Infinity: Rising of the Soul Weavers

"Rave… you…" 

"That is the truth," Raven shrugged. 

"But, why do you-"

"Do you blame me?" Raven cut her off and asked again, completely ignoring her point.

After a moment of silence between the two, Liz nodded. "Uhm, I blame you."

However, although she said that, she could not help but look at her feet, as if a shy kid confessing her true feelings. At the same time though, she could not help but feel that something was not quite right.

"Good," Raven said with a smile. "Then live on and avenge your Liam. I made you who you are today, so you better become strong enough to take your revenge on me. Do you understand?"

"Uhm," Liz hesitated for a few seconds before nodding in confusion. 

"However, I want you to be the one taking revenge, not the darkness inside of you. Do you get it?"

"Uhm," Liz nodded again, feeling that although she seemed harsh, Raven was still her best friend. She seemed to be guiding her towards a goal. It is as if she wanted her to see the light at the end of the tunnel…

"Do you blame me?" Liz suddenly gathered the courage and asked. "For killing Maya… and for taking baby Rituxi\'s life…"

Before even finishing, she could feel her heart beating wildly as she clenched her fists in worry and anxiety. 

Looking up in order to observe Raven\'s reaction, however, was like cold water on a hot day; she had a simple yet gentle and soft smile on her face. Her expression seemed to indicate that she has already expected the question.

"To be honest, I used to… but not anymore, I guess. Err, at least not as much as before..." Raven took a deep breath as she finished. "However, I just explained that it\'s all my fault, so technically speaking, I should not be blaming you, right?"

"So, you haven\'t totally forgiven me?"

"There\'s nothing to forgive you about," Raven shook her head. "You\'re just a victim in this, please don\'t make yourself feel bad because of that, ok? As for what I truly feel… let\'s say that it\'s more complicated that I can explain.

"In any case, you could say that I don\'t blame you! Even though I\'ll be a target of your revenge from now on, you\'ll still be the same Liz to me. So again, don\'t feel bad, ok?"

"Uhm," Liz nodded with a sigh. She understood that Raven\'s heart must be a torrent of conflicting emotions and she could not help but feel sorry for her. 

However, she also knew that there\'s nothing she herself could do about it. It\'s a matter for Raven herself to figure out on her own.

After some thoughts passed through her head, Liz suddenly raised her head and looked at Raven in a questioning manner; "But then, what do you blame me for?"

She was confused by this from the start. Why did Raven say that she blames her too? What does she blame her for, if not what she has done to Maya and baby Rituxi?

"Hm, I blame you for being stupid!" Raven shrugged.

"Huh?" Liz looked dumbfounded.

*Sigh*

"I blame you for insisting on having your powers back," Raven sighed. "You\'re too innocent, too naive, and too dumb. I really feel bad for you."

Suddenly, feeling wronged, a blush passed across Liz\'s face. "But I wanted to help too!"

"You wanted to help because you thought it was your fault," Raven corrected. "Now you know it\'s not, so what do you say we seal your powers completely?" She gestured at her chest, where a sun with one torch was left.

"No!" Liz argued. "I still want to help!"

"Oh, why?" Raven raised her eyebrows.

"Because you\'re my best friend!" Liz said cheerfully, as if nothing had just happened. "Also, I can\'t leave the rest to fight alone. Aella, Axane, and Maria… I can\'t watch them fight on their own.

"What type of person would I be to hide behind my friends and watch them bleed when I myself have the power to protect them?"

*Sigh*

Raven sighed, but this time she could not bring herself to argue back. This girl had a head of hollow steel; hard on the outside, but empty on the inside.

However, her response made her heart warm up nonetheless. \'Why is life so hard on kind people?\' she thought to herself.

Shaking her head, Raven wanted to walk away and let Liz continue getting used to her powers now that she has tuned it down. But she suddenly stopped and looked at her feet.

"You know, it may be hard to kill your best friend," she said quietly. "Are you sure you still want to call me that?"

"Who said I\'d kill you?" Liz seemed genuinely confused, but there was also a trace of horror in her voice.

"Huh? Didn\'t you want your revenge?" Raven asked.

"Revenge, yes." Liz confirmed. "But I do not have to kill in order to get my revenge. Don\'t joke about stuff like that! I\'d rather die than kill you! 

"Also… don\'t forget that I\'m not good with blood…" her face suddenly turned pale.

Shaking her head vigorously and then slapping her cheeks, she looked at Raven again. "As for my true revenge, err, I haven\'t thought about it yet. But I guess I can give you some sour candy and lie and say it\'s sweet to take you by surprise. Or make you buy me some food. Or- you know, something like this, I guess…"

Staring at her in a daze, Raven could only shake her head. "You\'re too naive."

Liz just shrugged. "Do you hate me?"

Asking such a question made Raven raise her eyebrows. But she then simply smiled and shook her head. "I don\'t."

No, in fact, Raven hated herself, if anything. She has not only ruined Liz\'s life, but also her own and many of her friends\'.

It\'s too cruel to think that Liz, a pure girl that is even afraid of blood, will be thrown into the battlefield… 

With that being said, maybe she can just let her guard the Demon Country? It\'s almost guaranteed that no angel will reach this city unless the war is going really bad, so that might be a good solution!