After exiting the great room with Leona slumped in Jaxton and Coranthia's arms, the walk through the grand halls of the Futurem was all too familiar. The scenario had been happening way too often for Coranthia’s liking. The halls fortified in dark stone brick were lined with plaques and gold embellishments usually gifted by the Empress or other nobles. At the end of one of many hallways in the fortress was an emblem made of cast iron. The emblem of the Corpus Futurem was known by many as a death seal. The barbed wire encircling a lion's face made of flame was a sight that the average person hoped to see as little of as possible in their life if they could help it. To the right of the cast iron emblem plastered on the wall, was a claustrophobia-inducing staircase darkened by shadows that led up to two sleeping quarters. 

At that point Jaxton and Coranthia were hauling a now entirely limp Leona up the darkened stone stairs. After reaching the top and moving her through the door of the room across from the stairs, they sprawled her across one of the three beds occupying the decently sized space. The metal frame cracked  and shifted as they adjusted her body atop it. 

Jaxton glanced at her unconscious face then up to Coranthia, "I'll go find Indira, she's probably in my room with Bly. You got her?"

"Always," she said with no hesitation.

Jaxton scurried out of the room leaving Coranthia alone with the girl that had never failed to make her feel like she wasn't alone in this world, even if she wasn't responsive. 

"Why do you have to be so damn self-assured?" Coranthia whispered. She could have sworn Leona smiled in response.

Kneeling down, she stroked the back of her palm down the side of Leona’s face in hope that she could feel the reassuring touch even in her state of unconsciousness. Coranthia focused her gaze on Leona’s now mangled hand. Bone protruded from the back of the palm and four of the five fingers were bent in places that they should not be bent in. Usually it didn’t escalate this far. Bone didn't protrude as a result of one of her stunts but this time, the break seemed as if it was intended to make her pass out at record pace. A record that Levi always tried to strengthen because he thought it was "distasteful to pass out on the field."

He was right but it made Coranthia’s anger roil every time Levi inflicted pain upon Jaxton or Leona. She personally never cared if it was her. In fact it was more times than not that Coranthia took the brunt of the physical blows when it came to Levi's untamed anger towards his "children's unacceptable behavior."

Levi’s wife Florence never intervened when it came to his assaults, she was usually there when they occurred but always managed to somehow disappear throughout. Florence only appeared for a handful of minutes at a time, never lingering more than absolutely necessary. Coranthia always considered her a coward, too afraid to step in and too caitiff of a person to deliver the physical blows herself, even if it always looked like she wanted to.

The sound of fast paced footsteps snapped Coranthia from her stupor and she turned to see a tan figure wearing britches and a white tunic standing in the doorway. Indira always had a scarf pushing her tight strawberry blonde curls out of her face. Today it was a creamy white colored scarf, it almost matched her tunic perfectly.

"This is the second time this week!" Indira said with every bit of concern she could muster. It was always surprising when her childish voice spoke with such urgency.

"Levi has been on a kick recently, something about tomorrow's assembly has gotten him pretty riled up," Coranthia retorted.

"If she keeps poking the bear, at this rate I'll be out of wrapping by the end of the month." 

Indira rummaged through a worn felt satchel and metal and other objects rustled together.

"We need to get her out of the suit but I don't see how we are going to be able to get the sleeve over and off that hand."

Coranthia processed her words then snatched the flint dagger from her thigh sheath and proceeded to cut the suit off of her. Coranthia maneuvered the dagger like a quill over a piece of parchment. Each pass of the dagger was a fluid motion that seemed as natural as signing her own name. With utmost precision she cut down the leather making it the highest priority to avoid the  golden skin underneath.

"Ok, I think you guys got it from here," Jaxton said, with a hint of distaste wrapping its way around his words.

"You always know how to react to the skin of a woman don't you, Jax," Coranthia said in a teasing tone.

Jaxton was already heading towards the door when he raised his hand followed by his middle finger just before slipping out. Cora’s eyes lingered on the door for just a second before Indira took a step back from the bed.

"There," Indira said in triumph.

The previously mangled, sunkissed hand of Leona was now wrapped and set into place by Indira. Coranthia was glad she was too busy teasing Jaxton about his abashed reaction to the fabric being cut off of Leona rather than seeing and hearing the bones of her hand be put back into place.

"I'll have to head to the markets tomorrow to pick up supplies in order to stitch up the broken skin." 

Coranthia took a sigh of relief. “Where would we be without you?”

Indira had only been at the Futurem for a few months but she had given enough medical care to the three of them to drive a full time healer to an early death. 

Indira smiled and looked up to meet Coranthia’s pale blue eyes.

“I don't know where I would be without you two. If we are being honest."

"Probably dead." 

Indira gave a pitiful laugh and nodded her head in agreement.

"Can you help me raid the kitchen before bed? She'll be out for the rest of the night, I'm sure," Coranthia said as she laid a hand on Indira's shoulder in an act of comfort. She saw so much of herself in the young healer. Although looking nothing alike, her mind was still so hopeful and full of life. Something Cora had lost years ago.

Indira simply nodded her head again and they strolled out of the chamber leaving Leona in her heavy sleep.

The halls of the Futurem were dim, an imperial guard was stationed every other pillar that lined the walls. Coranthia had the urge to flick one of the metal visors on one of the guards' helmets. The highly confidential job required them to follow strict orders to not interact with any of the children and more times than not, they were messing with the dark metallic armor or poking at them like some museum attraction. 

Nothing about the Manor was supposed to bring ease to anyone who dwelled within its walls. The walls of the Futurem were all she had ever known, it was her home. A home that curated her relationship with life. A toxic, infected relationship.

Entering the dark and empty prep kitchen that was usually filled with staff, Coranthia stabbed a sea fruit out of the ceramic bowl it rested in with one of her bland, steel daggers that was usually sheathed at her ribs. In one fluid motion she hopped onto the metal and wood countertop. The cool metal sent a much needed relief to her skin. Coranthia bit into the light blue skin of the sea fruit and almost moaned at the sweet and floral flesh coating her tongue.

"So when do you get out of here? You have to be thrilled," Indira said as she leaned against the adjacent counter across from Coranthia.

The joy the fruit brought to Coranthia was short-lived because while she was so caught up with helping Leona she completely forgot about the number that had kept her motivated for years now. 

Coranthia's face slackened.

"One day I'm going to watch the Life of Levi Puerculus drain from him with my own hands."

Indira just stared wide eyed.

"But- I thought today was one hundred, what happened?" 

"It doesn't matter. All that matters is that I'm going to kill him."

"Then what?" Indira quickly retorted.

Coranthia looked down at the girl, eyes narrowing.

"Thought so," Indira said, breaking the silence that lacked Coranthia’s response.

"I don't need to hear shit from you, it’s not like you could land a scratch on Levi." She felt guilty the second her sentence finished.

Indira didn't know how to react to the blatant insult. Now, she was the one that fell silent with no response she could think of.

"Levi said if a member of the Corpus Futurem can accomplish their one hundredth kill with proof, they would be free of the shackles and sent out into the world with enough marks to give them a good start," Coranthia explained.

"And you believed him?" Indira hadn’t known the full extent of the deal, just that Coranthia was particularly antsy about getting to one hundred.

"Most of me knew it was a bluff but a sliver of me held onto that statement like a lifeline. I guess this is what I get for allowing myself a scrap of hope, huh?"

Indira simply looked at her with a sullen expression.

"Don't look at me like that.” 

She hopped off the counter and one of the folds of her dispatch suit caught on the edge. The slightly forgiving fabric looked silvery and sheer but was constructed in order to adapt to every and any lighting situation. She sighed as her fingers met the slight rip at her hip.

“Come on, let's get to bed, I'm exhausted." 

She chucked the core of the fruit into a trash barrel with the precision of a sharp shooter. Indira nodded and they both strolled back to their quarters. 

Once back in their chambers, Coranthia tore off the suit rather than unraveling it and sprawled herself across her gray sheets, angling her body to catch a little bit of a breeze from at least one of their three glassless windows. She had little hope of that breeze reaching her.