it's both.

"People started calling them efflux portal, influx portal, respectively, and dual or raid portal for the last one.

"Another type of portals people have observed was the silent type where the portal changes shapes into a cave or an underground tunnel where monsters live, and that's now being called dungeon."

"Honestly," Remi said, "it's a little bit messy, but from what I've heard, not all of the monsters are bad. No, they're not even monsters, just aliens.

"Some were probably brought here against their own will... There are rumours of some friendly aliens that are even helping up with clearing the other portals."

"True," Jake said while adjusting his glasses, "Also, my father told me that people who were sucked in a dungeon never returned, even some very powerful A rankers. I'm happy you guys made it out!" he scratched his nose while his face took a hint of red.

He couldn't stand staring at Raven for too long, she was pretty to say the least, but remembering that she was a Draven, he couldn't help but pinch himself through his pocket.

"Sorry I have an irrelevant question..." Rachel suddenly said, "remember the soccer match?"

"Um, yea?" Raven said trying to remember what she was referring to.

"Why did you kiss that girl, Maya?" since Raven had introduced everyone, they came to 'know' eachother, "Wasn't she underage?"

Raven felt attacked as she remembered what had happened before the match, with her as Draven and Maya.

"Ohu~" Maya's voice came from above Raven's head as she stood behind her with her hands on the couch supporting her chin. "Jealous much?"

"Eh-WHAT? No!" Rachel didn't expect the girl to show up at that exact moment.

"Haha don't worry about it, she's no lolicon, if that's what you're thinking," Maya said seriously, "I remember I had forced her... sorry about that by the way," she looked at Raven and apologized sincerely.

'I love you...' Maya trailed off with a whisper in her mind. 'But I'm not going to force myself onto you, I don't see you as a brother or a sister, but if that's how you wish to see me as, then I'll act like one...'

Maya looked so genuine that she managed to make both Raven and Rachel feel bad.

"Well, it's not the time for this talk anyway, mom and Camilla have been working hard on some weird juice, so you better drink all of it, you hear me?"

Everyone nodded silently.

"Hehe, good because it looks like some killer acid made inside a scorpion's stomach... enjoy!" she said as she headed straight out to the garden, while Maria brought the green juice cups to the living room.

Standing outside away from Rain and Axane, Maya had a sad smile on her face as she didn't know why she still thinks the way she thinks, even though it pains her greatly.

Raven was never her real sister, and even though she viewed her as such for a little while in the past, it was mostly because she viewed her as her protector.

She didn't know whether her feelings were genuine or whether it was an effect similar to the suspended bridge effect. And that's exactly what Maya wanted to avoid.

She also didn't want to depend on her to protect her all the time. 'f*ck, that previously almost got her killed...' she thought to herself.

'Part of me wants to repay her for everything she's done for me, but I at the same time, I can't think of anything to give her.

'What could I possibly give her that would compensate her for risking her life for me multiple times?

'But... if I forget about everything she's done, and focus on her appearance, personality, and who she is... do I still love her?' she asked herself. 'Ah... I really do...'

Axane who was watching from the distance, saw Maya's pained expression and couldn't stand it anymore.

Walking up slowly behind her, she gave her a warm backwards hug and let her aura wash over her gently. Even though she didn't know the full story, she could tell what Maya was thinking at that moment.

"Thank you, Axane...." Maya said in a sincere voice as she embraced the silver girl's soft hands.