Chapter 3: Echoes Of The Past

GxJ's Workshop, 6:55

GxJ was enjoying another day in his workshop when an inkling boy burst in, sobbing.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!"

Slightly confused, Green spotted what the boy was crying about- his hybrid roller prototype, snapped in half.

"What… What in blue barnacles happened?"

"I was just playing with it; I don't know what happened!"

Those words hit him like a tidal wave.

?, The Past

"I'm sorry! I don't know what happened!" His father was mad this time

"What the hell happened!" He was angrier than ever before.

"I was shifting gears and the whole shifter came off!" The truth, He truly didn't know what happened.

"That's not possible! You idiot, this is the second bike you've destroyed! What did you do!?" His father never believed what Green told him

"I was just playing with it; I don't know what happened!"

GxJ's Workshop, 7:00

Green knelt beside the younger Inkling.

"Hey there, it's okay.I should probably invest in making the prototypes stronger, anyways."

"But I broke your gun, and, and, and now I don't have a turf war weapon!"

"Now now, don't cry. Here's what you're going to do: You're going to take this money" He handed him a bag with 5000 gold "And you're going to go to Ammo Knights at Booyah Base. That should be enough for whatever weapon you want."

"Th-thanks mister."

The younger Inkling ran off towards Booyah Base, leaving Green alone with his thoughts. He took his time reassembling the hybrid roller, added a new coat of paint, and finally left it to dry. Looking down at his watch, he realized it was almost 10:00. Well, that made sense. Custom weapons weren't easily made. Locking up,he started toward his shared apartment.

Blackbelly Skatepark, ?:?

"Haha, Bro you're a natural!"

"Thanks, you trained me well!"

Cobalt looked to his brother, then to the rest of Blackbelly Skatepark. 2 rollers, 2 disconnects, and they had won the match 90%-9%. Then, it suddenly got dark. Midnight- what just happened?

"Uhhhh, bro… I think that we should be going."

"WHY?" Cobalt turned and started panicking- his brother was melting.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE ME?!" The entire are started falling away to a vat of both inky blackness and purple Octarian ink. The city was burning, and the abomination that his brother had become started advancing towards Cobalt.

"I-I'm sorry!"

"Sorry won't bring me back! Sorry won't help you tell Callie that you saw me DIE! Sorry won't let her know that you've been giving her a false hope!"

"Indigo, I'm sorry! I couldn't save you, I just couldn't!"

"Yess yyoouuu coulllldd hlaave!" At this point, his half-melted brothers speech was slurred. "Yoooouuu sawwww thhhhaat shniiiperrrr! Aaa weaaal aajeennt woulld hlaaave takennn thlat hiiitt! Blult louuuu lelt mlee DLIE!"

"Cobalt!"

"Indigo, I… I didn't want to die!"

"Bllleeecaaauuulssse looouuurrr aaa clllooowwwaaarrrd!"

"Cobalt, you need to wake up!"

"Indigo, I'm sorry!"

"His pulse is spiking! We need to find a doctor!"

"But-"

"Let's go!"

"IIIILLLLMMMM GOOOOIIIINNNNGGGG TOOO KIIIILLLLLLLL YYYYOOOOUUUU!"

Cobalt could almost feel that thing upon him, when...

"Cobalt! IAM EVIGILARE!"

The utterance of that ancient language tore Cobalt from his foul dream

Cobalt's Room, 10:10

Cobalt woke with a start, seeing Green frantically trying to work his way past the clutter of Cobalt's he had woken up, Green started.

"Oh goodness, Cobalt, calm down. It was just a dream"

"It seemed so… real. Like he was right beside me."

"And yet another Indigo dream. That's every night this week. Are you sure you still want those Octolings staying here? They only seem to have made it worse. I had to use a divine utterance, for goodness sake."

Nodding, Cobalt replied "Yes, they need our help- why are you fidgeting?"

"Well, You see... You know how you wanted to bar the guest room window tomorrow?"

"Yes, what about it-Oh No."

GxJ gulped, then spoke with dreadful clarity."They're gone. Both of them."

Authors Note: Cliffhanger! MWAHAHAHAHAHA! I am so diabolical! And I redid this chapter because the original was 412 words, and I felt like that wasn't fair to you. Also, Divine utterances are in Latin, the reason why will be revealed later. Anyways, see you Friday!