LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 21: Souls Intertwined
Alongside the towering forms of the Salamanders Space Marines, Lilith and the remaining Guardsmen pushed forward, their boots squelching in the blood-soaked mud of Armageddon.
Lilith's hands, once soft and uncertain, now moved with practiced efficiency as she tended to the wounded. The silver Aquila that Sister Victorine had given her glinted dully on her chest, speckled with blood and grime. It served as a constant reminder of her duty to the Emperor and the Imperium, even in the face of her own uncertain nature. Lilith instinctively puts her hand on the silver Aquila and tiny vial with a pressed flower on her chest, feeling comfort as she touches them.
"Medicae! Over here!" a gruff voice called out. Lilith's head snapped up, her eyes quickly locating the source as a burly Guardsman supporting a younger soldier whose leg had been nearly severed by Ork weaponry.
Without hesitation, Lilith sprinted towards them, her medkit clutched tightly in her hands. As she ran, she felt the familiar presence of Eve stirring in the back of her mind, a silent observer to the horrors unfolding around them as usual.
"Hold him steady," Lilith commanded, her voice carrying a authority that belied her youthful appearance. Her hands moved swiftly, applying a tourniquet and administering a dose of combat stimms to keep the soldier from going into shock.
As she worked, Lilith's mind drifted to the events that had led her here. The revelation of her dual nature as both psyker and blank, the confrontation with Commissar Voss, and the unexpected alliance with the Salamanders. It all seemed like a fever dream, yet here she was, fighting alongside the Emperor's finest warriors.
"You'll live to fight another day, Guardsman," Lilith assured the wounded soldier, her voice tinged with a confidence she didn't entirely feel. "The Emperor protects."
The words felt strange on her tongue, a mixture of genuine faith and ingrained habit. As she finished bandaging the wound, Lilith caught sight of Sergeant Taelon. The Salamander's emerald armor was scorched and pitted, testament to the ferocity of the fighting. He gave her a solemn nod, a gesture of respect that sent a flutter of pride through her chest.
As Lilith moved on to the next casualty, she felt a subtle shift within her mind. Eve was taking a more active role in their shared consciousness, her presence becoming more pronounced.
*"Eve?"* Lilith thought, her hands continuing their work even as she focused inward. *"Is everything alright?"*
There was a pause, a moment of hesitation that was uncharacteristic of her usually confident counterpart. When Eve's response came, it was tinged with an uncertainty that sent a chill down Lilith's spine.
*"I... I'm not sure,"* Eve's thoughts echoed in their shared mind. *"Something feels... different."*
Before Lilith could press further, a deafening explosion rocked the battlefield. She instinctively ducked, shielding her current patient with her body as debris rained down around them. When she looked up, she saw a massive Ork Stompa lumbering towards their position, its crude weaponry spewing death in all directions.
"Fall back!" Sergeant Taelon's voice boomed over the cacophony of battle. "Regroup at the secondary defense line!"
Lilith helped her patient to his feet, supporting him as they began to retreat. Around her, Guardsmen and Salamanders alike moved with disciplined precision, covering each other's withdrawal with controlled bursts of bolter fire.
As they fell back, Lilith felt Eve's presence recede slightly, as if distracted by some internal struggle. In the brief moments between treating the wounded and avoiding enemy fire, Lilith tried to reach out to her other self.
*"Eve, what's happening? Talk to me!"*
But Eve remained silent, her consciousness a roiling mass of confusion and... fear? The emotion was so alien coming from Eve that it only heightened Lilith's own anxiety.
Meanwhile, in the recesses of their shared mind, Eve grappled with a sensation unlike anything she had experienced before. It felt as though something was slowly consuming her from within, but not in a painful or malevolent way. It was more akin to a gentle tide, gradually eroding the boundaries of her being.
*"This... this isn't right,"* Eve thought to herself, careful to keep these musings shielded from Lilith. *"It's not the Warp. I'm a blank, I shouldn't be able to feel the Warp like this. So what in the Emperor's name is happening to me?"*
As Lilith continued to work tirelessly on the battlefield, Eve delved deeper into her own psyche, searching for answers. She recalled fragments of overheard conversations from her time as a test subject, whispered theories of the tech-priests who had studied her.
*"Soul resonance,"* one memory surfaced, the words of a particularly enthusiastic magos. *"The harmonization of psychic frequencies between two distinct entities. But it's only theoretical, of course. The chances of finding two souls compatible enough for true resonance are astronomically low."*
Eve's thoughts raced, piecing together a theory that seemed simultaneously impossible and the only logical explanation. *"Soul compatibility... could it be? Lilith isn't from this universe. The normal rules might not apply."*
The implications were staggering. If Eve's theory was correct, she and Lilith weren't just sharing a body as their very souls were slowly merging into a single entity.
*"But that's impossible,"* Eve argued with herself. *"Souls are unique, individual. The Adeptus Ministorum teaches that each soul is a distinct flame in the Emperor's light."*
Yet, even as she thought this, Eve could feel the boundaries of her self becoming less distinct. Memories that weren't her own flickered at the edges of her consciousness as glimpses of a world without war, of a life lived in peace. Lilith's memories, bleeding through the eroding barriers between them.
On the battlefield, Lilith finished treating another wounded Guardsman, her movements automatic as her mind continued to probe at Eve's unusual silence. She looked up, catching sight of a Salamander Terminator striding through the chaos, his heavy flamer turning a group of charging Orks into screaming pillars of flame.
The sight stirred something in Eve's psyche; a memory of her own rescue by the Salamanders, the first time she had felt hope in her young life. But the memory was overlaid with a sense of awe and admiration that was purely Lilith's.
*"We're blending,"* Eve realized with a start. *"Our emotions, our memories... they're becoming one."*
The realization brought with it a complex mix of emotions. Fear at the loss of individual identity warred with a strange sense of comfort, as if she were becoming whole in a way she had never known was possible.
*"But what will happen to us?"* Eve wondered. *"Will we cease to be Eve and Lilith, becoming something... someone new?"*
The questions swirled in her mind, each bringing with it new layers of complexity. What would this mean for their unique abilities? Would they retain Eve's blank nature and Lilith's psychic potential, or would these opposing forces cancel each other out?
And what of their loyalties? Eve's cynicism and survival instincts had always balanced Lilith's faith and devotion to the Imperium. Would that balance be maintained, or would one aspect dominate?
As Eve grappled with these existential questions, Lilith continued her work on the battlefield. She moved from patient to patient, her hands steady even as her mind roiled with concern for Eve's continued silence.
"Watch out!" a voice bellowed. Lilith looked up just in time to see a massive Ork Nob charging towards her, its crude axe raised high.
Time seemed to slow as Lilith's combat training kicked in. She dropped into a defensive stance, her hand reaching for the combat knife Sergeant Thorne had given her. But before she could draw the blade, she felt a surge of energy coursing through her body.
In that moment, even without Eve’s help Lilith suddenly showed the same expression as Eve when she’s fighting the Orks. With calculated speed and precision, Lilith’s body dodged the Ork's wild swing and her hand swiftly find it’s trajectory into the Ork’s neck, drawing it in one fluid motion and burying it deep in the Ork's throat. Eve was speechless as this is Lilith is definitely not someone who can do this aside from herself and the expression Lilith wore, it’s as if looking at a mirror.
As the Ork collapsed, gurgling its last breath, Lilith suddenly realizes what happened to her. She stared at the fallen xenos, then at her bloodied hands, a mix of awe and horror washing over her.
*"Eve?"* she thought, her mental voice trembling. *"What... what was that?"*
There was a pause, heavy with unspoken truths. When Eve finally responded, her mental voice was carefully controlled as she decided to lie to Lilith. *"Perhaps you are getting used to our body."*
Lilith could sense there was more that Eve wasn't telling her. But before she could press the issue, Sergeant Taelon's voice cut through the chaos of battle.
"Medicae! We need you at the command post. Now!"
Pushing aside her questions and concerns, Lilith sprinted towards the makeshift command center. As she ran, she felt Eve's presence settling back into its usual place in their shared consciousness. But there was a new tension there, a sense of secrets held back and truths unspoken.
*"Eve,"* Lilith thought as she ducked under a low-hanging piece of wreckage, *"Are you hiding something from me?"*
Eve's response was tinged with a complex mix of emotions such as affection, fear, and a deep, abiding sadness. Such emotions are alien to Eve and yet she feels them now*"I will tell you soon but the time isn’t right. We’re currently on the battlefield. Once this is over, I'll tell you everything. I promise."*
As Lilith arrived at the command post, she pushed aside her worries about Eve. The battle for Armageddon raged on, and there were lives to save, Orks to fight, and a duty to fulfill.
The command post was a hive of activity, with Guardsmen and Salamanders alike poring over tactical displays and vox-casters. Sergeant Taelon stood at the center, his imposing figure a beacon of calm amidst the chaos. As Lilith approached, she could see the lines of strain etched into his face, visible even through his tough, radiation-scarred skin.
"Medicae," Taelon acknowledged her with a nod. "We've got wounded incoming. A squad of Guardsmen held the line against a Killa Kan assault. They bought us time, but at a heavy cost."
Lilith nodded, her face set in grim determination. "I'm ready, Sergeant. Where do you need me?"
As Taelon began to brief her on the situation, Eve retreated further into their shared mindscape. The turmoil of her recent realization threatened to overwhelm her, but she forced herself to focus, to analyze.
*"I can't tell her,"* Eve thought, careful to keep these musings shielded from Lilith. *"Not yet. Not until I'm certain. And even then... what would it do to her? To us?"*
Eve watched through their shared eyes as Lilith moved with purpose, preparing a triage area for the incoming wounded. She felt a swell of pride and affection for her counterpart, emotions that were becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish as purely her own.
*"We're changing,"* Eve mused. *"Becoming something new. But what will we lose in the process? And is it a price we're willing to pay? Is it our personality? Or perhaps something more"*
As the first of the wounded arrived, carried on makeshift stretchers by their battle-worn comrades, Eve made a decision. She would watch, she would wait, and she would soon tell Lilith if her suspicion were correct in order to protect both of them and until she knew for certain what fate had in store for their entwined souls.
The battle for Armageddon raged on, and as Lilith's hands moved with practiced skill, stemming the flow of blood and stitching together torn flesh, Eve stood vigil in the recesses of their shared mind wondering what the future will hold for them.