She didn't know when the world became black and gray.

When the clumsy confines of her body disappeared, leaving nothing but the visions of molten shadow in their wake.

Faine watched as space vanished, leaving her everywhere and nowhere. Through the raging panic and crippling thoughts, her essence seeped across every wall and through every door, images of burnt bodies trapped beneath rubble flooded her awareness. Operating rooms meant for anything but healing, shattered screens and warped furniture. Each victim's last word and breath echoing into her consciousness.

Whether she was running or flying, she slipped through the rubble with ease until she felt the very real sensation of dirt scraping against her knees.

Squeezing her eyes shut, a memory slipped to the forefront. A line of a dozen syringes, perhaps more. The liquid swirling inside silver and metallic, yet somehow translucent as well. Then thick, calloused hands grasping one, slamming the needle into her neck.

The screaming left her mind through her lungs involuntarily.

Reaching out her hands, Faine watched them phase in and out of reality, turning to smoke and then flame, morphing into shadowed talons and then back to the charred fingers she'd barely recognized.

A new chanting began now, more wild and frantic than before. "What's happening to me... What's happening to me!"

A firm, tight presence grabbed at her shoulders. "You need to breathe now," the voice said.

But she couldn't.

The forced grasps for control only encouraged the rapid, hoarse breathing. Her mind and body ached as if she herself was now broken.

The fingers kneaded into her arms, applying more pressure as she descended into madness.

"Breathe."

"I... Can't..."

"Breathe."

"I can't!"

With force, Faine's back collided with the wall. When she blinked again, the fully formed figure in front of her was nothing more than a silhouette given substance.

Rich, quiet laughter flooded her mind. Glinting amber eyes filling in the structured features from before. A name with them.

"Karras..." she whispered.

The shadow huffed a laugh. "Of course that's what you remember."

"What?" Faine asked, pulling in another deep breath.

The form – likely taking the name Karras – shook his head. "Nevermind, I'll take it as a sign of faith that you're remembering anything at all."

"That's your name..."

"Yes," he replied, though it sounded bitten out.

"Where are we?" Faine whispered, slowly stepping away from the wall and taking a look around.

Karras sighed, his features sliding into the floor before returning to a shadow on the wall. "You sprinted through the prison quarters and made it past the med bays, if I had to wager a guess I would say we're getting eerily close to the foyer."

"I was a prisoner here...?"

He nodded.

"Were you?"

Another somewhat hesitant nod.

"What did they do to us...?"

The silence was unsettling, weighing her down like sand as Karras searched for the words.

"We were aligned with a band of Guardian's meant to bring down a Madman who'd begun kidnapping civilians for experimentation," he started, his figure rising to the height of her. "You led us... But you were also a great prize to him. As a Shapeshifter, you were already stronger than most, but your abilities to manipulate space and time fractionally drew his attention."

Faine glanced down at her hands again, realizing why they were shifting and changing in her panic.

"So when things went south, he captured you instead of killing you all together, running different experiments on your abilities."

She swallowed back the dread coating her throat.

Karras shook his head again, anger radiating from his presence. "I do not know many of the specifics, but I am aware that his tactics with you were mental and emotional."

Faine's body threatened to weaken again, her knees wobbling as she braced herself on the wall.

The darkness had not spoken to her again since her outburst, nor did she hear any sign of life from the building around them. Her mouth had gone dry with the information, but the uncomfortable grit stuck to her tongue made her cringe.

Emotional warfare.

The reason she felt so unstable, so uncertain.

Faine grappled for the right reply, only giving way to a soft noise in her throat.

She wanted to know more, she wanted to remember, but in the depths of her mind the only thing she could focus on was this moment. On Karras. On their current confinement.

"Where did you go?" Faine managed to ask.

Her chest flooded and rolled with varying emotions she couldn't control. It took all of her concentration to focus.

Karras slipped from his place on the wall into her own shadow. "This form is hard for me to maintain..." he said. "I won't always be able to interact with you if I want to stay alive."

The idea of him fading away reminded her of that distant panic still threatening to override her sanity.

"How do I help you?"

"First, we need to get out of this cesspit," Karras explained. His voice turned guarded and cold. "Then we can concern ourselves with more complicated matters."

Faine didn't know if she liked the sound of that. He didn't seem nearly as invested as she might've hoped, instead defaulting to some safe, unfeeling place.

She couldn't blame him for it either.

"Let's go," he said, a finger pointing forward. "The way out shouldn't be too much farther."

Faine nodded and followed instruction, her mind numbing with every step.

The idea of leaving this hellscape settled in her bones, allowing a sense of calm to find a way inside her.

As they passed tables of spilled medicines and blades scattered about the floor, she eyed the most jagged edges and felt chills roll down her spine. The cold sweats began when the bodies of possible tormentors appeared like burnt prunes lining the floor.

One of the cells they passed had imploded, scraps of metal pointing outward. Shards stuck out of the wall across from them.

For a moment, Faine listened as if she could hear life inside. Her eyes tricked her into seeing movement and she stepped forward, peeking inside.

"What is it?" Karras asked.

Faine closed her eyes and strained her ears, hearing the faintest sobs.

"Someone is trapped," she answered, climbing over a fallen cart. The deeper she got, the more horrific the sight.

Faine felt tugging against her burnt shift, begging her to turn around but it was too late.

There, lining the concrete walls, was a line of chain similar to her own chamber. Yet in front of her lie the remains of six victims, their charred bodies frozen in taut positions as they died fighting for their lives.

One in particular was that of a small girl. Faine couldn't stop herself from investigating, stepping forward to the troubled positioning. The child had been yanking downward over and over until she passed with one arm shielding her face.

She couldn't take it anymore.

Faine pivoted just in time to throw up on the bare ground.

Her whole body trembled on hands and knees, mind reeling as she realized the distant sobbing she'd heard had been just another echo of their memories.

"Faine," Karras said softly. "Faine, let's get out of here okay?"

She didn't have the words to reply, but she pushed onto her feet and attempted to crawl out of the chamber.

Her mind shut off as she powered forward, staring only toward the source of light at the end of the hall.

Real sunlight.

She was certain it had been a long while since she'd experienced it.

When they found the final door, Faine wasted no time shoving through the faulty hinges and halting in front of the massive windows, which had all been blown out during the explosions.

"We need to find you some clothes," Karras said, the faintest hint of a laugh edging his words.

But Faine couldn't register them as she stepped around giant piles of glass and debris.

In the distance she could hear sirens, a storm rumbling overhead. The world was so open and chaotic, wind sweeping through the trees in massive waves, ripping leaves away from their homes.

She frowned. First at the world and then down at herself.

For the first time she felt nothing.

She was nothing. Numb to the millions of sensations vying for her thoughts.

"Faine," Karras called out.

She turned to see his shadow standing near a closet.

"There are some uniforms here," he said. "You can put these on until we get to safety."

One of the winds cut through the building, soothing the aching burns across her skin and sending gooseflesh down her body. She relished the sensation, taking a deep breath before following her partner to the door he'd alluded to.

Most of the clothing was for men.

Faine dug through a pile of singed outfits until she came across a white, skin tight jumpsuit. Untouched for the most part, she fed her legs through the sleeves first and then her arms, the cotton soft and breathable. They almost fit like all encompassing undergarments, yet with more warmth. She also found a black trench coat, fitting it over her arms carefully and tying it at the waist.

Much too big, but it would do.

No matter how hard she searched, Faine could find socks but no shoes.

A soft laugh echoed behind her and she turned.

"I suppose that will do," Karras nodded. "Though I worry it might be a bit brisk outside for you."

Faine shrugged, slipping past him and edging out of the building, careful to avoid more wreckage.

In the distance she saw men in white coats with emblems on them walking towards the building. Tensing, she stepped back.

"Who are they?" she asked.

"They're the good guys, Faine. They're coming to search for survivors."

She took a deep breath and looked down, staring at Karras' figure beside her own.

"Are we?"

Though taken aback, she watched him nod. "Of course, Faine... Always."

She nodded.

The truth felt murky, crowding her heart with dissonance she didn't imagine was there before.

Faine lifted her chin, watching as the rescue party closed in and couldn't help but wonder what being good meant.

Or if it even existed.