Through rock, metal, and time, Rena continued to flee from her manifested guilt. It had become readily obvious that something else had entered her dream, but she didn't care to look. She was simply too afraid.
She could sense the Harrow's movement, feeling its vicinity with every step. Something had clearly taken its primary attention away from her for the time being. But part of Rena simply wished that wasn't the case.
Nobody deserved that.
The possibility of an intrusion from her comrades at the Aerie did cross her mind.
"No." She panted, wandering her way through fragments of the Lenora wherever the presence of the Harrow was lesser.
Rena couldn't bear to imagine that. Her more cunning side had already predicted Yrix would take interest. And if that cruel teacher had sent in the girls, that could only mean she was exploiting the situation for her morbid interests.
"Lila-." Rena paused, stopping in her tracks.
What was she doing?
If Lila were out there, then she would be fresh meat for the Harrow. Rena simply couldn't allow that to happen. Her entire soul, marred by dread as it may have been, was screaming at her to take action.
She surveyed her surroundings, scanning for Lila with a Psionic gaze. Rena knew using her powers would simply give her position away for whatever may have been lurking out there in the dark. But it was worth it.
She was a coward in the past. Nothing could change that. But she could fight now.
A narrow pipe system ran beneath the metal grates at Rena's feet. They span the entire length of the ship with calculated precision, no doubt providing a pathway to the other levels. And without even thinking of her next move, Rena phased beneath the floor, morphing her body into a tiny ball of energy before fitting herself snugly into the pipes.
She rolled.
The coil of energy was empowered with her presence, glimmering with a vapid light as it broiled over in hues of pink. It was her expression, truest in form. The evolution of a Psion.
"Yrix was right." She thought to herself as she descended the rusted pipes in her new form. "That stupid bitch."
Rena covered a great distance before phasing through the floor once more, reemerging on the other side in her human form. She hadn't ever been to the granary, nor most of the ships' stockholds. But if Lila was somewhere in there, she had to look.
That girl didn't deserve to suffer for her mistakes. She could feel that to be the truth, in her heart of hearts. But then again, none of them should face the Harrow.
Not even Ivy.
"Look at you." A familiar voice spoke to her from above. "Taking pity on your enemies. Growing as a person, are we?"
Rena tilted her head upwards to see Alia sitting snugly on the rafters above, her purple eyes fixated on the girl she had no doubt been tracking. The dancer had one leg crossed over the other as she sat in a confident position. Somehow, the horrors of Rena's dream didn't have her all that pressed.
"You-." Rena muttered beneath her breath. "You're here?"
"Oh, please." Alia rolled her eyes. "Those girls have a good heart, but they're shoddy trackers. Someone had to come and rescue them."
Rena was too clever to fall for that misdirection.
"You're using them as bait for the Harrow," Rena growled angrily. "You knew."
"Know what?" Alia placed a hand on her chest with an innocent look. "I'm just a girl looking for her friend."
Rena scoffed, rolling her eyes with the same sass that Alia had produced. "And Lunae is just some human gal. Spare me the act."
The dancer sighed before shifting her cadence. "No act needed. I'm just not so ignorant of our condition. This thing is inherently tied to our fate as a Psion. Yrix knows."
"So she's faced one." Rena gasped. "They can be killed."
"Many of her peers want to be one. But as with all things, our teacher stands above the rest. She resists them."
Alia jumped from her roost, the dancer's bare feet barely making a sound as she touched down a few inches from Rena. She carried a similar, albeit more human presence when compared to Lunae. But she most certainly shared the impression of hidden depth.
"Don't defend her." Rena glowered.
"All I'm saying is that there's no coincidence she's gathered a bunch of freaks." Alia sneered.
"Ivy's a brat, not a freak. Plenty like her in the world."
"That so?"
"Lila is a good and honest girl."
"For now."
"So you do admit there are expectations."
"This isn't about me knowing it all, Rena. But I've learned enough."
Rena backed away. "Why are you even here?"
"You helped me." The dancer explained with a wink.
"That's hardly more than a partnership. Why risk your neck for me? Against a terror you haven't underestimated no less."
Alia sighed, almost hesitating to explain herself. But she knew more than most how little dishonesty would serve her in the long run. And so she announced herself, much to her own strategic dismay.
"I need power." The dancer clenched her fist, raising it to her mouth. "Above all else."
"And you think you can get that from the Harrow?" Rena scoffed. "Don't be an idiot."
"I wouldn't be the first."
"God, you too!" Rena groaned, placing a palm to her face. "What with all the incessant riddle-speak. Incomprehensible bitch-babble."
Alia laughed. It was a genuine expression, one Rena hadn't really seen before. Somewhere behind all that mystique, there was a girl, traumatized and yearning for comfort.
"My mother," Alia explained in a friendly tone, wiping away her tears from the chortle. "She looked into this sort of thing. Before-."
"I get it." Rena raised a hand, stepping closer to comfort the dancer. "You don't need to explain it."
"Yrix didn't do it, you know."
"She didn't get me pregnant either, Alia. I know there's more evil out there than her."
Alia spun around as if expecting something to appear behind her. She seemed to grow impatient.
"Come now. Let's find your friends. Just cause their bait doesn't mean we don't need their help to win this."