Chapter 6: Windows Of The Soul
The word had barely left her lips before Raveene froze, her eyes blinking rapidly as a wave of self-reproach washed over her.
What the hell is wrong with you, Raveene? she thought, her brow furrowing in the gloom. Are you seriously saying "hi" to a national nightmare?
She shook her head slightly, the absurdity of the gesture gnawing at her. How was she even supposed to address a creature that defied every law of biology and physics?
She stood her ground, though her legs felt like water, and took one tentative step after another. Each crunch of her boots against the gravel sounded like a gunshot in the oppressive silence, a rhythmic countdown to a strike that never came.
The monster remained a pillar of unmoving obsidian. Those silver-violet glowing eyes stayed fixed on her, peering straight into the center of her soul with an intensity that felt like a physical weight. In the shadows, its silhouette was an imposing, jagged mountain of armor and mystery, overwhelming her senses and forcing her to swallow against a dry throat. Her fists clenched tight at her sides.
You're throwing yourself into the lion's den, she scolded herself. What if it's just stalling? What if it's waiting for me to get close enough to ensure I can't scream? But she pushed the thought away, centering herself on the one thing that had brought her here.
Not now. Even if I'm flying blind, I know what I saw in those reports. There has to be a trace of humanity in this thing. It can't be all beast.
She drew closer, moving with a slowness that would have made a snail seem hurried. Her muscles were strained to the point of aching, yet the beast did not react. Its lack of aggression acted like a strange, intoxicating fuel for her morale, granting her a sliver of confidence she had no right to possess.
"Um, okay," she started, her voice echoing hollowly off the ruined walls. "I don't even know if you understand a word I'm saying, or if you even speak English, but... yeah. This probably looks incredibly stupid from the outside." A small, nervous chuckle escaped her, a brief flutter of humanity in the face of the macabre.
The sound died quickly, followed by a stillness so profound it felt like the world had ended. She bit down on her bottom lip, her heart hammering. Was she just performing a monologue for a sentient rock?
"I really don't know what you are," she continued, her fingers absentmindedly fiddling with the hem of her jacket. "I might not be able to understand the mechanics of whatever is happening deep down inside you, but I'm certain of one thing. When I tell people outside, they don't believe me. I know I sound insane, but I want to tell you first: I know there's someone in there." She took another step, the gap between them shrinking to a distance that felt dangerously intimate. "I don't care that you look like this, or that the world calls you a killer. I have this feeling—this unshakable conviction—that there is humanity left in you. You aren't just an animal. I've studied your patterns, and I see a message in the wreckage. You're trying to say something, aren't you?"
She stopped, suddenly hyperventilating. Her chest heaved as she panted, the weight of her own words finally catching up to her. She took a deep, jagged breath, looking up at the terrifying height of the entity. It stood as rigid as a statue, a monument of bronze and shadow that didn't so much as flinch or blink.
"I don't know how you became this," she whispered, her voice gaining a steadier edge. "I don't know who did this to you, but I want you to know that I believe in you. I feel like things could be better, and I'm going to find a way to get you out of this—whatever this is. You deserve a chance to be normal again. To just be yourself."
The silence returned, heavy and judging. Rationality began to claw its way back into her thoughts, mocking her.
Very clever, Raveene. Giving a pep talk to the thing that slices people into ribbons. What are the odds it isn't just waiting for you to walk into its reach?
But as she watched, she noticed a shift. The silver-violet light in those massive eyes changed, swirling in a way that made her breath hitch. It wasn't a predatory flare; it was a switch in recognition, as if the creature were finally registering the vibration of her voice.
"Are you... are you actually listening to me?" she asked.
The moment the question left her mouth, the silver-violet eyes flickered briefly. Raveene's eyes went wide.
I'm not imagining it. That's progress. That's real progress. She thought.
She stepped even closer, until she was barely a few feet from the towering chest of the titan. "Don't worry," she said softly. "Even if no one else sees you, I want you to know that I'm here. I see you."
As she spoke those words, the very nature of the light in its eyes transformed. The cold, predatory burn softened, shifting into a hue that Raveene could only describe as warmth. The constant, mechanical micro-tracking of a hunter ceased entirely. Instead, the eyes held her face with a fixed, desperate attention—the way a person looks at a forgotten memory they are trying to claw back from the void.
A final, deep pulse of light thrummed through the violet orbs, like a heartbeat made visible. For a fleeting second, they stopped looking like weapons and started looking like windows. It was as if something buried deep beneath the armor had just pressed its face against the glass, desperate to be seen.
Raveene felt a surge of boldness that defied logic.
Raveene Hale, you are the most foolish human being on this planet, she could hear Clara's voice shouting in her mind, but she ignored the warning.
She refused to relent. She stepped into the creature's shadow until she had to tilt her head back at an agonizing angle to maintain eye contact. She was just inches away now. Slowly, tentatively, she reached her hand up. Her fingers trembled as they moved through the moonlit air, reaching for the jagged, metallic surface of its face.