The effect was instantaneous. Mentioning her "new status" acted like a shot of adrenaline. Lucy stood tall, smoothing her ruined outfit and patting the black scar on her neck as if it were a battery charging her soul. She freed herself from his grasp, her eyes flashing with a sudden, renewed fire.
"Fine! Let's go! I swear, I won't let you rest until we're back in Retto!"
"Or until we find a train," Thomas added.
"Find a train? In the middle of the night? And then what? You think we're just going to jump onto a racing locomotive like a couple of outlaws?" She laughed, but the sound was more energetic than before.
Thomas didn't laugh. He kept his head on a swivel, glancing back toward the Diamond Mountain every few minutes. He knew they were at their most vulnerable. If the remaining three villains caught them now, there would be no clever tricks, no blinding flashes, and no desperate lunges. They were empty tanks, running on fumes.
