We're all in this virtual space together.
Alruccabah

You grip the sceptre tightly, and a calming sense fills your mindand drowns out the raging storm of noise around you. You think it is a trick ofyour eyes, but the coding around you seems to slow down and settle into place.The angriness and hate of the place soothes out, leaving placid waters ofsolace. It is not the feeling that comes with the quiet of loneliness, but morethe quiet that comes from a peaceful moment shared.

You enjoy the feeling, and almost don’t want to move forward. Itfact, you know you don’t want to move forward. As you start to sink into thesilky calmness, a jolt like and electric shock runs through the arm that isholding the shield. You open your eyes in a flash and see a brightly lit spotflaring like a roman candle in front of you.

What do you do?

They ran towards thesound of their friend’s distressed voice, stopping cold when they saw Achernarchained to the end of the intestine like tunnel, shackled by her ankles to thewall. She was swinging her sword around violently, as if there were a hoard ofenemies attacking her, but nothing was in the room save for herself, Myos,Amaya, and Zeke.

Amaya tried to carefullywalk toward her, but jumped back in surprise when the deadly blade came slicingher way. It was as if Achernar was lost in some delusion, unaware that herfriends had come for her.

“It must be thememories, like what was happening to me,” Amaya said, looking between Myos andZeke. “It must be the shackles; we have to get them off of her.”

“You just saw whathappens when we get close,” Zeke retorted, turning his nose up in the air. “Wecan’t get close enough to unlock them, she’ll kill us.”

“Well, we can’t justleave her there,” Myos sighed, running fingers through his bangs as he thought.“What else can we do? Maybe talk to her?”

Zeke rolled his eyes atthe idea but turned to the rage filled woman anyway. “Achernar, it’s us. Stopswinging that thing around and just let us help you,” he called, taking a stepforward only to get the blade pointed at his throat.

“I don’t need your help.Stay away,” Achernar growled, voice deadly and serious. Her muscles were tensedlike someone that has hardened to battle, no emotion showing across her faceother than sheer hatred. “I don’t need anyone’s help.”

“We’re not saying youneed our help,” Myos supplied, stepping beside Zeke. “But we want to help you.You’re our friend.”

“I don’t have anyfriends,” she spat venomously, narrowing her piercing ruby eyes.

“We’re all friends,remember?” Amaya jumped in, making it hard for Achernar to decide where shewanted to point her weapon. “Our stars prove that.”

“The stars have donenothing but let me down. They don’t grant wishes and they don’t grant peace,all they do is keep you up at night,” Achernar growled, wanting to lungeforward but the silver shackles thankfully kept her back. The only thingkeeping her from slicing their heads off was the one thing that was making herinsane.

“You’re right. Starsdon’t do anything,” Zeke deadpanned, pulling off his iconic thumb ring much tothe other two’s confusion. “That’s why you make a future for yourself.” He tooka step forward, letting the sharp metal clash violently against his suit. Hewas safe, for now. The harder metal of the armor kept the weapon at bay, butwith as much skill as she had developed with that thing it wouldn’t last long.“You carve out your own path. Isn’t that what you said?” Another step, thechainsaw buzzing to life this time as she swung and connected again, theravenette wincing as he felt the air whooshing around the blade from inside hissuit. It was a deep cut and he couldn’t handle another one. “So stop lettingthese things control you.” With one fell swoop, the dynamic rifle blade heconjured sliced clean through the imprisoning shackles and the sword clatteredout of Achernar’s hand.