Infinity: Rising of the Soul Weavers

* Jim Yosef & Anna Yvette - Linked [NCS Release] *

"Why did you leave me, Maya?" Raven muttered with a look of disappointment, if anything. "How do you expect me to live on like this?"

Thinking back to the time she had first met Maya, back when she was trapped in Lady Luck's grasp, it was little Maya that had helped her keep her sanity.

She'd always visit her at least once a day to provide her with good food and make sure they talk together for a while.

In that hell she lived in at the time, Maya was the sole beacon of hope she could follow. 

But now… now that beacon of hope is gone. And with her gone, Raven's life is back to being a colourless meaningless abyss.

"Hm, why do you seem so lonely?" A voice asked with a hint of a smile.

Looking up, Raven found herself looking at Kayla, the girl that was akin to the angel's voice in her head. 

Yet, something felt off about her this time.

Instead of her usual dark purple irises, she had bright azure ones that looked extremely passionate, and almost motherly...

With each step she took, the dried flowers seemed to regain their colour and adopt a fresh look.

"Kay?" Raven asked with her hollow eyes. "Uhm, I am lonely…" she muttered while looking down. 

"I- I feel… a lot of things right now," she smiled as more tears ran down. "A lot of bad things… bad feelings…"

"I understand," Kayla spoke in a kind and understanding tone. "Talk to me, if you feel like it, of course."

"But-" she struggled to speak. "It's hard to, even though I want to, but it's difficult to describe what I'm feeling…

"It's like the sun has died out in my vision. Everything has either lost its colour or turned black… nothing has a meaning anymore." She said with a deep sigh.

"I'm not sure where I belong anymore. I've never imagined my life without Maya. No one has ever loved me as she did…"

At that, Kayla bit her lip as tears left her azure eyes. She was hurt, and she couldn't hide it, but she was thankful Raven wasn't looking at her face. 

"I don't know what to do anymore… do you think I'd meet her if I killed myself?" Raven asked, almost hopeful.

Shaking her head, Kayla wrapped her arms around her and patted her back. "Never!" She said firmly.

"I'm aware how difficult this must be for you, but have you ever stopped being so selfish?" Kayla asked and Raven widened her eyes as she hadn't expected something like that from Kayla.

"Kay?" She asked, confused.

"Don't you ever think about what Maya had wanted? Are you going to abandon what she had died for?

"And what about the rest? Are they all trash? Didn't Maria take care of you and treat you like a mother would treat her child? 

"How about Axane that views you as her saviour? She almost worships you, yet you almost never appreciate her enough.

"How is any of that right?" Kayla asked, tears running down her azure eyes on Raven's shoulder. "Can you imagine what they'd feel if they lost you too."

Although she said that, it was her who'd miss her the most. Even right now, she couldn't spend her time with her the way she wanted to...

"Can you imagine Maria's broken heart after losing two daughters on the same day?" She continued.

"How about Axane who had already lost so much in her life? She has first lost her people, planet, and then the master that has taken care of her. And now, she lost baby Rituxi and Maya just like you did.

"Can you imagine her heart after losing you too? She's fighting really hard right now against fate itself, so that she can come back to you.

"Even though she had lost baby Rituxi, she didn't give up. Do you know why? It's because she knows that you'd be able to help her overcome this.

"Why didn't Maria break down? Why is she even trying to help Axane? The answer is because she knows you'll be back in a second to fix everything."

*Deep breaths* *sniff*

Kayla needed to breathe as her body was shaking right now, unable to hold her emotions.

"I'm sorry Amy…" Kayla muttered while squeezing Raven even harder. The situation made her remember a dark past she was trying hard to overcome.

Hearing that name, Raven widened her eyes, but didn't know how to react. She knew she had heard this name before, it have her a sense of inner peace… yet she couldn't place it.

"I am aware that this must be difficult, to always be the one everyone is relying on. But they all do it because they believe in you." Kayla continued.

"Everyone has great faith in you. Can you think about why Maya sacrificed herself? Why did she fight so hard? Tell me…"

"Because she was waiting for me…" suddenly the realization hit Raven in a blast that seemed to give everything its colour again.

"She wanted to buy me as much time as possible…" she spoke, her eyes wide, yet filled with tears. "Even though she had no guarantees, she chose to put her faith in me and push through the pain…

"She chose to trust that I will come to save her… but didn't I fail her?" She asked while looking down, her heart broken some more.

"Yes, you did…" Kayla said, her hands behind Raven, shaking. "But will you fail the rest too? Will you fail Maria, Axane, Zeru, Aella, Tu, me... and everyone else that is working so hard for you.

"They're all waiting for your return. They all chose to put their faith in you. Will you fail them too?"

"No," Raven said while closing her eyes to get her her thoughts. "I will not fail anyone anymore."

Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Kayla held Raven by the shoulders while looking straight into her eyes.

Getting closer to her, Kayla kissed Raven on the forehead. "You've grown quite a bit, I want you to know that I am really proud of you, lil Amy!" She said with a sincere smile as tears ran down her eyes.

Watching a tear drop down on one of the flowers, Raven was surprised to see the tear turning everything it touched into a shade of bright azure. 

Blinking twice, Raven realized that she was now drowning in a sea of azure that slowly turned brilliant white.

Opening her eyes in surprise, she found herself back near her family.