Infinity: Rising of the Soul Weavers

*Sigma - Find Me ft. Birdy *

Standing on top of the EDA building, Raven used Kayla's skill Parallel Processing and shifted her attention towards the other avatars all at once in order to make sure everything was going smoothly.

To her surprise, Axane and Maria had decided to go into the mansion anyway, despite her avatar asking them to go buy something new entirely. 

Although they clenched her hands tightly every now and then, overall, they had strengthened their resolve. 

They were intent on getting stronger before meeting Maya again. And they were willing to work hard to achieve that.

Liz on the other had chosen to listen to the avatar and instead go shopping for new clothes. She was afraid and almost terrified of entering her house again.

But after the quick shopping trip, she was feeling much better and was extremely happy that Raven was with her. 

In a way, this was a dream coming true, having a friend that she could spend time with... That's why she took advantage of that and chose not to take a single step without holding hands with her. 

Since Ian had followed them with Raykun on his shoulder, Raven had decided to take the time and buy them both something.

She obviously messed with Raykun and bought him some Barbie dolls' clothing that he was forced to wear after an order from Liz who was laughing her a*s off with Raven.

Poor kid-doll seemed to wish he was physically tortured instead as he started to mutter how much he hated the situation he was in, especially that his esteemed mistress was making fun of him.

Ian also seemed to be experiencing a 'feeling' that he has never experienced before. Well, he had never experienced any feelings to start with, not ever since the 'incident' anyway.

Now, although his face was as blank as ever, he could feel a faint white radiance lighting the darkness inside of him.

Realising the change that was happening to him, he chose to ignore it and not concern himself with 'feelings' or whatever they were. 

But this simple shopping trip had taught him that this 'Raven' had more to her than what meets the eyes. 'Maybe she is the true archon? But is it truly possible?' he kept muttering to himself.

After a few hours, everyone was back at the hospital rooftop, as they had previously agreed. Everyone but Raven.

"Did she tell you that she'll be meeting the mayor?" Liz asked since that was what the avatar had told her.

"Uhm," Maria nodded. "We should be ready now though. Once she comes back, we'll be going to the Demon Plane. How do you both feel about that? Concerned, scared, or excited?"

"Hehe, I'm obviously excited!" Liz instantly said in a cheerful tone as a big grin appeared on her face. "No one can harm us whenever Raven is near! I see no reason to be scared or concerned!"

"Haha, I guess I feel the same way," Axane said. "Although I want to learn how to protect myself more than rely on her. After all, she is almost always under a lot of pressure, you know… I don't want to add to her plate."

*Sigh*

"You're right," Maria said, "I don't want to rely as much on her either. Instead, I want to catch up to her level!"

"Ayo! What are you girls muttering about?" Suddenly, the group could hear Aella's voice as she landed besides them with a tired and angry expression. "Damn, I've been forced to travel back and forth between provinces as if it was a few meters away… it's FAR and it's NOT EASY!" 

Taking a deep breath, she realised that Raven was nowhere to be seen. "Where is she?" She asked while looking around.

Putting a hand on her shoulder, Zeru calmed her down since she was tired. "Apologies, she always gets mouthy whenever she's exhausted."

Aella wanted to comment on that, but she realised that she'd only prove him right so she chose to sit quietly instead.

"Well, um, Raven will be here soon, you can rest for now, want some juice?" Liz asked as she grabbed a pack of juice from her bracelet and gave everyone a box.

***

"Are you sure you want to leave? It's dangerous! And why the Demon Plane in particular?!! Why would you do that to yourself? Or even your friends and… me." The mayor exclaimed, concern and worry visible in her voice.

Taking the time to explain herself, Raven made sure her mom wasn't angry with her. "And here's this," she said while handing her a bracelet.

"I've left some avatars here in the city so you should be able to talk to them using this bracelet, and they can relay the message to me which means we can communicate with each other! See, it's not bad, I'm prepared!" She said with a smile.

"Hm, I don't quite agree with you… but it's ok, I will support you no matter what," she said as she wrapped her arms around her. "There's something I want to give you, before you go. I should have done this a long time ago, I'm sorry, but later is better than never."

Saying that, the mayor undid the first two buttons in her shirt as she exposed her neck. 

"First, I want you to know that for all I know, I am your biological mother." The mayor said, understanding how stupid that may have sounded. "Or to be fair, that was my belief for at least a decade or so, but…

"Until recently… hm, let me ask you this: do you remember when I had told you that I needed to go visit your aunt in Chicago?" 

Raven nodded.

"Well, the truth was that I needed to perform a high risk surgery. Thankfully, it was a success, as you can see," she pointed at herself, supposedly being alive. "But then I still remember the doctor asking me if I'll ever be willing to declare to the public that my daughter, you, were adopted, something about the public deserving of an honest mayor...

"Obviously the question had taken me by surprise, but after seeing my confusion, the doctor had explained that I have a genetic disease that critically impaires my ovaries…"

Hearing that, Raven widened her eyes in surprise. While she knew the mayor wasn't her real parent, it was still hard when it's out this way.

The mayor nodded at her reaction.. "Yes, I can't have children, according to the doctor."