Chapter Thirty-eight: The Night of the Storm
Clanking noises echoed throughout the station as Cedric, Borneo, and Erik fixed the bridge. One occasionally reached inside the toolbox behind them, without looking. He then pulled out another tool. Their backs faced the group.
Monica looked at the group and put a finger to her mouth. She tiptoed behind the working men. She tapped Cedric on the shoulder, and Cedric looked at her. He gawked. He moved his mouth up and down, as if talking. He released a squeak.
Borneo and Erik turned around. Their eyes widened. Erik backed away while pointing at her, almost falling onto the railroad.
"Monica, is that you?" Erik said, his voice airy.
"We must be dreaming," Borneo said. "That can't be…"
Monica chuckled. "It's me, guys."
Erik pointed to the train. "B-but you were all the way in Griffon's time. How'd you get from all the way back there—" He pointed to the wall—"to all the way back here?"
"Max's Atlamillia lent mine its power."
"Griffon do anything to you?" Cedric said.
"No. I used my Atlamillia before he could get to me."
"Good." He stood. "We'll get the train started up."
They ran into the front car.
Monica wiped her forehead. "Whew." She faced the group. "I know I shouldn't have lied to them about Griffon, but I didn't want them to worry about me or ask a million questions. Let's get on the train."
Monica watched the group pass her, save Max and Gokuu, who stopped before her.
"What's wrong?" Max said.
"I also didn't want to spend the whole ride telling them what happened to me. I wanted to talk to you two about something."
Max's eyebrows slanted downward. "Is it about what Griffon did to you?"
She paused. "Sort of. It's actually encouraged me to tell you what happened that night."
"What night?" Gokuu said.
"You'll see. We should sit in an empty car." She glanced at the car the group had entered. "This is kinda personal."
Monica sat across from Max and Gokuu, clenching her hands, alternating between looking each of them in the eyes. "While I was in Griffon's palace, he showed me the fight between Gaspard and my father—the fight that ended in Father's death. When I was explaining it in front of Gokuu's friends, I left out that I'd gotten a lot of crying out. I really needed it, too. I'd been keeping it all in for a while.
"I think I'm ready to talk about it. I know this sounds a little strange, but would you mind if I told you what happened that night?"
"Go ahead," Max said while Gokuu said, "No, I don't mind."
Monica smiled. "Thanks, guys. This means a lot to me.
"I had just finished finding a girl who had gone to Jurak Mall alone. I'd escorted her back to my city. The workers from Gundorada Workshop were in the middle of building an alternate route to Jurak Mall, a route where monsters couldn't go. At that time, Rainbow Butterfly Wood was the only way to get to Jurak Mall, and monsters lived there.
"A lot of the monsters in my era are the same kinds as the ones in this era. Some of them look a little different, and they're a little stronger than the ones in this time.
"Until we finished the construction, the guys from Gundorada Workshop were using their planes to shuttle people back and forth from my city to Jurak Mall. They had taken off that day, though, to build machines to take on Griffon.
"It was also raining. I could hear a few rumbles of thunder in the distance. Each rumble was louder than the last.
"I guess that girl really wanted to go to the mall.
"Her parents had come to me and told me what had happened. They wanted some of my city's soldiers to escort her back, but I told them that Griffon could attack anytime, and as many soldiers as possible needed to stay in the city. That's how I ended up looking for her.
"Her parents were really worried, so I told that girl off a little on our way back. Just the basic things, like, 'Make sure you always tell your parents where you're going,' and 'Don't go in dangerous places.' She looked like she regretted it, so I don't think she'll do it again. Fortunately, she hadn't gone very far into Rainbow Butterfly Wood, and she hadn't encountered any monsters. She didn't have any scratches or anything, either.
"'Sorry, princess,' the girl said. She had black hair in braided pigtails, if it matters. 'I know I'm not supposed to leave the city, but I wanted to go to the mall, and this is the only way to get there.'
"'That's alright, but there are monsters out there. You could've gotten badly hurt.'
"'I was going to sneak past them all somehow. Maybe stay behind the trees or something.'
"She kept talking, but I stopped listening. For good reason, too. A huge fire had started in my city, where my castle was. It lit the entire sky orange. A red time gate appeared, as large as the one we saw at the lighthouse. Gaspard and Dr. Jaming's battleship emerged, covering up the two moons.
"I balled my hands into fists. 'They're here.'
"The girl looked at me. Her eyes were wide. 'Wh-who's here? Are those Griffon's soldiers?'
"'Sure are.' I clasped the girl's hands. 'It'll be okay. Nothing will happen. I'll make sure of that. You stay here.'
"I looked at the two bodyguards behind us. Bodyguards followed me, my father, and my mother everywhere. You get used to them after a while.
"They had all gone through a special training program. The training's pretty realistic, so they were trained well.
"'You two, stay with her and make sure she doesn't get hurt,' I said.
"'Yes, ma'am.'
"I tightened my grip on my Long Sword as I ran out of the forest, toward my blazing city. My silhouetted castle was still standing. A bomb from the battleship lit it up every once in a while. It wasn't on fire, but the rest of my city was, particularly the bushes surrounding the pavement.
"Water jetted out of firefighters' hoses, but the fire didn't seem to get any smaller. The rain wasn't helping any.
"Now that I think about it, those were probably Evil Flames, like the ones at the lighthouse. Using weapons would be the only way to kill them. No one knew that at the time, though, and everyone probably wouldn't figure it out until later.
"I think this was one of the stops on their hit list. They had already destroyed Starlight Temple and killed Crest. They had just gotten Gundorada Workshop, too, which is close to Veniccio. We should be going there next to restore it. Anyway, its workers were protecting women and children from Griffon Soldiers.
"I heard someone yelp and fall hard on the ground. I turned and ran toward them. A woman was lying on her back. Even though she was looking up at a Griffon Soldier from between her fingers, I could tell her eyes were huge, so much so that I thought her eyeballs would pop out of their sockets if they grew any bigger. The Griffon Soldier's back was to me. I leaped and sliced it in half. It disintegrated.
"The woman removed her hands from her eyes, which were still huge. 'Th-thank you so much, princess.'
"'You're welcome. Stay behind the guys from Gundorada Workshop. They can hold their own.'
"She scrambled behind a workshop employee, and I continued onto a path leading to the courtyard in front of my castle. A castle guard met me halfway and ran alongside me.
"'Thank goodness you're alright. Ma'am, those monsters are in your mother's room.'
"'What?' My mother can't defend herself. She doesn't know how to fight.
"Lightning struck in the distance as the guard said, 'They've put up some kind of barrier. We can't break down the door or come in through the windows.'
"We ran into the courtyard. Griffon Soldiers were attacking my people. Most of them defended themselves with swords and staves. Others who didn't know how to fight stayed behind those who did. The bushes and trees around the courtyard had become balls of flame.
"'Stay here and help fend off these monsters,' I told the guard.
"'But, princess, if something were to happen to you—'
"I gave him a smile. 'Nothing will happen to me.' He knew I could defend myself. 'The people here really need your help, and I'm sure there are plenty of guards in the castle. Right?'
"He averted his eyes and scratched his sideburn.
"I faced him. 'What happened to the castle guards?'
"'There are superpowered Griffon Soldiers inside the castle. The guards are having a hard time fighting against them, and some of them are being killed.
"My guards were specially trained. How could Griffon's rogues hold their—no, actually win against them?
"I sent the guard away to fight, telling him to make sure no other Griffon Soldiers got inside the castle.
"I pushed open the large doors to my castle's foyer. Splatters of blood were everywhere, and my guards were scattered on the floor, some in piles. The chandelier was on the floor, broken.
"I ran into the hallway leading to my mother's room. The red carpet had been burned away to the point that only pieces of it remained. Black lines and ash marked the walls. They had set fire to my castle, too.
"How could something like that happen to my kingdom? We're way more experienced than Griffon and his soldiers, and we have one of the finest security systems in the world.
"I needed to get to my mother before they hurt her, abducted her. I ran down the hallway until coming close to its end, where there were two large doors, smaller than the doors at the entrance, but still large. I pushed them open.
"Two Griffon Soldiers stood at my mother's sides. They glowed golden, like they had drunk Stamina Drinks.
"A tear rolled down Mother's cheek, and she covered her mouth. 'Monica, you're okay. Thank goodness.'
"I flashed her a smile and then jumped behind one of the soldiers. I sliced it in half from head to toe. Before its two halves could reach the floor, they disintegrated.
"I ran around Mother to the other soldier and stabbed it in the heart. It disintegrated instantly.
"Even though I had just saved my mother's life, I still had a sick feeling in my stomach. First of all, I could get in Mother's room. No barrier or anything. My guards don't lie to me, or anyone, for that matter. Second of all, those Griffon Soldiers didn't put up a fight. They might have been trying to distract me. Never a good thing.
"Mother wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into an embrace.
"I looked up at her. I get my red hair from her, but her hair's a lighter shade of red than mine. Not pink, but lighter. She always keeps her hair in a bun. She says loose hair is too annoying. Um, anyway, I asked her what happened.
"She let me go, but her hands firmly held my shoulders. 'Whoever was on that battleship set fire to the city, including this castle. Our firefighters have put out the fire in the castle and have gone to help with the fire outside, but I think the man on that battleship is still running around here somewhere.'
"So, the fire that was used on my castle wasn't made up of Evil Flames. As for the man on the battleship, she probably meant Gaspard, the one who had killed Crest, making himself widely known around my kingdom.
"'When those Griffon Soldiers first came in here,' Mother said, 'they were glowing golden. They easily killed my bodyguards. They put up a barrier around the door and windows so others couldn't get in. They never touched me, only stayed at my sides.'
"I looked at the floor. 'A guard from earlier told me there was a barrier, too, but I could come in here without a problem.' I looked at her. 'Uh-oh. I think this was just a distraction for me. The Griffon Soldiers here put up a barrier that only I could pass through so that I would have to come here and save you, not anyone else. They let me kill them.'
"A castle guard burst into the room, panting. He was covered in blood. I got the feeling that the majority of it was his. 'Monsters…everywhere… More…in the king's room… Stronger…' He fell. He was dead. I promised myself that I would give a fine funeral for him and the other guards who fell that day.
"The sinking feeling in my stomach increased tenfold. 'The Griffon Soldiers must've been trying to keep me away from Father's room. Those Stamina Drinks must've helped them kill the guards here.'
"'Hurry, Monica. And be careful. I have an extremely bad feeling about this.'
"'I will, you can be sure of that.' I turned to leave.
"'I love you.'
"I looked back at her. 'I love you, too.'
"I left Mother's room, sprinted down the hallway, and ran up the spiral staircase, taking two stairs at a time. I landed on the top stair and pivoted to the right. I quickened my pace.
"That guard said the monsters were stronger. I'm pretty sure that that meant they had drunk Stamina Drinks.
"Two Griffon Soldiers, glowing golden, came into my view. I held up my Long Sword and charged toward one. The Griffon Soldier held up its hand, blocking my slash. We began pushing against each other.
"That Griffon Soldier was holding back. Drinking a Stamina Drink should've made it way stronger than that. But I was pushing it back. Now I knew that the Griffon Soldiers were holding back against me. They hadn't been ordered to kill me yet, but they were free to kill my guards. They were distracting me.
"I flinched and glanced behind me. The other Griffon Soldier's sword-like hand pierced my upper back.
"I flipped over the one behind me, forcing its hand out my back in the process. I didn't have time to fight. Who knew what those monsters could be doing to my father?
"I unleashed a multitude of fireballs, not even caring how powerful they were, just hoping that their combined power would be enough to kill them.
"The flames covering their bodies faded away. They had no scorch marks or any signs of being burnt or hurt.
"'Damn. I don't have time for this.' I focused my energy, piling it up inside my body. Then, I channeled the energy into my sword. My sword began to glow purple.
"I jumped close to the ceiling and then fell sword-first. Purple enveloped the area where Griffon's monsters and I were. The ground shook, and the Soldiers fell on the floor.
"I thrust my sword toward one's heart. It held out its sword-like hand. My Long Sword snapped in half against the Soldier's hand. Its other half, part of the blade, landed near the wall.
"I held the palm of my hand to the Soldier's face and released a fireball. The fireball exploded. The Soldier rubbed its face with its hands to try and extinguish the flame faster. I did the same to the other Soldier, and it reacted the same way. As they snuffed out the flames, I ran over to the wall, grabbed the Long Sword's other half, and sprinted through the hallway.
"I rummaged through my pouch. No Repair Powder. I put my broken sword inside.
"I heard footsteps behind me. The Griffon Soldiers were running after me.
"Two more Griffon Soldiers, also glowing golden, crashed through the window and landed in front of me, blocking my way. I turned around to face the Griffon Soldiers behind me. No way I could get past them, either. I faced the other Soldiers and readied myself. I didn't have my sword, but I could at least dodge their attacks.
"I didn't have my sword… I definitely could've been more prepared that day. No Repair Powder, no backup swords, no nothing, except a spare set of clothes, the clothes I'm wearing right now. I knew that Griffon could, would attack. Why hadn't I prepared adequately?
"The two Griffon Soldiers in front of me leaped toward me, their sword-like hands lifted above their heads. I flipped over to the wall, near a decorative knight holding a sword. Since my family is so obsessed with swords, at least my father and I, we have those kinds of decorative pieces all over the castle. We allow anyone into the castle, like you let everyone into your house, Max, but we use Luna Lab's security system to make sure they don't have anything dangerous with them. We keep barriers around the decorative swords so kids can't get their hands on them and start swinging them around and poke out an eye or something. Only me, my father, my mother, and the guards can get to them.
"Sorry, I keep getting off-topic. I inched toward the knight and then looked from it to the sword.
"A Griffon Soldier leaped toward me. Its hands slammed against the floor as I jumped and grabbed the sword. I landed and then swung the sword once to get a feel for it. I had never used those decorative swords before. There was no need. Even while I trained with Father, he had me use cheaper, lightweight swords, like Bone Rapiers. When I became good enough, he gave me a Long Sword.
"Anyway, one of the Griffon Soldiers jumped in front of me. I let four fireballs loose, moving my hand to different parts of its body with each shot. While it tried to snuff out the flames, I stabbed its heart. It fell to its knees and disintegrated.
"Another Griffon Soldier landed in front of me. I swung my sword horizontally. The Griffon Soldier swung its hands vertically, like it was trying to chop my wrist off. I was too fast for it. My sword hit its side first. My sword didn't pierce its stomach, but it didn't break. I don't know how decorative swords can be stronger than ones used for fighting, like my Long Sword, but whatever. I continued my slash, slicing it in half. It halves disintegrated.
"As the third Griffon Soldier was in midair, I let four fireballs loose. Once again, I moved my hand with each shot so the fireballs hit different parts of its body. Its whole body was on fire. It fell on the floor and began to roll back and forth to extinguish the flames. I stabbed its throat as it rolled, and it disintegrated.
"Rolling on the floor seems like a very human-like thing to do. Maybe those Griffon Soldiers aren't monsters without minds of their own. Maybe they're people, too. I know that Lin told you guys the same thing, that they act of their own free will, but I still find it hard to believe. Why would they want to help Griffon destroy the world?
"I charged toward the last Griffon Soldier, pointing the blade of my sword away from my body, and the Griffon Soldier charged toward me, its hands lagging behind it. I guess they do that to run faster, but that leaves them completely defenseless.
"When I came close to it, I swung my sword upward. The Griffon Soldier backflipped, dodging my attack. It ran toward me. I flipped over it. As it turned around to face me, I drove my sword into its heart. The last Soldier, thank goodness, disintegrated.
"I ran as fast as I could toward the throne room. Those fights still felt too easy. They easily could've killed me with that power, the power they used to kill all my castle guards. Now I knew that they were trying to distract me. I hoped I wasn't too late.
"If I had gotten there sooner, my father and I definitely could've killed Gaspard before he killed us. Father's a formidable force all by himself, but with me there, too, we would've been unstoppable.
"I arrived at the throne room's door and put my back against it. I put my ear against the door. I didn't hear anything. Maybe my father had already killed those monsters.
"I thrust the doors open. I had to look incredibly surprised and stupid at that moment.
"I looked from Gaspard's back to my dead father, to Gaspard's hand, which held a long, red, curved blade, to my dead father, whose Holy Daedalus Blade was clutched in his hand. My eyes were drawn to Gaspard when he turned around and chuckled. You have no idea how much hate, scorn, anger welled up inside me when he did that. That movement was so smug and arrogant, almost like he boasted that he killed my father.
"I held up my sword, and my body trembled. He held the palm of his hand toward the wall and created a time gate. When you're really skilled at using magic, you can do that. I didn't think that Gaspard had that kind of power inside him. I was sure he had gotten that power from Griffon and used it to kill Father. I was mistaken.
"He walked through the time gate, and it disappeared. Lightning seemed to strike just outside the window, lighting up the room.
"I let my hand fall to my side and then dropped the sword. I stared at the spot where Gaspard disappeared for a long time, looking like a fool. I didn't do anything, just stared.
"I remember my exact thoughts at that time: Gaspard, Father. Gaspard murdered him. Father's gone. No, he's not. He can't be. How could he lose to someone like Gaspard?
"My eyes drifted to my father, lying on his stomach, dead. I bent next to him, and my knee became covered in his warm blood. I tapped his cheek with the back of my hand.
"'Father.'
"He remained still.
"I tapped him harder and put my mouth to his ear.
"'Father!'
"I stared at his motionless body. He wouldn't lose to Gaspard. Not in a million years.
"I knew what would definitely wake him up. I picked up the decorative sword and put its blade against Father's cheek until a trickle of blood ran down to his chin. I removed it. He remained motionless.
"I think I blacked out, because I don't remember what happened after that. I must've woken up after a little while. I was still on one knee, staring at Father.
"'Damn…' My voice cracked. I clenched my hands and sniffed.
"Before I could let it all out, I heard, or told myself, I'm not really sure, this:
"Keep going.
"I looked up at the spot the time gate had been in. 'Yes, I must keep going.' I stood up. 'Yes, Father would do the same. Always put the kingdom first.' That's what he always said.
"The Atlamillia on Father's wrist shone blue. It floated over to me and slid on my wrist. It was now my job to protect it.
"A beam of blue light shot from my Atlamillia, to the spot where Gaspard's time gate had been. Another blue time gate appeared. I slowly walked toward it until coming within a few inches of it.
"Go. Hurry.
"I ran into the time gate. The world around me brightened, became white. I tried to keep my eyes open, but couldn't.
"The brightness faded, and I opened my eyes. It was nighttime. I stood behind a statue in what looked like an empty park. I could faintly hear circus music. I looked past the statue, and I could see houses in the distance.
"This place had to be Palm Brinks, the town Elena and the others were talking about."
Monica saw Max's body twitch. He shifted in his seat, his eyes widening momentarily, and then blinked twice.
"I held my Atlamillia to my face, examining it. It was almost as if it knew exactly where to go. I lowered my Atlamillia and looked forward.
"I closed my eyes and imagined a preteen boy in rags, his bangs covering his eyes, how I thought I'd look if I'd been born a boy. A homeless boy, anyway. If I were really a boy, I'm sure I'd look a lot cleaner. There could be a problem if someone, like Flotsam, knew who I really was.
"I relaxed and concentrated on the boy. A yellow light enveloped my body. It disappeared. I looked at my rags and patted my hair. I was a guy.
"Now that that was done, I had to go find Gerald. He was the one who held the Atlamillia. I thought he'd be at that circus.
"I followed the music, staying in the shadows. I didn't see anyone as I ran, so I assumed that they were all at the circus.
"I arrived at what seemed to be Main Street. A door slammed. A blond boy ran out of a maintenance shop. Something on his stomach glinted red. That had to be the Atlamillia.
"I darted from alley to alley, following the boy. But why did he have it? I didn't think he was Gerald, at least from going off of Elena's descriptions.
"A young man behind a drinks cart said, 'Hey, Max, heading to the circus?'
"The blond boy slowed down. 'Yeah. I'm trying to get there before it's too late.'
"The man looked at his watch. 'Ah, you'd better hurry, then. It's about to start.'
"'Right.' He sped up.
"So his name was Max. Elena had said that she'd given birth to a boy named Max.
"I squinted my eyes to look at Max more closely. Max did look an awful lot like the way Elena had described him. Gerald must not have been able to touch the Atlamillia anymore, so he gave it to Max. But, even if Max did hold the Atlamillia, he could still be just like Griffon. I had to make sure he wasn't.
"Max stopped in front of a clown at the circus tent's entrance flap.
"'You need a ticket to go in,' the clown said.
"Max began rummaging in his pouch. 'I probably should've taken it out on my way here.'
"There was my chance.
"Max took out his ticket. I ran out of the shadows, toward him. He held the ticket out.
"'Here you go.'
"I snatched the ticket and kept running.
"'Hey, my ticket!'
"I would've felt bad for Max, but I still didn't know if he was good or evil. Appearances can be deceiving. I've been taught that lesson time and time again.
"I looked around. Now I had to find a place to hide, but it had to be someplace where Max could still find me. I had to be convincing, after all.
"A balloon cart stood near the town square's opening. That was perfect. I hid behind it, awaiting Max's arrival.
"We all know what happens after that. Max passes my test, Flotsam chases Max, Max goes through the sewers…"
"You, you said my mother's name a few times. Is she…?"
"I have a feeling that you already know now." She looked him in the eyes. "Max, your mother's from the future."
Max stared into Monica's eyes, his eyes becoming distant. "My mother's…from the future." A half-question, half-statement. That's why, all this time, she was gone. That's why I haven't seen her for so long. "What exactly does she do there?"
Monica shook her head. "Sorry, but I'll have to act like your father for now. You'll have to find out yourself."
Max nodded. He looked at the window.
"Didja watch Max that entire time?"
"Yes. If something happened to Max, I'd have to save him, especially since he holds the Atlamillia. But he seemed to get on in the sewers pretty well. You did really well, Max, for having never fought before."
Max's eyes remained distant.
"Max, are you alright?"
Max stayed silent. Monica's eyes softened.
The trio looked out the window. They watched the scenery change from a green blur to a gray blur.
"I do wonder what happened to Griffon, though," Monica said. "He's stored all this energy and created a lot of monsters just in case of a human attack. The Toy Rock told me that a human named him. Maybe that human betrayed him, and that made him turn on all humans."
"You think somethin' happened to that human?"
"That was my first thought, too. We should ask Griffon about it sometime. I dunno if he'd be willing to tell us, but we could try."
Max had not listened to Monica or Gokuu. His gaze remained fixed on the window.
"We oughta try now. Hey, Griffon!"
Monica and Gokuu listened for Griffon's voice, but it never came.
When they neared Palm Brinks, Monica said, "It's early evening right now. Let's go straight to bed. We've been through so much lately. If we don't relax, we won't be able to think straight. Take it from me. Being a princess isn't easy."
"I wonder if the people from Palm Brinks got any better," Gokuu said.
"We'll find out soon."
The train began sliding to a stop. Max's eyes lost their haziness, and he sat up straighter.