STORY — A New Revolution

[Lydia Everleigh]

In the courtyard outside the Red Dragon Inn, the afternoon sun cast a warm glow over the ancient stone walls, and a soft breeze rustled through the trees lining the path. Eva stood alongside Serenity and Lydia, the weight of what they were about to attempt pressing down on her shoulders like a stone. She could feel the resolve coursing through her, fierce and unrelenting, but there was a nervous energy under the surface, too—an anticipation that made her heart pound harder.

Lydia, tall and imposing, her coronal eyes gleaming with a quiet, dangerous fire, extended her hand toward Eva. “Hold still, sugar,” she drawled, her voice laced with a rich Southern warmth that was somehow both comforting and unsettling. Her touch was light, but the intensity in her eyes said she was going somewhere far beyond the present. As her fingers rested gently on Eva’s forehead, Eva could feel a subtle hum of energy pass between them—a pull, a quiet thrum, as Lydia reached into the places she’d never let herself forget.

For a few moments, the courtyard around them fell away, and all that existed was Lydia’s connection to Eva’s memories. Visions of Pittsburgh Prime flashed behind Eva’s eyes—streets lined with gray concrete, the shadowed alleyways where she’d fought and laughed, the faces of her sisters and brothers in arms who had stood beside her until the bitter end. And then the darkness—the final, terrible flash of light, the ruin left in the wake of President Prime’s iron fist.

Lydia’s eyes snapped open, and she gave a solemn nod. “Lord have mercy,” she whispered, her tone soft but steely. “Your world was somethin’ else, honey… and that tyrant’s got a helluva lot to answer for.”

Serenity, her petite form barely reaching Eva’s shoulder, slipped her hand into Eva’s, her grip firm despite her gentle stature. Her white hair fluttered in the breeze, and the determination in her bright green eyes was unmistakable. “We can’t change what happened,” Serenity said, her voice quiet but unwavering. “But maybe… just maybe, we can make sure it doesn’t go unpunished.” Her gaze softened as she looked at Eva. “Quil was right to give us this portal. It's a second chance—not to go back, but to do something about the future of your world.”

With a nod, Serenity handed the small, intricately designed device Quil had given them to Lydia. It looked deceptively simple—no bigger than a pocket watch, its gears visible through the crystal casing, softly humming with an energy that felt both ancient and arcane. Lydia pressed a button, and the portal device whirred to life, light spilling out from its center as it projected a swirling, crackling portal into the air in front of them. The edges shimmered, solidifying into a ragged tear in the fabric of reality, and through the portal’s frame, they could see the charred remains of Pittsburgh Prime. The city was an empty shell, haunted and silent, its buildings collapsed and twisted like broken bones.

Lydia’s lips curled into a dangerous smile as she watched the portal stabilize. “Now, ain’t that a sight,” she said, her voice practically vibrating with satisfaction. “Can’t take you back to save your girls,” she continued, glancing at Eva with a flash of sympathy, “but between the three of us? We sure as hell can make President Prime pay for what he’s done. I love me a good revolution.”

She stepped forward, unhesitating, her boots clicking with a quiet confidence as she crossed the threshold, the portal’s light reflecting in her coronal eyes. Lydia turned her head back, her gaze catching both Eva’s and Serenity’s, the intensity in her look making it clear she was more than ready to raise hell for this cause. “Y’all comin’ or what?”