Revenant Slaves Chapter 12: Chapter 11: Luna

Read chapter 12 of Revenant Slaves by Zee on NovelPedia.

Chapter 11: Luna Luna and Avraham walked silently side by side. They were about to exit the family wing when they instead diverted into a small room. Luna knew this room all too well. She had always wanted to be Luna herself when exploring the world beyond her ivory tower. Today, she was almost glad to shed her skin, and this room symbolized altered personas. Luna went in first, and Avraham followed. He pointed toward a bag precariously placed on a shelf in the room. “You will find your disguise here. Knock three times when you are done and leave. Wait for me near the World Elevator Plaza.” “Got it,” she replied. Avraham nodded and headed out of the room. Luna opened the bag, already familiar with its contents. She had worn disguises on many excursions with Avraham over the years: an unassuming translucent face mask, a wig, contact lenses, an HPC device, and, ‘what is this?’ , a uniform. She changed into the uniform first. It was an armored coat with padded trousers and an undershirt, almost identical to the inquisitors’ design, except that where the inquisitors wore layers of red with a bright-flame insignia, hers was completely black, including the insignia. Next, she put in the contact lenses and the wig. Finally, she pulled out the unassuming mask, which felt soft and thick, like jelly, in her hands. Hesitating for a moment, she held the mask with both hands in front of her face. Luna sighed and applied the mask. As soon as it settled on her face, it liquefied. She felt her skin tighten beneath it as the mask adjusted and clung to her. The uncomfortable, slithery sensation lasted a minute or two. When it stopped, her face felt warm and heavy. She flexed her facial muscles, smiling, frowning, raising her eyebrows, and blinking. The movements felt slightly sluggish, but that was to be expected. She checked the edges of her face to see if any rough patches remained or if the reconstruction had issues. There were none. Luna slotted her HPC into her wrist mount and activated the camera. She now had auburn hair, brown eyes, and a distinctly different face: a broader nose, fuller lips, and rounder cheeks, yet she could still detect the faintest traces of her original facial structure. Luna knocked on the door three times to let Avraham know she was done. She moved toward the edge of the room and opened a cabinet. Tracing her finger in a practiced pattern on the back panel with practiced precision. It opened up to reveal a small chamber and a narrow stairwell. It took Luna about fifteen minutes to exit the castle, avoiding all checkpoints and surveillance zones. This routine had been perfected over the years with Avraham. She breathed deeply. It felt good to be out in the open again. The world elevators were nearby. She could have easily caught a ride using a local commuting station, but she chose to walk. Luna enjoyed the air and the scenery. Though it was nighttime, the industrialized orbital space of her homeworld never let any portion of the planet be completely dark. Even the heavy automated traffic along the main road leading out of the castle became part of the scenery. The world elevator was visible in the distance, glowing like a massive line stretching from the ground to the sky. House Whiterock had spent a fortune creating scenic routes along the roads and around the family estate, and Luna seldom had the chance to enjoy them. She wondered how long it would be before she could return, or even be somewhere so open again. Space travel was an extremely claustrophobic and slow affair because the dark ocean of space was so vast that not even the Living Flame could carry humanity far into it. Her HPC pinged an alert. It was Avraham. [Learn about your new alter ego while you walk] Luna stopped and looked around. ‘How did he know? Well of course he does.’ Attached to the message were some files. Luna sighed and opened them. Her name was Yelena. ‘Yeleeena, phew, Avraham, way to keep it subtle.’ Yelena Darkflame. ‘Darkflame!’ As