《Rise of the Protector》Chapter 6: The Aftermath of the Soul Link
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Ravok slowly stood up, his body still aching and hurting from before he lost consciousness, but the sense of unease and unbalance quickly faded. It allowed him to look at himself properly for the first time. There were no lines on his body like there were with Red when she was fighting, his eyes still looked odd no matter how many times he would see them, and he could only hope that his clothing would return to normal when Red and Blue would suppress their powers.
Quickly he splashed his face with water again, rubbing his cheeks for a moment as he dried himself off right after. He sat down on the edge of his bed, taking a piece of cake that he had brought upstairs what felt like hours ago but with one look at the clock, he noticed that it had only been a couple of minutes since the soul link happened.
He took a single bite. The cake was mostly sugar and was a bit dry, but the thought of Sarah putting in the effort to make him one made this piece of cake one of the best pieces he had in a long time.
It took five to ten minutes before he heard a voice in his head. "Ravok, we are ready to come out." The soft-spoken voice of Blue said.
"It is safe to come out when you feel like it," He said as he put the plate and fork away. Suddenly, he felt like something was being sucked out of him. His body felt like it became heavier in just an instant as he noticed Red and Blue standing before him. It was now that he finally saw that Red was taller than Blue. Red was still wearing the same tattered clothing that she was wearing before the soul link happened. She was holding her ripped shirt with one hand, trying to ensure nothing was revealed.
Ravok looked at the two and slowly made his way to his closet, tossing one of his plain shirts at Red. "Catch" Instinctively, Red grabbed at it, catching it with her free hand.
"Thanks." She said while still avoiding eye contact, not wanting to show him how she was feeling, acting as guarded as when she was fighting him. Ready to throw down right now should it be necessary as she quickly pulled the fabric over herself.
Suddenly someone knocked on the door. Soft as it was hit with just the knuckles of the hand, the way Sarah always knocked. Red immediately made her ax materialize into the room, holding it with one hand as the other was still entangled in the shirt. "Ravok? Could you please open up? I heard a loud bonk a bit ago and then nothing." Before Ravok could respond, Sarah opened the door and walked in, only to stop as she noticed the two other women in his room. "You said friend… not friends" Her eyes glided from Blue, who was calmly sitting on the bed, to Red, who was holding an ax in one hand and a shirt half over her in the other.
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Red kept her tensed-up stance, still holding the blade out until Blue put her hand on the handle, pushing it down without looking at her as she shook her head. "She knew." She glanced at Sarah for a moment before returning her gaze forward. "It is his sister."
Ravok eyed Red for a moment, wondering what she would do. Red slowly moved the ax to her back and let it go. Surprisingly enough, even without anything to hold the weapon, it was floating there as if it was connected through something. It was odd, as he had never seen the weapons "holstered" before, especially in such an awkward way. "Thanks." Ravok said with a simple nod.
"Should I bring another piece of cake?" Sarah asked somewhat sarcastically, only to be met with a quick "Yeah, thanks for the hospitality" from Red as she bowed her head for a moment, only to be met with a strange look from Sarah's side at the gesture. After taking in the scene for a moment, she walked downstairs, where the three could hear Cole's voice faintly. "Is he okay?" in a worried tone, only for Sarah to comfort him.
"So… we needed to talk?" Ravok asked Blue as he closed the door behind Sarah, grabbed the plate with the cake, and held it out to the two.
Blue took it and started eating, nodding up and down as she looked at him. "You need to learn our powers…." She said calmly, "At least until Red is fully restored."
Red looked away with shame that she had to rely on Ravok to keep the two of them safe.
"What do you mean? She looks fine to me." Ravok said as he pointed at her stomach and chest area, where the slash was initially located. There was no sign of it ever being wounded or hurt, not even a scar or a leftover scratch.
Blue looked at Red as if she expected her to explain. But as Red kept her mouth shut, Blue began to explain. "The soul link saved her physical body, yes… but a soul link is unsteady, and the power we had needs to recollect itself before we can go off on our own for a longer period again."
Ravok thought for a moment and realized something even worse for him right now. "So that means the two of you have to live here?" He asked with worry. His money situation was already difficult as he had to take care of Sarah and Cole with just the money left from his father and the little amounts he made delivering food to customers.
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Blue only responded with a nod, making Ravoks' head lower. Red noticed and responded in a snarky way. "It is not like we like it either… but to keep the soul link intact, we need to keep close to each other."
He thought for a moment, looking at the two. "Do you guys at least have some clothing with you?" He asked as he looked at the tattered outfit, only for the two of them to shake their heads. Ravok let out an even bigger sigh as he looked at them. "Then we need to go to the thrift shop this week."
Red only looked away while Blue nodded at the suggestion. Ravok knew neither of them would have any money based on the memories he had seen and the fact that they weren't human. Outside of that, he would have to bring them to his college, either within his soul or just taking them, but he knew what Brandon and Lily would say at the latter or what Sarah and Cole would say when he would have to tell them they would have two people extra in the house.
"I'll go tell my brother and sister… you guys can have my room for now. I'll sleep on the couch," Ravok said as he looked at them. "We will continue this discussion tomorrow morning and be up on time… I have to head out early for school." As he spoke, he walked towards the alarm, turning it on and setting it to 7 AM, when he usually stood up.
Red ignored him, waving him off as Blue spoke up. "Goodnight, Ravok." without looking in his direction. "Goodnight, Blue, Red" He closed the door behind him, standing still for a moment as he sighed. It wasn't even that late, but he needed a moment to collect himself and think about what had just happened. In the moment of silence, he heard a faint "Goodnight…." A smile appeared on his face as he made his way down.
Downstairs he noticed Sarah waiting, a somewhat angry look on her face as she tapped her foot against the floor. "Cole is already in bed." She said as she walked into the living room, expecting him to follow, which he did without question.
"What is the story... I heard you come in before… I kept Cole in the living room for a reason." Ravok stammered for a moment. "They are… friends staying over to.."
Sarah put her hand on the table, leaning forward. "Cut it… the truth, not an excuse. I know it is big, but I want the truth" Her gaze was stern as if it was staring right through him, a look he was highly familiar with. No matter how old she was, she could always look right through him.
"They are… people that just saved my life, and I am helping them save theirs… but it comes with a lot of danger," He said as he looked at Sarah. He did not want to reveal more than she had to know, as the more she learned, the more danger might come to her, but he also knew that she would not be satisfied without a good explanation.
"So you just put us in a lot of danger for some strangers?" She asked as some of her voice picked up hints of her anger.
There was not a lot Ravok could say. He did put Sarah and Cole in danger for someone he barely knew. He lowered his head as he had no excuse. "They were about to die… right after they saved me… it was the least I could do… they aren't bad people, Sarah."
Sarah sighed. "That is so you… just be careful, alright… you can't pull us into trouble again…." She said as she looked away for a moment.
Ravok looked to the same side. The word again did something to him that he didn't expect to. He knew that while he was the one that took care of Sarah and Cole, he also got them into plenty of trouble through the years.
He looked up after thinking for a moment. "I won't. Don't worry about it." He stood up and walked over, hugging Sarah.
"Alright, alright, no need to get all loving." She said as she shrugged her shoulders in annoyance, waiting a couple of seconds before hugging him back and patting him on his back. "I'll get you a pillow and blanket," She said as she opened up the small storage closet, throwing him a small pillow and a fleece blanket. "Goodnight." She said as she walked to her room, Ravok only returning the gesture as he finally let himself drift away on the couch. Setting his alarm for the same time that he put the one above.
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