The Oracle Paths

Following his Shadow Guide, Jake flew back up the trail and found Ruby a few minutes later huddled against a tree in a small flower-filled clearing, her legs tucked up against her chest and her face buried in her lap. A lone ray of moonlight had pierced the thick layer of clouds, shedding its brightness wonderfully on the young woman.

This ethereal beauty shimmering in the moonlight would have moved the most mediocre of painters, but Jake saw only the lethal charm of a viper. As he set foot on the ground, a twig snapped and Ruby jerked alertly to her feet and shouted,

"Who's there?!"

When she recognized Jake, she tried to hide her face in a rush, but it was too late. A single glance was enough to imprint this unforgettable scene in his memory forever.

A swollen and reddened face, red and wet eyes, partially dry tears that ran down her cheeks and a haggard and lost countenance that he knew only too well. But above all, for once the silver glow pulsing in her pupils was nowhere in sight.

His gaze drifted subconsciously to her blood smeared vermilion lips. Jake didn't need a drawing to understand what had happened. His guess was right. Ruby had indulged in cannibalism.

"I'm sorry, Ruby, but I need to be sure you can control yourself." Jake stated with a deadpan face, but the tone of his voice couldn't have been more chilling. Depending on her answer, he would kill her on the spot.

Sensing his resolve, the silver glow in her pupils dimly flared as her face became the very embodiment of anger and resentment. However, immediately afterwards the young woman quelled her emotions. Her Digestor part went back to sleep and the terrible feeling of shame and guilt that threatened to overwhelm her came rushing back.

Weary and exhausted, she slumped back against the tree she had chosen to brood and grieve, gazing up at the dark clouds for a moment, utterly disregarding Jake's presence. The latter did not try to rush her, stoically waiting for her to speak.

"Do you remember our first encounter?" She asked out of the blue, completely changing the subject. Her long white eyelashes fluttered cutely, a faint smile blooming on her flawless face. This perfect balance of cuteness, beauty and vulnerability was fatal to all men and could easily make them forget that the young woman in front of them was far from being an innocent.

Jake remained silent, content to admire her lovely curves, while cursing the one who had bestowed such a gorgeous and sexy body to such a devilish girl. Even her restraint, the way she coyly rubbed her nose, shyly avoided his gaze, tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear to soothe her restlessness...

Each gesture, even the most anodyne ones, were frighteningly effective to tantalize a man's heart. Combined with her angelic beauty, even Jake was suddenly overwhelmed with a strong feeling of compassion, an irrational will to protect and cherish her, but also to conquer her, to savagely make love whilst letting out all his fantasies on her.

"Are you trying to charm me?" Jake snarled scornfully as he suppressed the contradictory twisted thoughts that were spontaneously surfacing from deep within him.

"What if I am? What if I'm not?" Ruby laughed wrily as she threw an accusatory dig at him. "My charm is part of me. I used to be ugly and disabled. No matter what I did I couldn't seduce anyone, at best evoking a feeling of friendship or sympathy, but far more often one of disgust. I never complained, I was never envious of those stunning women who had nothing to do but be alive to seduce men. Their beauty was enough. If that's not enough, men and women use all the means at their disposal to seduce the one they love. It is in our nature. My Bloodlines, my charm stat, my skills, are part of me and if you fall for me, it's because you like me or because you are too weak-minded. In either case, you can't blame me."

Jake was genuinely taken aback by her reasoning, but that didn't stop him from retorting in a caustic voice,

"Is this how you normalize your crimes as a Trojan Digestor? By telling yourself that whatever you do to others, they probably deserve it?"

It was a low blow, but he hadn't come here to give her flowers. Ruby's face broke down, but she quickly regained her composure, even grinning again.

"No. I have nightmares about it every night, but I can't change who I am." She confessed sadly, looking back at the moon to hide the distress in her eyes. "I've spent the whole past year trying to get back to the way I was, but it's only getting worse. I had already become a despicable person a year ago, now I'm just a monster. In another year or two, if I'm still alive, the Oracle Overseer will surely give the order to put me to death."

Jake was shocked by this revelation. From what she had just said, the Oracle Overseer of B842 was well aware of her condition and was keeping a close eye on her. In that case, the Oracle must be having a reason for not eliminating her right away.

Expressing his doubts, Ruby snapped back at him with great annoyance,

"You think I don't know that? Become a Digestor like me and you'll know right away that this is all bullshit! Information about the treatment of Trojan Digestors and Corrupted in the Mirror Universe is a closely guarded secret, but the Earth Union government has been able to glean some intelligence from its connections. General Rob even personally joined the front line on B7 to find out more. So let me make it clear!

"One, we all end up betraying the Mirror Universe. Two, we get killed before that happens. If by some miracle we survive, we join the Digestors and are never heard from again, except in a negative way. My symptoms are already considered advanced. At the rate I'm changing, I won't be able to tolerate the existence of any living being other than my own kind within a year or two. At that point, I will die."

Jake fell into silence as he learned of her difficulties. The situation was more convoluted than he had imagined. Not only did the Oracle System know full well who these corrupted Evolvers were, it was also ruthlessly efficient and responsive in weeding them out at the slightest slip.

"You asked me if I remembered our first encounter." Jake said suddenly, his face serious. "I've always wondered if our encounter was a coincidence or an event planned by the Oracle. Did you receive a mission about me when we met?"

" So what if I did?" She evaded with a hint of pink on her cheeks, the corner of her lip twitching unintentionally.

Jake could not help but smile, before immediately scowling.

"Our first encounter, I don't have a bad memory of it." Jake admitted honestly while staring her straight in the eyes. "But, the second one, it's since that very day that I don't trust the Oracle System anymore. When you betrayed me after I saved you, I wanted nothing more than to get even, to make you pay. I still do, one year later. But did you know that I didn't save you on a whim? The Oracle requested me through an Ordeal Side Mission."

Ruby's pupils suddenly contracted as she heard this shocking truth. Without knowing why, her heart lurched in her chest, an inexplicable pain assailing her mind. Then, understanding lit up her face, even though she was all the more sad and embarrassed.

"I betrayed you, but I didn't spare you by chance either." She revealed back more calmly. "The Oracle had also instructed me to spare you. As you probably know, my betrayal worked to your advantage back then. I can't help but wonder which of us the Oracle is more biased towards. You, or me?"

" Evidently you!" Jake snorted spitefully. "When you tried to kill me this morning, I was set on getting revenge no matter what it took. If I came back, you owe it to the Oracle System's interference. I made you my slave, but whether or not you are a poisoned gift has yet to be determined."

This time Ruby showed no surprise. She couldn't understand why he had come back to save her when he clearly hated her, and rightly so! Now she knew. For profit.

"So, you don't like me at all?" She joked teasingly, though deep down her diva ego had just taken a hit.

"Is this supposed to be a joke?" Jake rolled his eyes.

"Not even a little bit?" The young woman grinned with an offended pout.

"Not at all."

"What a boring man..." She muttered irritably.

The explosive tension between them had gone down a notch and for a moment they felt as if they had returned to the day of their first meeting. But Jake's next icy question brought them back to square one.

"So, can you control yourself? I don't want an out-of-control cannibal on my team."

The hostile silver glint once again blazed in her eyes, but the despondency and sadness was still there. Jake couldn't help but break into a sneering laugh,

"Did you notice that throughout our conversation your eyes remained normal? As soon as I asked you if you were able to control yourself, they started glowing again. Why?"