Vol.4 Ch.50 – Memory Dive III
Chapter 50: Memory Dive III
Elaine emerged from the memories somewhat delirious.
It felt oddly difficult to detach the memories she'd just lived through from her own and she wondered if Mare faced the same difficulties or if her powers isolated her from this feeling. She also felt weirdly voyeuristic, seeing things she had no business knowing. Again she wondered if Mare felt the same hang-ups when diving into other people's memories. Of course, Elaine had known that whatever secrets she held, Mare would likely know them but now she wondered exactly how far Mare had gone snooping. Then again, it didn't really matter, did it? Despite whatever Mare had seen inside her she hadn't just wanted to join her squad still, she'd been very unsubtle about her attraction to Elaine.
But that was neither here nor there. Right now it was about helping Abigail. And to do so she needed to get her thoughts in order.
She'd been able to piece most of this together already but the memory dive had nonetheless helped her contextualize a lot.
Abigail hadn't always been the jaded and bitter person Elaine had met. It had all started from a truly traumatic experience and her refusal to do things that she considered prostituting herself for personal gain came from a very real, very sincere place.
She also clearly struggled with the fact that her body had reacted to being felt up by that guy and it had led to extremely destructive coping mechanisms.
But honestly, Elaine's main takeaway was that...
“Have you finally given up?” Apollo asked.
Elaine glared at him. “Is this really all you have to say?”
For what felt like the first time he properly looked at her. “A failed Oath of Crystal Tears means a fate worse than death.”
“What if it doesn't have to?”
“Child,” he said, “My Soul Shards have resided in countless mortals over an infinity of infinities. I have borne witness to the Oath countless times and there are only two outcomes. They either become a Lacrima or they fail and become a monster with a shattered soul. There is no third option.”
Elaine sized him up, then said: “Here's the thing. I'm not trying to create a third option. I won't even attempt to do something complicated like isolating the soul slivers and reverting the ritual.”
“So we're in agreement, then?”
“No. I'm not looking for a third option because I want the ritual to succeed.”
“It already failed,” he said slowly, as if talking to an idiot. To prove his point he pointed at Abigail, her astral form tied to a cross by black and white brambles.
“She's not a monster yet,” Elaine said. “Her soul is still intact. And I'd really fucking appreciate it if you helped me save her life.”
He sighed but then shrugged. “Fine, I'll humor you. There's nothing more to lose, after all. What do you want me to do? Rip away the brambles? Break the cross?”
“No,” Elaine said as she turned towards Abigail. “I just need you to shut up and not work against me until I'm done.”
His eyebrows raised. “Very well.”
Elaine walked all the way to Abigail and cupped the girl's cheek. As vain as she had sounded in that memory, Abigail had been right. She had a gorgeous face and Elaine was glad she'd decided not to ruin it.
And then she slapped Abigail as hard as she could, the sound ringing across the theater. The unseen spectators howled and cheered, which Elaine decided to take as a good sign rather than as proof of Abigail's self-loathing.
“Interesting strategy,” she heard Apollo mutter but at least he'd had the decency to say it quietly.
“Wake up Abigail!” Elaine screamed and finally Abigail's eyelids began to twitch.
The girl opened her eyes, then immediately began struggling against her bonds and looked around in a panic.
“What is this?” she asked. “Elaine?!” There was a look of betrayal on the girl's face that faded once she noticed the otherworldly surroundings. “What is this?”
“We're in your mind,” Elaine said, laying things out for her. “You swore the Oath but your resolve wavered.”
Abigail chuckled breathlessly. “So I'm going to become a monster now. But then why are you here?”
“I told you from the start, didn't I?” Elaine said. “You're part of my team. That means I'm going to take care of you.”
“You don't have to,” Abigail said. “I made my own bed. I decided to betray your trust one last time and then I fucked things up. That's all on me.”
“Yeah, that's not really how I roll”, Elaine said. “Now, am I going to have to slap you again or are you going to help me fix this?”
“I failed, didn't I? There's nothing to fix.”
“You're not a monster yet, so I'm sure we can still fix this if you actually work with me.”
Abigail took a deep breath. Tears began welling up in her eyes and she no doubt considered telling Elaine where to shove it but Elaine wasn't having it.
“If you give up now, all the sacrifices you've made were for nothing,” Elaine said.
Abigail stiffened in her bonds.
“You swore yourself you'd never take the easy way to success. That's what this is about, isn't it? You feel like you betrayed yourself to get here, right?”
Abigail stared up at her. “I did take the easy way to power.”
“Really?” Elaine asked. “If it was so easy, why are we here right now?”
Abigail balled her fists, causing the thorns to dig into her wrists a little more. But Elaine had noticed something. The thorns weren't puncturing her skin and causing memories to leak out any longer. Instead they were sinking into her skin. She was absorbing the power, she was just doing it too slowly.
That meant that Elaine's approach was working.
“You feel like you've betrayed your own morals, that you let the thing happen that you always refused before, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well that's stupid.”
Abigail stared at her.
“I've been with Jeanne and Rachel too, you know?”
“I know.”
“So I know that you didn't just sleep with them to gain power.”
Abigail had nothing to say to that.
“It was Rachel, wasn't it? You couldn't resist her.”
No response.
“It's okay, I'm not judging you.”
“Then what's your point?” Abigail all but growled.
“My point is that this was nothing like a creep feeling you up and promising you success.”
That made Abigail pause in her anger and stare at Elaine.
“You didn't allow someone you find revolting to touch you,” Elaine said.
“Are you trying to convince me I didn't betray my principles?” Abigail asked.
“I'm not trying to convince you,” Elaine said. “I'm telling you. You slept with them because you knew it would make you powerful but also because Rachel made you feel something, right?”
Abigail averted her gaze. “She cut through all my bullshit,” she finally said. “I cried myself to sleep hugging her and she never even complained. And when I woke up I...” A faint blush colored her cheeks. As it did, her arms fell down to her sides. The brambles had sunken into Abigail's skin all the way down to her shoulders, freeing her arms.
Elaine didn't say anything about it, instead focusing on Abigail's words and feelings. She knew the girl needed another push and she also knew she wouldn't get that push with gentle soul-searching.
“She made you hot, didn't she? She didn't even really flirt with you but just cuddling with her got your pussy all wet, didn't it?”
Abigail looked away in embarrassment but Elaine grabbed her by the jaw and forced her gaze up.
“Be honest, Abigail.”
She could feel more than see Abigail swallowing. “Yes, she made me wet.”
“You're wet right now, aren't you?”
Abigail once again tried to look away but Elaine didn't let her.
“Why are you wet, Abigail? Did the memory make you hot?”
“It's because of you, you jerk,” Abigail finally hissed. “And why do you smell like her, anyway?”
Elaine blinked. What? Rachel smelled like cinnamon, completely unlike her own cologne. Had Rachel... Oh you devious little vixen.
“So, what did Rachel do to you?”
She squatted down in front of Abigail and stared down the singer's body. She wasn't ogling, not really. She was watching the brambles sink into Abigail's skin. After sinking into her arms the brambles had skipped Abigail's torso and had started sinking into her legs instead. Now Abigail was completely free except for her chest, waist and hips.
“Why do you care?” Abigail demanded.
“Tell me,” Elaine said, pushing as much authority into the words as she could.
Abigail's breathing grew a little ragged because of it and finally she admitted: “She grew a couple of dicks and then fucked Jeanne on top of me. Then she grew an even bigger one and crammed that inside me. There, are you happy now?”
Almost, Elaine thought as the brambles around Abigail's hips sank into her skin.
“Tell me how it felt, Abigail.”
“I loved it,” Abigail said. The words should have been an angry hiss but just remembering it had made her so horny that her voice was a sexy whine. “It felt like she was going to tear me apart and I loved it. Every single second of it.”
Elaine saw the final brambles began to sink into Abigail's skin. “So in other words, you didn't let a disgusting creep feel you up for fame and fortune. You came on a gorgeous succubus' cock because you wanted to.”
Abigail blinked.
“You didn't betray your ideals. You just had the best night of your life because you wanted to.” She grabbed Abigail and pulled her off the cross, then stared at Apollo.
The god of light and music and all the fine arts began to clap and, as he did, the entire theater joined in.