"I believe I owe you some answers." A girl with green hair sat in front of us in a clear white empty room; she sounded exactly like the voice that followed us throughout my first adventure and the voice that introduced us to our second and first adventure. After all this time it's weird to think we were standing in front of the person who was our guide into familiar worlds; now was our chance to get all of our questions answered.

"So you're the girl who controls us?" Gareth asked.

"Well…I don't control you…just…I guess the best way to put it is I shepherded you into these worlds."

"So we're sheep."

"Gareth she means that she transported us to these worlds." Lily explained.

"So what should we call you?" Alice asked and the girl seemed to go into deep thought for a minute.

"Well I don't really have a name but…how about Mary?"

"Mary?"

"Is something wrong with that name?"

"No just…kind of random."

"Well I like it." Mary said proudly, "Now I know you guys have a lot of questions so I want each of you to ask one question at a time. Who wants to start?"

"I will." I said stepping forward, "I'll ask a simple one to start. What are you?"

"In your world I'd be known as a god…but in truth I'm just a being of a higher plane of existence."

"That's what a god is." Alice said.

"Well gods are immortal, I don't age but I can still die just like humans."

"So what does that make you?" I asked again.

"Well…hmm…that's a good question."...Seriously?

"Well then I guess I'll ask next." Alice said, "What are travelers?"

"Travelers are what you guys are."

"I mean what are travelers described as?"

"Travelers…are people who I've chosen to be taken to another world in order to resolve its problem."

"How do you choose who you send?" Gareth asked.

"Well I use to send the strongest people I could find…but I ran into the problem of it didn't make them any better as people…I felt bad for using them like that. So I decided to send those who needed to become stronger."

"What do you mean?"

"All of you were sent to another world for separate reasons. Lily was sent because of her dependence on others and her weak will; she refused to let others beside her family in because she thought her voice wasn't needed and was broken for it."

"The sound of my voice was gone from my ears." Lily added.

"Gareth was sent because he saw himself as a hero and thought he was better than everyone else; he didn't believe anyone else was worth his attention because others didn't see him as anything so he did the same to them."

"The sight of others was missing." Gareth added.

"Alice saw the world around her as boring and not worth her time; because of what happened to her she found herself doubting her world and those who lived in it, the wonder of the world fell away."

"The scent was absent." Alice added; all three of them looked down sadly as they remembered their pasts.

"…What about me?" I asked scared to hear her reason, "Why did you choose me."

"Soren, you…were an interesting case."

"W-What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"As you all found out, Soren was split between two personalities; there's Soren, a boy who tries to act as the strong pillar that those he cares about can rely on and trust; then there was Jarek; the embodiment of your anger and frustration as those who have abused and used him. You not only closed your fears and problems to the world…but you closed off your true past and lived in an illusion because you couldn't handle the truth."

"To find out I killed both my sister and my dad in cold blood. It still hurts…and to think I completely closed it off for so long…but because of Alice I now know that even if I'm unsure of who I am my friends will be able to reassure me of who I am." I turned to my friends to see Gareth giving me a grin, Lily giving me a nod while Alice looked away while twirling a strand of hair between her fingers…weird.

"That's right." Mary said, "Honestly when I first chose you to go to another world I was worried. Worried that Jarek would surface…and when Owen saw it he would use it against you…and I would fail again…but thanks to Alice you've made it this far…and all four of you have made me proud. Soren, you have stood tall against Owen and protected each of your friends from their own destruction; by doing this you have stopped his recruiting plot twice and even pulled somebody back from his side. Alice, you have stood by your friends since you met Soren; you've trusted in their judgment and protected them when they were in danger, even when the world turned against them you never lost your faith in those you had come to trust. Gareth, you have been the beacon of positivity in the face of strife; when others were in despair over the situation you have always found a way to make others feel better, whether it's through a sparring match or just simple conversation you always tried to make others feel better. Lily, I owe you an apology, I have caused you much strife by pulling you in so quickly; I gave the other three a choice…but you were forced. Yet you have risen above it, you let go of your past and saw something worth protecting…and that's exactly what you have done. You have used your knowledge and experience to protect your new friends and realized that there's more to fight for then to rewrite your mistakes of the past."…Owen.

"Who is Owen?" I asked and Mary had a pained look on her face.

"Owen…was my first mistake. Owen was chosen back when I needed the best candidates the Earth had to offer…I didn't mean to drag in Nina though. When I took Owen in he was saving Nina and they were both transported."

"So Nina was never supposed to be chosen?" Alice asked and Mary gave a nod.

"I couldn't remedy that problem until the adventure was over so I let her be. I was honestly surprised by how well she was doing; she seemed weak when it began but…something happened."

"W-What?" Lily asked.

"She seemed distant but with time she opened up and shared herself with Owen, Sukia, Shifty and the Gemini twins. Eventually she came to terms with her strife…and it was amazing; she became much more powerful than before. Thanks to her I learned that those capable of overcoming their personal problems can become more powerful than any I've recruited in the past."

"…So what happened?" Gareth asked.

"…Through her power and resolve she and Owen became close…and near the end of the adventure she gave her life for Owen…and it hurt, it hurt me, Shifty, Sukia and the Gemini twins. Out of everyone though it completely destroyed Owen; he screamed with everything he had and suddenly he seemed to change."

"Change?"

"He became stronger than ever before…and destroyed the world around him turning everything to ash and dust."

"WHAT!?" We all gave a shocked response; we were told that the world was gone…but Owen took it out? How powerful did he become!?

"It was the rage in his soul that pushed him to destroy everything around him…except his friends."

"So that's how they survived." Alice said.

"But that wasn't it…with Nina gone he now only had one goal…bring her back. He was determined to do this by any means possible and with that determination he was able to tap into the powers every traveler is given."

"What powers?" I asked.

"Travelers are handpicked by me. They are given the ability to travel to other worlds as well as maintain the knowledge and experience they gained while there. That's why even when you went home you had the strength, skill and speed you had gained in the previous worlds, but there's something more travelers are able to do. You've all seen it, Lily has even seen Owen preform it…it's how he's been able to follow you across multiple worlds."…!

"He can cross dimensions on his own." I said feeling the realization move over me; Mary gave me a sad nod.

"Even now you four have only been able to cross to other worlds by another's help. Owen has the ability to move from world to world on his own. That's how he was able to recruit so many in such a short time."

"So he was the last person you sent based on strength?" I asked.

"Correct. Now I send them based on if they need to become stronger. Some don't and so their lives are untouched but some do…and that's why you four stand here now."

"But I'm guessing we aren't the first to be chosen that way…right?" Alice asked.

"…There were…many others before you guys. Thousands…too many to count…they all fell for Owens deal; they joined him for different reasons but…they all joined…I've lost so many to Owen."

"S-So why d-did you keep trying?" Lily asked.

"…My job is to remedy the problems each world faces; some worlds manage fine on their own…but some need help, I was given the power to send people from one world to the next…some were more than eager and some completely ignored it…then I found Earth, there were many different versions of Earth but they all held something very similar…hope. Earth was abundant in people brimming with hope and so I started using people from Earth; they came through amazingly and I knew that if I was going to find anything I needed on Earth. When Owen started taking worlds apart I sent others to stop him…but they all fell into his trap…the trap I had put them near; Owen had expected that of me and I had fallen for it…but I couldn't give up. So I kept sending travelers in hopes that one of them would be able to stop him; I even sent them in pairs in order to keep them even more protected…but it never worked…until Soren and Alice appeared." She pointed to the two of us, "You two showed incredible resilience in the face of danger and the willingness to protect each other. You two were the first in a long time to actually save a world from the danger Owen put it in."

"Is that why you sent us to the Mushroom Kingdom?" I asked.

"Yes, I knew you two would be able to save the world…and save another traveler." She motioned to Gareth.

"…Hang on a minute." Alice said in thought, "There was no traveler in the land of Final Fantasy. Why did you send us there?"

"…First I would like to apologize…it was a gamble."

"A gamble?"

"Yes, I sent you there knowing that Owen would show up…and so would Lily. I saw the hesitation that Soren, Alice and Gareth had made her exhibit and realized she could be saved…I was glad to be right in the end. Thanks to you four another world was saved…and so was Lily."…It's been a long adventure…

"Alright, I only have two questions left…do you guys have anything to ask?" I turned to my friends and they all thought for a minute before shaking their heads, "First, how does time work when we travel to different dimensions?"

"Time moves along the same the same spectrum for all dimensions. All I do is put you into a certain time within that dimensions…it's how Owen's long term plans are accomplished and how I'm able to place you back where you were before you left."

"So as a traveler you can hop to dimensions and different times in those dimensions?" Alice asked and she gave a nod.

"And my last question…what is Owen's goal?"

"…He's trying to become a god."

"A god?"

"I don't know how he's going to do it but he's trying to become a god…he wants to bring Nina back but I don't know what becoming a god will do for him." So he's trying to become a god…but we don't know how…and we don't know why…back to square one.

"Actually I have a question." Gareth said making all of us turn our attention to him, "With the thousands of travelers that have been chosen how do you make them come back to Earth like nothing happened?"

"Well…that's not how it works. Every time I lose a traveler I choose another dimensional Earth to get travelers from…so far I haven't had to choose another dimension since I got Soren and Alice."…

"Hold on!" I shouted surprising Mary and the others, "That would mean…Lily-"

"Is from another dimension." Alice said in surprise; we all turned to Lily who gave us a patient smile, "You knew all along didn't you?"

"…Sorry guys…I know you want to help me but…it seems this is as far as we go together." No, I said I would save her-

"If that's all the questions you have to ask…then I'll send you all back." Mary said and Lily started to fade away.

"Thank you guys…for everything." With those words she was gone…Lily…!

"Mary! When did you send Lily to Wonderland? I need the date, time and year!" I said in haste.

"What are you doing?" Gareth asked.

"We're going to save Lily." I said confidently making everyone gasp.

"How are you going to do that?" Alice asked.

"Multidimensional travel." I answered making Alice raise her eyebrow, "Mary, I need you to send us back to the date Lily was taken to Wonderland five minutes before she was transported."

"Soren…looks like I was right to choose you." With those final words my vision faded to white.

When my vision returned I was standing outside the library I met Lily at; beside me were Gareth and Alice who were dressed in simple clothing, we didn't have our weapons but I was going to be damned if that was going to stop me!

"Come on guys! We have to hurry!" They both nodded and I rushed down the path I had gone with Lily when I walked her home; coming upon the house I recognized it as the one Lily walked into and I heard various crashing and smashing sounds that made my heart race with worry, "Alice call the police now!" I rushed into the house and opened the door to see a man about to thrust into Lily with a kitchen knife as she clutched a man's' body; I bolted forward knocking into the man and sending him into the dinner table breaking it; I turned to Lily who looked up in surprise, I looked all over her body to see she didn't have a mark on her; good, she was okay.

"You okay?" I asked stretching out my hand to her and she gave a nod; she looked like she wanted to say something but before she could I heard another crash and looked to see Gareth had pinned the man down to the ground.

"Soren get her out of here!" Gareth shouted and I gave a nod grabbing Lily's hand and took her out of the house; I scanned around for Alice to see she was at a nearby payphone, I moved over and she hung up looking at me.

"Any luck?" I asked and she gave a nod.

"They'll be here in a few minutes." She replied and I let go of Lily's hand.

"I'll go help Gareth! You keep Lily safe."

"Got it…be careful Soren." Giving her a confident nod I rushed back in to see Gareth struggling with the man and looked around to see a nearby chair; picking it up I moved forward, "Gareth move!" He looked back and rolled off as I swung down hitting the man on the head; he gave a cry of pain and dropped the kitchen knife, Gareth swooped in and picked it up as I grabbed a nearby rope that was strangely in a nearby box and moved behind the man; I grabbed his hands and worked quickly to tie up his hands behind his back as he was still preoccupied with the pain. When he came back to his senses he began to flail for a few minutes before slumping to the ground in defeat; taking the opportunity I motioned to Gareth who grabbed another set of ropes and tied up his legs so he couldn't move at all, we backed up from him after that and he just sat there for a minute…and then began to speak.

"Lissa…I can't go on without you…it hurts to see your face."

"…Is that why you killed your son?" Gareth asked and he looked up at us.

"…Do you know how it feels to be too late…to lose someone because of your weakness?"

"…Yes." I answered standing up, "I've made mistakes I can never remedy…but if we don't move on from our mistakes then who are we helping…it just shows our selfishness. You can cry and scream…I encourage that you scream and cry…but when you finally stop crying then you've got to stand up and move on. Become a stronger person for those you still have…because if you don't you'll make even more mistakes that you can't take back." I motioned to the left at the man's body and his eyes went wide before he began to sob; suddenly I heard sirens sound and looked out to see police start to show up; Gareth and I grabbed the man and pulled him outside as the police approached the house, Alice, Gareth and I explained the situation to the cops and handed them the man who walked quietly to the cop car with handcuffs.

"So you three heard the dispute and engaged the enraged man?"

"Yes sir I responded."

"While I appreciate the heroics of your actions I must inform you to be more careful next time. You could have put yourselves in serious danger."

"Are you an idiot!?" Alice yelled, "He was about to kill Lily! If Soren hadn't stopped him right there and then she would have been dead!"

"Ma'am please lower your voice. Although I do agree with you…without your help she would have been dead…too bad I can't say the same about her brother." The cop replied and I looked over to see a few men with a body bag leaving the house, "What will we do with the girl?"

"Leave her with us; we know a few of her relatives so we'll get her to them."

"As kind as that is I can't leave her with children." Damn it…We're only 17…we can't anything in this situation.

"What about me?" We looked behind us to see a tall gorgeous woman in brown hair and a business suite approach us, "My name is Mary Tesit, I'm her aunt." She pulled out an I.D. and showed it to the policeman who handed it back and gave a tip of his cap before walking away.

"Who are you?" Gareth asked and she gave a giggle.

"Already forgot me Gareth?"

"Mary…Mary!?" I said in surprise and she gave another giggle.

"What are you doing here?" Alice asked.

"I felt I should help you in this situation."

"Thanks." I said and she nodded.

"So what's your plan?" She asked.

"It's still about three months before we meet Lily in Final Fantasy so if she can hold out for a few months then I can have her stay at my place instead of being shipped off to some other state by social services."

"Why do you think that?" Alice asked.

"By the looks of the place and the state of the family from what she told us I'm guessing she doesn't have any other family in the state." I answered.

"Um…excuse me." I turned around to see Lily standing there, "Thank you…all of you…for saving me…I didn't expect you guys to be able to save me…but you surprised me."

"And me." Mary added, "Unfortunately I'm going to have to send you guys back to your time."

"Lily can I see your journal?" She handed the book to me confused and I flipped to a blank page quickly scrawling a date onto it as well as the address for the hospital and room number, "Lily I know I'm asking a lot but I want you to wait until this date, on this date I want you to go to this address and then come up to this room, we'll be waiting for you…can you wait till then." She gave a nod with a smile.

"To see you guys again…I'll wait for as long as I need to." Good.

"Then we'll see you again." I gave a wave as my vision slowly faded to white.

"Good job Soren…it's not easy to impress a higher being."

When I opened my eyes I was back in Alice's hospital room; Alice had just opened her eyes and so did Gareth we all looked around glad to be back; I looked at the door expecting Lily to open it and walk in.

"…"

"Soren you have to give it a minute." Gareth said with a chuckle.

"I know but…I really want her to show up…I hope she can survive three months on her own." As I began to worry I felt a hand touch mine and looked to see Alice hand grabbed my hand.

"Don't worry Soren, she's made it this far…we all have…she can do it." Right.

"You know it's kind of weird to think that she's was our enemy at one point and now she's one of our best friends." Gareth said in deep thought.

"Yeah well…she's not that bad so we let it slide."

"That's not how I remember it." I said and she knocked me over the head.

"Shut it! You know what I mean!"

"I know." I replied with a chuckle as I rubbed where she hit me, "Everyone has a reason for what they do…she just found a cause worth more than her previous cause."

"What do you mean?" Gareth asked.

"Before, she fought to bring her brother back…but then she realized that protecting his ideals was more important than that. She came to terms with that fact that her brother was dead and worked to uphold his ideals; she even found people worth protecting by doing that. Just like Alice let go of her hate of her life here and just like you realized that there's more to the world than just you."

"And just like you realized that you don't have to do everything on your own. You have people willing to stand by you, to help and to…listen." Alice added.

"Right." I replied. Suddenly the handle turned and when it opened we were all glad to see Lily standing there; as she looked at us she began to tear up with a smile on her face, we pulled her over and she sat on Alice's bed as she dried her tears.

"I'm sorry but…I'm just so happy to see you guys again after so long…it's a bit overwhelming is all." She replied hiccupping slightly with a smile.

"That's okay." I replied rubbing her head, "Alice did the same thing." Alice gave me a quick punch in the arm.

"Okay…I'm good." She replied wiping away her tears, "So…what now?" That was a good question…we were all just sitting here now after another adventure.

"Well…now that we have four people we could try Final Fantasy again?" Gareth suggested holding a controller.

"I-I have a book." Lily said holding up a copy of Alice and Wonderland. I looked at Alice and she shrugged her shoulders.

"At this point I'm up for anything." She replied and we laughed.

"Same." I replied; whatever we did we were going to do as a group and that's all that mattered right now…we were all together and that's all I cared about.

I woke up the next morning and quickly got dressed; it was Saturday and I was going to spend the whole day with the gang; I looked on the couch to see Lily sleeping there peacefully; guess she was still tired from yesterday. Heading back to my room I looked down the hallway…and at my sisters door; I opened it up to see an empty room, everything that had been in here yesterday was now gone…as if it had never been there.

"Oh Soren." I turned around to see my mother standing there, "Is your sister asleep?"

"…Mom…thank you." I pulled her into a hug and she returned confused for a minute, "…I'm so sorry…I've caused you so much grief." I felt myself begin to cry.

"Is everything okay honey?" I pulled away wiping the tears from my eyes.

"Mom…I want to see their graves…Jennifer's and Dad's." She gave a surprised gasp and gave a nod; we quietly walked out of the house leaving Lily to sleep and got into the car; the drive was a silent one as we drove to the cemetery, "…I want to thank you for letting Lily stay here…she has nowhere else to go."

"I'm happy to Soren…ever since you met Alice and Gareth you've gotten happier and that's made me glad, every friend you've made is clearly important to you, that includes Lily."

"…Thank you." When we stopped I looked to see we had parked just outside the cemetery; we both got out of the car and walked amongst the field of graves until we stopped in front of two marked grave stones; Jennifer Thain and Robert Thain. We stood there for a minute and I just stared at the graves of my sister and father…my sister and my father…m-my s-sister and m-my f-father…w-w-who I k-k-k-killed. I collapsed into the grass as I cried with everything I had; every piece of loving emotional distress seemed to pour out of me…as if to make up for the heartless act of mercilessness I had shown them in their final moments; it felt like hours passed before I could cry no more and when it was over…I felt better, I felt like every piece of hurt and pain I had held for so long fade from me. I stood up finding it easier than ever before and turned to my mother giving her another hug before we walked away from the graves…and all the pain I had ever felt since their deaths…it was time to move on.

When all is said and done we have to continue to move on because we are alive. For all those we've lost it's important that we continue to live, that we continue to share ourselves with the world...and a little bit of them. No matter what we can not waste our lives...after all...we only get one.