Alpha Instinct-Chapter 97: "The Unasked Question"

"Listen, Evelyn, I'm going to need you... Leonard's in a trance. It's happened once before," Mikaela said, her voice low and urgent, her eyes fixed on their unconscious companion.

"In a trance? What do you mean?" Evelyn asked, frowning, confused.

"He succumbed to the pain and hopelessness again, probably because of his injuries. He... he's not there anymore." Mikaela's voice cracked, heavy with sorrow.

Evelyn pressed her lips together, her mind racing. "I understand. I'll do what I can to restrain him," she said, with a grim determination. "But it won't be easy."

"Xavier," Mikaela called, turning to the archer, "I need your help. When I give the signal, use a 'Chain Shot' on him. Bind him."

Xavier nodded, his eyes fixed on Leonard. "You got it. I... I'll help. Now I believe," he hesitated. "I believe he is the Walker of the Pentagram. We need him."

Silverin, who had remained in silent prayer since the beginning of Leonard's fight, finally raised her head. Her eyes shone with an unwavering faith. "May the light guide our steps and protect us from darkness," she murmured, the words filled with power.

A golden aura, soft yet intense, enveloped the group, strengthening their bodies and spirits. "Go," she said, with a firm voice. "I've blessed you with what I can. Bring Leonard back."

Mikaela took a deep breath, approaching Leonard cautiously. He remained motionless, kneeling on the ground, his swords still in his hands. "Leonard?" she called, her voice gentle but filled with apprehension. "Leonard, can you hear me?"

No response.

Suddenly, Leonard's eyes snapped open. But they weren't his natural sapphire blue eyes. They were slits of electric blue light, devoid of any emotion except for a primal fury. With an inhuman roar, he lunged at Mikaela.

The attack was so fast and powerful that Mikaela barely had time to react. At the last instant, she invoked "Kalendor," her sacred sword, blocking the blow from "Smiling." The impact threw her backwards several meters, dragging her across the ground.

"Subterfuge!" Evelyn shouted, activating her ability to level 3.

Her form dissolved into shadows, black wings materializing briefly before disappearing completely. She reappeared behind Leonard, wrapping her arms around him in a desperate attempt to restrain him.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Raviel approaching, but a strange feeling made her ignore him, focusing all her attention on Leonard.

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Leonard's fury, amplified by the Battle Aura, was overwhelming. The electric blue energy that surrounded him intensified, sparking and crackling. The sparks transformed into small bolts of lightning, which burned Evelyn's armor, tearing through the fabric and the flesh underneath.

The pain was excruciating, as if her body were about to explode from the inside out.

With each pulse of the aura, the Black Shadow Kamui shattered, the dark energy dissipating like smoke in the wind. Evelyn's skin burned where the protection failed. Her teeth clenched against her own tongue, the metallic taste of blood.

"I won't last," a cold thought. "I need to... " The image of Leonard smiling, before the fall, spurred her on.

"Ahhh..." Evelyn let out a muffled groan of pain.

Mikaela, recovering from the attack, rushed towards the two, desperate. With a supreme effort, she embraced Leonard from the front, pinning his arms.

"Leonard! It's me! Mikaela!" She shouted, trying, in vain, to reach his consciousness.

She activated "Immaculatus," her white aura enveloping him, seeking to neutralize Leonard's chaotic energy, trying to contain the pain of the void that emanated from him.

But Leonard only increased the intensity of his aura. The ground around them began to crack, small stones levitating under the force of the uncontrolled energy.

Mikaela felt her body tremble. They were all about to be consumed by Leonard's fury. She thought of Xavier asking for the "Chain Shot," but Leonard was already out of control. It might be too late.

Evelyn, feeling her consciousness slipping away, had a desperate idea. She remembered what Leonard had said before losing control. A name... It was risky, but it was their only chance.

In a weak, almost inaudible voice, she whispered in Leonard's ear, "Kori, come back..."

A sudden silence.

The electric blue energy surrounding Leonard diminished abruptly, as if it had been sucked into him.

His eyes, previously slits of light, regained their normal glow. He blinked, confused. Then, his body went limp, and he collapsed, unconscious, in Mikaela's arms.

Evelyn fell to her knees, her breath ragged, her entire body a throbbing point of pain, as if an elephant had trampled her.

Her Black Shadow Kamui, once an impenetrable barrier, crumbled, dissipating into the air like dark, fine dust. "Finally," she murmured, letting out a long, suffering sigh.

Mikaela, kneeling beside Leonard, was already working frantically. Her hands, surrounded by a soft golden light, moved quickly over her friend's inert body, staunching the bleeding and closing the most serious cuts.

Mikaela's brow was furrowed in concentration, sweat dripping down her face, her hands trembling slightly with the effort of channeling Holy Healing. Each murmur of pain from Leonard, even unconscious, struck her like a stab wound.

Evelyn dragged herself, the short distance feeling like agony. She reached a fallen log nearby—one of the many pieces of debris left by the titanic battle. With trembling fingers, she unscrewed a small, elongated flask from her belt and swallowed the thick, bitter liquid of a regenerative potion.

Footsteps. Light, cautious, approaching the group. When they were close enough, Evelyn raised her head, her voice hoarse but firm: "Show yourself, Raviel. Why were you hiding all this time?"

Raviel hesitated, his voice failing for a fraction of a second. "Hi-hiding...? Never. I just got here..."

Evelyn's eyes narrowed, fixed on his. Her senses, sharpened by experience and pain, searched for any inconsistency, any sign of falsehood. Her instinct, a silent alarm, screamed that something was deeply wrong.

"Yeah. Right," Evelyn said, her voice dry. "Come here. Help me up."

Raviel approached, his expression unreadable. He kneeled down, offering her his shoulder for support. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Evelyn replied, her voice low. But, as she leaned on him, she smelled a faint but unmistakable scent. A familiar scent.

As she stood up, supported by Raviel, Evelyn faced him, the question coming out direct, unexpected: "Why aren't you surprised that Leonard took down the Ursulos Rex?"