Of Lies and Fantasies
Chapter 53: Pushing The Right Buttons
- Alyssa -
Today is proving to be a long one.
I didn't know that those tests would last that long. If that was the case, I would've just went there first thing and then looked for a job when that's done. Maybe I'd gotten a bunch more options than Endless Color if I did that. No use thinking about that now since they gladly let me join them again for some quick cash, but I do think I should really try hard in choosing the next outfit they want me to put on.
But back to the current issue in mind. Dr. Thomas' tests went longer than I expected. I thought it'd be just some questions about my medical history, some reflex tests, blood pressure, and one or two additional knowledge stuff. Nope! It was all of that and then some! A lot of it were physical tests, simple ones though. There's also mental stuff. He even checked my memory with that game of pairing up face down pictures!
Then just as I was about to joke if he'll need some of my blood to test on, everything changed to the dark sky of the city and I found myself standing beside the telescope on top of the castle. Before I could even wonder why I was there, Dr. Thomas was standing right beside me waving his hand in my face. Of course, I jumped and nearly threw him to the ground, but he was faster than he looks and stepped away from me faster for someone his age. What reflexes!
He told me that I stopped responding during the tests and started walking out like I was a mindless zombie. He also wondered if it would be best to let me stay that way until I woke up on my own or to force me out of it. Thinking it would be best to observe first, he followed me up here to the top and watched the sky with me for 6 minutes, waving in front of my face every minute, until I woke up from my trance.
From what he saw, calling out to me or making noises close to me didn't affect me at all. Trying to stand in my way would only make my unconscious body walk around them. Like it knows where to go and how to get there, but I'm not really there when it happens. Basically the lights are on but no one's inside when it happens.
We sat there for a few minutes, talking about possible reasons why I suddenly have this thing happening to me when no one in my family even had suffered from blackouts ever. Nothing in my past medical history convinced him that it could have been genetic. So he pushed for something more recent. We went backwards from when it started, and all I can remember this happening was the other day when we just got back.
And then it hit me.
"Something did happen!" I told Dr. Thomas. "It's not a medical source, but it might explain why it's happening to me!"
"Do tell," The good doctor nodded.
"The Iifa Tree, the source of the Mist."
I told him about going to the Iifa Tree and checking the lower levels of the Mist infested tree. Steiner's already told me and the others that Mist is bad for everyone, but this is the first time I've experienced that it's possibly caused me a problem. And here I thought it was just something parents would say to the children to keep them out of where the monsters prowl. Seeing evidence of that now is a little surprising. I mean, there's nothing from my experiences playing FFIX that actually proved this so this is genuinely surprising to think about.
The doctor could only give a hum as he takes this all in. If the Mist really made me this sick enough then I'm glad we shut down the source. There's still that troubling detail about Memoria and Inoire. Chances are we can go back to Iifa Tree and check again, but if this is the result of going down there then we'd have to make some precautions. Probably bring some gas masks. Does Tantalus have any extra?
"Despite my multiple degrees in medicine, it might suffice to say that this could be a result of supernatural phenomenon." Dr. Thomas surprisingly concluded. When I leaned back looking confused, he continued. "The Mist is still a medical mystery and it has remained that way since I was a toddler struggling to tie my own shoes. None of the medical history you had shared tonight does not indicate any potential symptoms, unless you have been fainting multiple times, experienced low blood sugar, and not breathing in air for long amounts of time. And that's only the seemingly simple symptoms. There's also anemia, heart rhythm disorder, labyrinthitis, pulmonary hypertension..."
Yeah, I'm pretty sure none of those have happened to me ever. But it's been a stressful couple of days so stress might be a factor in that too. I guess going down there to take a look was a bad idea. I should've thought it through and now my brain's occasionally stepping out when I least expect it.
And Doctor Thomas is just listing potential symptoms. He's gotten to three Latin-esque word symptoms! Better stop him before I have to borrow a Latin-English translation dictionary.
"Avoid areas with heavy Mist. Gotcha! Anything else, doc?" I blurted out as he was saying another symptom about...cryptocurrency? Do they even have that here?
"You might need someone to keep an eye on you just in case." He suggested. "It would be problematic if you suddenly find yourself blacking out doing something dangerous."
"Solid idea. But then who'd be fine with being attached to the hip with me?"
His gaze goes down to the city, thinking about my question, and I can't help but look down as well. I didn't expect it to be this problematic of a situation. He does have a point about needing someone to keep an eye on me. I'd woken up standing near a construction site and I could've ended up injured if one of the guys there didn't wake me up. If that happened in a worse place I'd probably end up dead. At best I'm gonna have to keep updating someone or at worst someone's gonna have to put a leash on me just in case.
When the doctor clears his throat, my attention goes back to him and his thoughtful pose. "Blake should be a good option."
I could already hear his disagreement in the distance.
"I can try asking him…" It's the least I can do. If that doesn't pan out, there's still the others.
"Huh. I would've assumed he would gladly help you since he is your closest friend and sleeping with him at the moment."
My back straightened and all of my blood seemed to rush to my face and feet. "Whoa! Oh no! Nope! Dude, phrasing! That last one is...not happening. Sharing a room, yeah! Bed, no!"
He just tilted his head at me like I'd intentionally confused him. "Oh. I suppose I was jumping to conclusions. One would have thought that would be the case since you care for him so much."
"I do, but that doesn't mean we're like that!" Besides, he gets himself hurt if no one is paying attention.
"Well, if not you then your other friends should suffice. As long as someone is there to monitor your condition."
At least there are a bunch of options save for a few. Freya is still in the infirmary. I mean, I could set up a bed beside hers, but I might hinder her recovery if I'm bugging her with my own problems. Dagger is busy and Steiner is constantly shadowing her for her safety. Amarant has been a shadow himself, hiding away somewhere probably, and I'm not sure how he'd take it if I asked him for a favor.
That leaves Zidane, Eiko, Vivi, and Quina. One of them might agree to it if Blake predictably rejects the responsibility to help me. Guess I'll have to talk to him about it as soon as I see him.
You're not okay.
Keeping secrets and lies.
Need medication! Need help!
Portal to the unknown...
Yeah...I don't think it'll be a good idea to keep the mysterious voices to myself. "One more thing. Do you have anything to help with suddenly hearing voices in your head?"
Cue being looked like I was crazy. I guess that's an okay place to draw the line between medically concerning to somewhat approaching crazy town.
It took more tests for Dr. Thomas to be convinced that hearing voices won't be much of a problem. He did stress that he might need to look into my unique condition some more before laying down a concrete diagnosis. We'll have to schedule that some other time.
But the night was not over yet. As fate would like it, the aircab I boarded afterwards had Blake in it. He's even surprised to see me come in and didn't comment about it when I took the seat beside him. So as to not waste this chance, I asked him about it.
"So you're telling me you're blacking out while your body is in some sort of auto pilot." Blake expertly summarized. I nodded, prompting him to continue. "And you're asking me to watch you just in case it happens again?" Another nod. "Just because we're pretty much in the same place aside from work?" More nodding! "How about no." He answered without hesitation.
"Ye- No? Oh, c'mon! It won't be all that bad." I tried to assure him. "I'm keeping an eye on you so you don't get hurt and you can do the same to me. That way we're both safe and sound. Besides, I kinda want to get another job that doesn't have me put on clothes that don't look good on me. I'm not really into modeling anyway."
He shrugged. "Could've fooled me. You have the figure and you still do your job enough when you get shoved into them."
"I—" My mouth closed the instant my brain processed that. "Did you just compliment me—"
"Keeping you from hurting yourself sounds like plenty of effort." He sighed a little louder than usual, looking like he had swallowed something sour. "And I'm not feeling up to it for more effort in my life." And apparently changing the subject was the right palette cleanser.
"I could've sworn—"
"That you were trying to ask something relevant." He huffed, finishing my sentence with his own. The small dark feathered chocobo resting by his knee tweeted something that got his attention. "I know, Nero. She's focusing on the irrelevant stuff again. As per usual."
Fine. Focus on the main subject. I'll just tease him about it later. "So what do you say? Will you help me out?"
He crosses his arms and leans back on our shared seat, humming in thought while the aircab neared the Business District station. Nero and I looked at him expectantly as the vehicle came to a stop. Once the announcement that we've docked, he takes Nero into his hands, stands up, and looks at me right in the eye.
"No."
"Wha-wha, Blake! C'mon man! Help a girl out!" I chased after him, trying to convince him to think about it some more.
It went like that from getting out of the aircab up to the inn, punctuated by him slamming the door on my face. So much for friends helping each other. As much wasted effort this was, at least I asked Blake before making assumptions that he will. If I have to ask Zidane, Eiko, Vivi, or Quina for help about this then I'll visit them tomorrow to ask them. That still doesn't fix my job problem. Either I find another one or demand they stop putting me in weird outfits. It was funny the first and second time, but by now it's run its course.
The door opens and Blake pokes his head out looking less annoyed after he's let me sit out here in the hall for ten minutes. "Alright look. I thought it over. As annoying it is having to supervise you, someone has to bear this burden one way or another. Might as well be me before you pester someone else." Did he just call me a burden? "You're going to have to leave that job in Endless Colour though. Hopefully it won't be much trouble if we're going to have to keep constant watch of each other."
"So you're saying there's an opening at your job?" I asked.
"If there's not one, we'll see if we can make one."
- OLaF -
Tomorrow came and both Blake and I got ready to get an aircab to the Theatre District. I actually had to wake him up early just so he can get ready. He argued he doesn't need to be too early for his job, but I told him I had to make a good impression and that means having him make a better impression by getting to work earlier. If no one noticed then that would be on me.
When we got there, there were a lot of people already working around the stage molding and setting backgrounds for their performance. One man was directing most of it at the center of the theatre and he's the first one we approach. Blake greets him, with Nero chirping one as well, and he spots me just before I could greet him and immediately asks who I am. He introduces me as a friend who is out of her luck and in need of a job. He just looks me up and down before looking at the stage.
"I guess I can have her help with the backgrounds. Paint a few things here and there, carry some stuff around." The director said.
"I was thinking making her my own executive assistant, but that sounds better than my idea." Blake added his two cents in. Though I'm not too keen about being made his executive assistant since it's basically someone's lapdog.
And so my role was given to me. Assisting in the play set-up. There were a few more sets that needed painting, which were placed off to the side of the stage. Blake introduced me to some of the people already working on them while avoiding shaking hands due to the paint-smeared gloves they all had.
"Keep an eye on her, if you guys don't mind. She tends to get distracted easily." Blake says to them while patting me on the shoulder. When he gets some nods, he starts walking towards the stage. "I'll be around handling some stuff. Nero and I will check if your mind starts dozing off while watching paint dry. Until then, work hard."
That's basically my first day. The sets worked out pretty well and looked dashing with the help of the experts. They guided my hand so at least I didn't make a mess of things. Actually, they were glad to have another extra pair of hands today since they were really expecting to finish the sets today. Blake was true to his word by walking by my station throughout the day. If it wasn't him, I'd feel Nero land on my head and chirp to get my attention when he's around.
I'd barely noticed when I blacked out since I stuck to my own area when it happened. Just confused myself when I suddenly find myself staring at something. Like I was painting a part of the set I was assigned to. When I was just about to dip my brush when I'm suddenly brushing my hand against a different set, one that had dry paint on it. It didn't help that my brush still had newly dipped paint on it, so that means I was only out of it for a few minutes and no one else really noticed.
Next time was when I was trying to put away some of the paint cans, only to find myself staring at the performers onstage until Nero suddenly jumped onto my face. Scared me for a sec there. Another time I blacked out while conversing with another girl who helped out with the script. One second I was talking to her, the next I saw Blake snapping a finger at me as the girl giggled saying I must've been tired. Good thing the day was ending by then.
So I guess sometimes directly trying to snap me out of it works. Add that to the list of notes about my new condition.
My second day there wasn't particularly the same as the first because I'd been given a different job. This time helping with the costume department. They're very frantic about keeping together everyone's costumes and making sure they fit them during the final stages of preparations. Blake poked his head in a bunch of times, saying not to force me into outfits because it would be cute. They haven't even thought of it before and they started giving me these looks that made me think they're tempted to do it. Only blacked out four times and all four of them ended with me holding up a different outfit each time and one of the staff looking confused.
On the third day some of the actors and actresses were out of action because of some flu and they need someone to bounce lines off, so I was assigned to go through the script with them. Let me just say I've never done any acting before in school, so I just tried to read the script with enough feeling close to what I thought was happening. There were a few cringes (some from Blake and the director dude when they passed by) but overall I didn't die from embarrassment. I was caught blacking out a few times, but a loud clap by my ear woke me up from it. One guy was unfortunate enough to try and shake me out of it when he grabbed my shoulder. Let's just say he switched partners the moment he can feel his shoulder again.
It was like that for the next few days. New job and set of duties every day while Blake made sure I wasn't out of it most of the time. At the end of the day, I still got paid pretty much the same amount and we went home with heavier pockets. We had enough to get new weapons and some armor if we need to by the end of the week.
The blackouts were still being random and I couldn't figure out if they were triggered by something or if it happened during certain times. Too many things to think about and figure out which really had an effect. At least nothing bad happened when I was out of it. People fell for what Blake said and just tried to pay attention when I'm 'nodding off' or 'looking distant' so they can wake me out of it. That's something to tell Dr. Thomas about then.
While we were increasing our budget and paying for our room, something else was happening. We'd always get stopped by the door by the manager of the inn right as we're leaving for work. Well, Blake was. I'd be left holding the door as he talks with the manager. He'd always end up looking annoyed and the manager would look sheepish afterwards. When I tried to ask him about it, he'd just shrug it off as something annoying before leaving it at that.
It didn't end there though. A day later we find an envelope addressed to Blake slipped under our door. Nero gave it to him just as I was waking up and it definitely ruined his morning before I could suggest breakfast. He just crumpled up the paper and put it in his pocket before walking out of the room. Both Nero and I just looked at each other, unsure of what he read in that letter, before I finished up changing to new clothes and following after him. It also happened the next day, but he didn't even open the letter this time. He straight up ripped it into pieces and threw them out of the window. Talk about angry! Is this letter from a secret girlfriend that broke up with him?
"Wanna talk about that letter?" I asked him as we waited for the aircab.
I didn't get a notable answer from him as he just stared at where our ride was stopping with his arms crossed. That letter really did piss him off, and since he's not a morning person, I bet that anger of his is doubled. It probably reminded him of what I did. Sheesh, talk about deep cuts. Nero tried to get an answer by jumping down on his shoulder and rubbing against his face. It didn't work as he turned away from him.
The day continues as usual. New set of duties for me and Blake walks around coordinating like his usual way. He still looks mad and it made the other people in the theatre get out of his way if they were not talking to him. He really did have a good (or in some other person's opinion, bad) 'don't you fucking look at me' bitch face. He seemed to cool off by the time we ate lunch and everything eventually went back to normal.
One slight detail that I noticed before we were allowed to leave was I noticed this lady was waiting by the exit. I just saw her head poking in taking a look and then disappeared before I even got a better look. Didn't look like Meguro because she didn't look that old, but this person was definitely older than me. Blake missed seeing her, but took my word for it before saying good-bye to the director for the day.
However, a day later, there was no mystery envelope sliding under our door. Blake clearly noticed that and it definitely made his day. That is until we got to the theatre when we see Freya chatting up Director Haverhill. Something about the scene made Blake stop on the spot for a few seconds while giving our friends an unseen look of suspicion. She only notices that we're here when the director shouts his greetings and calls us to get our friend since she was looking for us.
"What are you doing here?" Blake gets way too ahead of himself with his bluntness.
"Good morning to you too." She says with a nod. "Doctor Thomas allowed me to leave the infirmary with a good bill of health. That is aside from major physical activities. As for why I am here, I was merely curious as to where the two of you have gone since it has been days when I've last seen you both in the castle."
"...And the first place you go to...at this time of day...to look for people...is the theatre?" Blake slowly asks, eyes narrowed at our recovering friend. I nudge him in the side with my elbow, but that only stops him for a few seconds.
"I suppose checking up on my friends is a crime now. No one managed to inform me." She shrugs, casually letting it slide. "If you are busy—"
"Don't mind him. He's always crabby in the morning." I tell Freya. "But it's good to see you out of the castle! And walking! Though I already saw you walk, but walk this far— Are you feeling alright though? No other pain still going on from your wounds?'
"I am fine now, Alyssa." She assures me. "I'd be more worried if I couldn't. Such a condition should not stop any dragon knight."
"Well, if you're sure."
Freya didn't stay long after we showed her around. There wasn't that much activity in the theatre when we got there, so we weren't bothering a lot of people. She did get recognized by a few for winning the Festival of the Hunt, some even asked for her autograph. That wasn't why she left though. She said something about checking the weapon synthesizer if they are currently open to see if they can make her a better spear.
But before she left, she turns to Blake to say something. "You better think about it more."
It didn't help that her farewell had Blake eyeing her with so much suspicion. Even Nero wasn't liking it when he pecked at the top of his head. It was so mysterious that I feel like I'm being left in the dust. Was there a different conversation happening? Suffice to say, nothing else extraordinary happened afterwards.
Are you sure about that?
Events unfolding, in spite of your presence
If Freya was a surprise to see at the theatre, seeing Steiner waiting outside a day later was shocking. Well, for Blake anyway. He immediately stopped and narrowed his eyes, almost pointing an invisible finger at him all while trying to figure out what to say as he walked over to us. Steiner was only slightly concerned at Blake's stuttering, but I offered to translate for him.
"He says 'good morning on this fine fair weather day, sir. What brings you over yonder castle walls?'" I translated. That earned me a glare from the injured one and more general confusion from the knight, more over the English accent I tried using. "Guessing a few words here and there."
"I-I-I was told to see what the extent of the damage of the theatre. I've heard that it was in need of repairs." Steiner replied. That didn't make Blake stop looking at him funny aside from the sputtering.
"Why? Are you going to pay for it?" He suddenly asks when he recovered.
Steiner stepped back from the question, caught off-guard. "Wh-What!? My income cannot cover every single expense that needs to be done to this place."
"Then why the sudden interest?"
"Who isn't interested in the fine arts? It would be a shame if this building is left unattended. The staff would need all the help they can get to get enough of a budget for its repairs."
"Honestly, you don't look like the 'fine arts type'. Dagger would be though. Speaking of which," Blake looked around like he was expecting someone to jump out at him. "Where is the darling princess anyway? I'm surprised you're not attached to her hip today."
The armored man crossed his arms indignantly. "I'll have you know that I merely shadow the princess-and-soon-to-be-queen closely for her safety. That does not mean I am always 'attached to her hip'. However, to answer your question, she is busy today conducting important kingdom business. One that she does not need me for. The Lindblum Grand Castle has sufficient guards to help her at the moment, so I was tasked with something else."
"Tasked, eh? So you're here in someone else's stead, hmmm?" If Blake wasn't leaning towards Steiner while making a ridiculous face, he'd seen how Steiner was sputtering like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"I-I-In a m-matter of speaking, yes! Perhaps the Regent would like to give her support. Or...or the princess! Yes! As a supporter of the fine arts, she would be saddened if the theatre is left like this longer than necessary. If you'll excuse me…" Like we've insulted his pride over something small, he stomps past us towards the stairs leading down to the main plaza.
Suspicious.
Man of honor, too proud to stand down
"...What was that about?" I asked, a little befuddled with what happened. Even the voices know something's wrong.
"Something strange." Blake provided, scratching his head while going towards the theatre. "What I do know is that Steiner's a horrible liar." Of course he could tell.
He spent the rest of the day muddling about what happened with Steiner, a little mad at himself for being unable to piece together any possible reason why he was there, but kinda amused because he got him running for proving he was lying without saying as much. Even I knew he was lying, figured he wasn't there for the theatre. Maybe it wasn't a coincidence that we found him there.
Either way, it was a mystery we can worry about later. Had work to do and gil to earn. By the end of the shift, I could tell Blake is still mulling it over when he's just staring at Nero on the aircab trip back. It's not that weird to have friends visit your workplace, right?
Tell that to Blake when we find Quina and Zidane lounging around the theatre like they own the place the following morning. Well, that counts for Zidane mostly, but Quina wasn't helping by just running to and fro every five seconds inside the theatre. She stopped when she saw us and got both me and Blake in a hug.
"Good to see you too, Quina!" I patted the Qu on the back cheerfully. As cheerful as I can make it sound with my ribs getting crushed.
"Someone call the cops! A murder is taking place!" Blake shouted, barely giving his voice any strength while we were squeezed to death. When she let us go, I had to test my lungs and take in a deep breath to make sure nothing was broken. "What was that for?"
"Quina miss husband. Nice seeing nothing bad happen to husband. Still rude." Her statements just made him roll his eyes and cross his arms as if saying if there's anything else. When he didn't get a solid reply, he finally went to the direct route.
"What are you two doing here? And just give it to me straight, unlike Freya and Steiner. It took a while, but I know now that they weren't here as a coincidence." Blake said with suspicion clearly aimed at the two.
"To be honest, Quina really wanted to see you, but I'm not here for fun. So I guess you got me." Zidane casually stated with a smile. He sat down on one of the audience seats beside us.
"Freya and Steiner were here yesterday and the day before. That means you know what's going on?" I asked him.
"The former had been subtle, but didn't wait for me to answer. The latter got a little flustered and wasn't able to say what he was meant to say before leaving." Blake added. "But with you here, I can only guess why he was here."
What are they talking about? Is there some secret code words they were giving to each other or secret body language things I wasn't seeing? Even Quina seemed out of the loop with all of this as she just scratched the side of her face. When he locked eyes, we both couldn't help but shrug.
"Quina only here for famous family omelette recipe." She confessed.
"We already had breakfast, so better luck next time." Blake remarks and then he sighs. "And here's a message to the Regent: I'm not going there even if he gives me my own airship."
"Okay, this is really interesting and all, but I have no idea what this is all about." I told them, trying to hold back my own annoyance. Zidane looked at us and had this expression that he didn't know what was up with us.
"I could've sworn you already figured this out. But whatever, let me explain." The injured boy starts as he leans on one of the chairs. "Remember that letter we got a few days ago?"
"Yeah, that's the one that annoyed you so much you crumpled it up and then tore it into pieces." I answered, causing Zidane to raise an eyebrow.
"She meant I crumpled up the first one and then I ripped into pieces the second one." Blake tried to clarify, only to make it sound a lot worse. "Anyway… the letter was from the Regent. An invitation, to be exact. One that I'm deliberately ignoring because of how ridiculous it is."
Zidane, Quina, and I stared at him the moment we heard his reason. "Who in the world outright rejects a formal invitation from the highest authority figure in the country?" Like had he lost his mind? I mean, his mindset is a little off-balance, but he's often rational and logical.
Suddenly I feel my hand being taken and shaken by Blake. "Hi, my name is Blake Skylark. I just rejected a formal invitation from the highest authority figure in the country. My hobbies include being a role model to my growing chocobo and trying to stay alive."
"Very funny." I said after he ends his sarcastic introduction with an eye roll. "So what's so infuriating about his invitation then?" He didn't even want to talk about it when it happened, but if he wants me to be on his side about this then he'll have to explain it. From the looks of it he doesn't really want to broach the subject, but some coaxing tweets from Nero softened him up to the point of submission.
"Fine. It's an invitation to something called a Continental Conference. A meeting of the minds with every leader of the Mist Continent's kingdoms gathering in one place. It is scheduled to happen a few days from now. And the Regent thought it would be nice to invite us." He then pointed to himself and then me to prove a point. "You and me specifically."
"And I was told to ask if you guys are still going." The thief said. "Well, Freya and Steiner was told to, but I guess they didn't get any answers from the both of you. I was just around and they asked me to be here."
Me? Invited to a meeting of world leaders!? I'd be honored to be invited to that! Never have I been invited to something as big as this!
...But with the ominous way Blake said that I think there's a lingering meaning to an invitation. Who else is going to be there aside from Minister Artania, Regent Cid, and Dagger? Probably they'll have to get the Cleyran High Priest and the King of Burmecia to Lindblum since they're gonna be involved. And then there's the leader of Treno...whoever that is. I don't even know if the game gave Treno an actual leader. Probably the richest noble there? Are they also gonna get Brahne to the meeting since she was the previous queen? Unless she's in chains or if she's court-ordered to be there just to testify or something. But it might be tricky if she has to be there, so they might avoid complicating things by not involving her.
At any rate, this is a big thing to be involved in and Blake doesn't want in on it? That's his loss!
"Well, I can't really skip on something important than that." I said. "Count me in!"
"What!? No, no, no!" Blake shakes his head and pulls me away from the group. Once we were a few rows of chairs away from Zidane and Quina, he started talking in a whispery voice. "Do you even know what that Continental Conference means?"
"That it's not in the game and I wanna see what happens?" I answered truthfully. There's never any three world leaders caught in one room in the game. At least that's what I remember. So this is an important event that I can't miss. Who knows what can happen in a meeting like this?
Be careful…
Suspicious people.
No help in sight.
Chain reaction of disasters.
Stop it, voices! You're not helping. Hmm...I might need medication for these things soon.
"Not only is it not in the game," he argues, "It might be something we might have had a hand in causing, but with every important world leader in one room can only attract some form of attack or trap. Inoire or Kuja might target the meeting and throw the continent into chaos with just one strike."
He makes a very good point. Well, we know four out of five leaders invited. They've all victimized by the former queen of Alexandria and are trying to recover from it. They're definitely trying to organize something to help make kingdom repairs and recovery faster. Plus, I'm sure the Burmecians and Cleyrans would appreciate all the help we can get with them getting the brunt of Brahne's attack and I'd like to hear how things are on their end.
"There's also Treno." My black-haired friend stated with a cautious tone. "Remember that Kuja owns the auction house there. There's a possibility that he has some sort of pull there and chances are he's heard of this Continental Conference from his sources there. Also, there might be also a chance that he controls the city and the current administration could be just puppets."
"Okay, I know the nobles there are the snobby, punchable kind, but that doesn't really validate your theories." I tell him. Sure Kuja owns the auction house, but that doesn't mean he's managed to corrupt the entire place before all this happened.
He clicked his tongue with distaste all over his face. "Hence my mention of it being possible, not outright accusations of corruption."
"I still don't see why we're letting your paranoia tell us to not go." Blake gave solid points, but none of them really is enough of a clincher to convince me not to go.
"Why do you think we are invited, Zidane and the others are not?" He questions me, sounding like he already knew the answer. Might as well verify that.
"Hey Zidane, Quina! Did the Regent invite you to this Continental thing?" I shouted across the aisle.
"This is the first time I've heard of it!" The blonde responded rather loudly. Quina just opted to shake her head.
"Hey, you guys are being loud! We're practicing here!" Someone from the stage yelled. We forgot that there was a group onstage practicing early.
"Sorry, personal matter! Keep going! You're doing great! Tighten up those accents!" He tried to wave them off before focusing back on the matter at hand. "We're invited because of our knowledge. They're going to use that conference to essentially guilt us into helping improve the continent's situation!"
"Oh, come on…" I groaned. Not this again. He's even started pacing and rambling.
"Not only that, it'll only get so much worse. If Treno is indeed in league with Kuja, then he'll know what we know and we're going to get targeted because of the conference! It's a disaster waiting to happen! And that could possibly be the trap. Or perhaps Kuja and Inoire are plotting something more sinister, more diabolical than I could even think of. How worse can it get depends—"
I put both of my hands on his shoulder and pull him into a hug, derailing him into a stutter as he struggled to figure out what to do with his hands. Any demand of his went quiet when I ran a hand through his hair. That effectively shut him up. Even Quina and Zidane looked on in interest just to see where this was going.
"Are you calming down now?" I was met with silence for a few seconds until Nero confirmed his father figure had calmed down. "Okay, so I'm just going to say that you're letting your mind overthink things again. It's never good if you let it derail your logic." He tried to argue when he stiffened and tried to pull away. I just kept a firm hold on him and continued going through his hair. "Let's just give this thing a shot. You don't know what good it'd do to come."
"You don't know how bad it'd be too." He mumbled against my shoulder, hands still dangling at his sides.
"Yeah, but I have faith that it'll work out in the end. We can just be there in support of the Regent and Dagger. The entire thing might not bring up what we know. Who knows? What I do know is we can't just turn down something like this when we don't have proof."
No words met my attempt at explaining why we should go. While he still has solid points, I'm sure I won't be able to handle every single worst-case scenario he keeps thinking of. Being cautious is okay, but this is totally next level and I'm afraid he's gonna hole himself up in that inn until something big actually happens for him to shout 'I told you so.' That wouldn't be good for him.
Then he groaned, shoulders rising while his left hand held my shoulder before pulling away. "You know what...It was easy when we can change the factors to our side like in the Iifa Tree. That has stakes that we both knew, that we can handle. This one...we just don't know what will happen, I don't know what will happen. Worst case scenario, Inoire and Kuja attacks to take out everyone in power. Best case, we get cornered into sharing information."
"The Regent will make sure the whole place has guards up the wazoo." Zidane found a time to walk in our private discussion. He's probably overheard enough to try and ease Blake in to attending. "Knowing the guy, he has enough manpower to make it possible. Plus, if it's really happening here then he's not going to spare the expense just to make sure everything would go smoothly."
Blake suddenly pulls away into the aisle past Zidane, shaking his head a little too much that Nero had to jump off and land on his shoulder. "Too many factors! As much as you'd like to predict good things will happen out of this, there's too many things pointing towards a disaster. I can't go there knowing that."
"But you can't prove that." I argued.
"Doesn't matter if any of us can. The possibility is there. I'm better off not even getting close to any of those if I can manage it." And what a better way to turn away from it all is walk down the aisle towards the stage. Nero left his shoulder and jumped into my hands with a tweet. Seeing as how Blake didn't even stop to get Nero back, he definitely was bothered by the conference invitation.
My shoulders slumped at his decision. If I can't convince him to go at this point then I guess it is better not to mention it after. Once he's decided about something he'll definitely won't change his mind easily. Makes me wonder why he really doesn't want to go. I mean he made good points, but what's REALLY making him think about those points to conclude that he shouldn't even try thinking it over. Well, not think it over cause he'll just find other excuses to not go.
Is that why he's throwing himself into this job? So he cannot think about the upcoming plot event? The money's good and all, but we won't really need much of it if we have to keep going to where the game's events need us to go. That is if we're still following it at this point. Maybe he's just saving up for new weapons and armor.
Either way, I can't really let the Regent down after all we've done so far.
"Zidane, are you going to the castle after this?" I asked the thief while trying to comfort the young chocobo in my hands.
Zidane nodded. "Yeah. I'm gonna see if Dagger's okay and ask what she thinks of this conference thing."
"Good. Can you also relay to the Regent that I'm going to the Continental Conference?" Before I can think of something else, he then turns a thumb towards the stage where Blake is now talking one of the staff about something. What about him? I bet he's quietly asking. "We can't force him to change his mind. You know how stubborn he is. Not yet anyway."
"That's fair."
"I'll see if I can find a way to get him in the conference before it actually happens."
We get quiet and lost in thought for a moment. I was thinking on what to do about the conference. Probably ask the Regent or Minister Artania on what will happen there. Do they even have a dress code for it? Not that I would know since I haven't read it. Zidane probably didn't know about it too. Speaking of which, maybe I'll go find out why they're not invited too.
"Eat now?" Quina's voice suddenly breaks the silence. Nero makes a noise while looking up at me.
"We already ate on the way here. Sorry." I apologized. She briefly looked down since we're not as hungry as her, but she quickly rebounded by tapping Zidane on the shoulder, waiting for his answer. He shrugs playfully before nodding towards the door, indulging Quina with the most important meal of the day.
The Continental Conference. Can't say I'm looking forward to that all because of what Blake said. Gotta focus on the positives than the negatives! And then there's Dagger's coronation. Not yet sure when that's happening, but I'm sure it's bound to be scheduled soon. Maybe things will try to lean towards the disaster as originally intended. I'll give it my hardest to prevent that from happening.
Speaking of which, I wonder what Dagger has planned for it.
- Dagger -
I would have never predicted that I would be walking through the dungeons of Lindblum with important continental matters in mind. Until today, that is. Fortunately I am not alone in this endeavor. Uncle Artania is with me along with half a dozen guards to escort and secure us. What was also a godsend was that the dungeon was somewhat quiet aside from the clanging of armor from the guards, our footsteps, and the hushed chatter from those behind bars.
Uncle Cid informed me that the dungeon was separated into three parts. The first part is where they place those with short sentences and recurring violators guilty for robbery, assault, drug possession, and the like. They were more curious to see us walking through, bothering the guards with questions as to why we were here. Some of them looked too downtrodden to look up as we pass by, but I could feel their pain as they suffered through their sentences silently.
For the second part, they were filled with people who have committed murders, kidnappings, drug trades, treason, and other similar major crimes. Now they were insistent on making a scene like calling out to us, egging us with ridiculous remarks, or even reaching out past the bars. Some of them got smacked on the wrist by the guards with their spears, earning them new bruises to tend to. I swear I could see some former soldiers of Alexandria, their uniforms dirtier than I remember.
One particular soldier with red hair sat in the corner behind her brethren. Her stare only came up just as we passed her cell, the contact only milliseconds brief.
Past this section is the last part of the dungeon, the very place where they keep the worst of the criminals away from the rest. Deadly serial killers, insane murderers, and cunning masterminds. Those who weren't executed and sentenced a lifetime's worth of sentences stay in this block. The worst kind of criminals even endanger those the same as them, so they went and secluded them in the deepest part of the dungeons and encased their cells with powerful glass even the biggest industrial drill in the kingdom can't break through. Lindblum's citizens could soundly sleep at night while the kingdom's most dangerous individuals are locked behind their cells here.
And imprisoned in one of these specific cells was someone I hesitated to see again. But swarmed with the kingdom's best guards and my uncles, I feel like I now have the courage to speak to her again.
With a buzzer, the blinds in front of the clear glass open up like a curtain before a performance. Sitting on an ill-fitting chair without her regal robe, face run with dried make-up that has not moved for days, and her formerly royal outfit now in disarray. My mother, the former queen of Alexandria, Brahne Raza Alexandros XVI glared at us through the glass barrier.
"You." Mother quickly strides up to the glass, one hand holding to her small fan tight enough to make her knuckles turn white. The holes near the top of the glass made communication between the two sides possible and made it easy to hear the venom in her voice in that single word.
Mother...It has been a while since I've thought of her as my own mother. My biological mother. But the truth is she is not my mother, nor am I her real daughter. We have both lost important people in our lives, yet ended up on different paths the world has laid before us. Kuja took advantage of her greed upon father's death and I have journeyed the world to stop her. Now she sits in a cell while I have yet to take my responsibilities as the next queen seriously.
She has lost her right to reign and I might lose the woman who I called mother all these years. Despite what I do, what anyone else does for me, both of us are destined to lose something.
"Mother." I addressed her politely. My firm tone made her gnash her teeth like it was an insult. "We are here to demand answers, information about what you were planning with Kuja and your motives behind your attempt at conquest."
"While we have you here in Lindblum, I would recommend a full confession of sorts." Uncle Artania tells her. "If you tell us what you know then we shall help with your current situation. Any information would be helpful in this fight against Kuja."
Brahne scoffs, turning slightly as she started to fan herself. "What else are you going to give me as an insult? Perhaps you would take away this misshapen cot and give me a rug instead? How about replacing this chair with a bar stool missing a leg?" When she stands firm and faces us once again, her other hand meets the glass with a muted thud, the glass not even registering her attack on it. "All the comfort in the world you would give to me would never be enough from what I had!"
"You are not considered dangerous enough to be a security risk like the people here, but you are valuable enough that you need safety from the violent criminals in the second block. You will need all the comfort that we can offer today." Uncle said firmly. "Both parties will benefit from this exchange. We can guarantee the safety of the kingdoms from Kuja's wrath and you will be able to serve your life sentence comfortably and safely."
She grits her teeth, face starting to contort into a raging sneer until she manages to control herself after briefly masking her expression with her fan.
"Trading information is useless. You already know what I know of that damned man." The irritation started to appear on her face like she is experiencing a bitter memory. "Whispers of ruling the continent unexpectedly coming from a lithe man whose emergence is a mystery. And then the world comes next, all in the palm of my hands. Who would have believed it would have almost come true? It was too good to be true. How could he promise so much? I thought it was all just a trick. Just a way to gain favor, especially after my husband's passing. His whispers could have been just an illusion to make my kingdom better to live in after such a tragedy.
"I was proven wrong when he showed me how he made the black mages. Kuja said that any other kingdom would fall to the combined might of his black mages and my army, yet he said we needed something else that would make our conquest a definite success." Her fan snaps closed as she uses it to point at me. "For some reason, he knew that my daughter was special. She had the ability to summon eidolons. Eidolons! Mighty creatures with powers almost godlike in measure! The little girl I had secretly adopted had this ability and our paths crossed like it was destiny! So I waited until your 16th birthday to act, the perfect age Kuja guaranteed that we could extract those eidolons from you. Once we have them then we could surely conquer the Mist Continent and then the rest will follow!"
Mother…no, Brahne...takes a breath and briefly falls silent. She turns away from the glass this time and her shoulders start to slump. "Yet with all that in front of me I still kept thinking that it was too easy. There had to be a catch or some sort of ulterior motive. A man like Kuja could never simply stand aside while someone else takes the glory of world domination. He could have already done this himself. Then the thought of him usurping me once the dust settles comes to me. That snake would completely turn the tables on me with his own army and he proved it when he tried to take out Bahamut."
"I was informed that he was actually trying to gain control of Bahamut." I told her, remembering Alyssa's words back in Madain Sari. It was a fair warning, one that her friend didn't want me to know going into the fight, but knowing it pushed me to do all that I can to help make the plan into a success. "But because of what happened at the Iifa Tree, Kuja is now in hiding. We can corner him and finally bring an end to his plans of conquest."
A bitter chuckle leaves through the holes of the glass. "Even I do not know where he actually resides."
"Does he not own the auction house in Treno?" Uncle Artania questions, which gets him a sly shake of the former queen's head.
"Owns, not reside in it. If the topic of his actual home or his base of operations is going to be brought up then no one here knows where that can be. All you're doing is wasting your breath."
I frown at the admission. "But how did you know that he was going to be at the Iifa Tree?"
"Alexandria does not only have the mightiest army. I also had spies all over the continent as we planned this war. Don't think that I didn't know of Lindblum's constant patrols keeping an eye on the kingdom." She eyed us with a smirk, expecting the wide-eyed surprise everyone in our group now has. "Did you think I managed to get out of the continent out of sheer luck? Finding the gap in your patrols was easy with the right information. I wish I could say the same with Kuja's location. Having spies in Treno worked out in the end as I found out that massive tree is a critical to his operation. That meant he would frequent that location and it gave me a target. If I damage that tree then it would draw him out. However, I did not expect to find him waiting for me there."
With that particular question answered, it brings forth another thought to the forefront. Mother was paranoid about Kuja betraying her to the point that she jumped on the chance to betray him first, only to see that he was looking forward to it. If it weren't for us, he would have killed her. He treated the encounter like a play he had been directing from behind the scenes. What does he stand to gain by killing her?
And then there's Inoire, his right hand man. What role does he have in this play being manipulated by Kuja?
"If he was willing to meet you head to head, does that mean he has something to gain by pushing you out of the picture? Was he trying to consolidate power to his side with Inoire's help?" I asked, trying to voice my thoughts. It still felt like we were missing some key details for the bigger picture, but the more my former mother talks, the more we can guess about them.
"I am not as foolish as you, dear." The former queen spat with clear poison. "I did not guarantee anything to him. He promised me the world and I wanted to make sure I would have it. Whatever he has to gain, only that silver-haired fop would know. All I know is that he is not after the throne or the kingdom's resources. It did not matter to me how he went about his business until the possibility of betrayal was at hand. If he had been killed back in the Outer Continent, I would have controlled his black mages and the eidolons. I would have been feared all over the world! Conquest would have been inevitable! But now that dream has been turned to dust."
Such ambition, yet she does not see how bad this is for her… Mother, why were you driven to such desires?
"And this other man the princess has brought up. We've only heard of him in passing, yet have no true information connected to him." Uncle continues with another implied question. If she knows more than all of us then it would be massive leg up against him and Kuja.
"As for that other man he brought into the fold, we were only introduced on the day you escaped on that filthy airship."
That's the very same day I met everyone. Zidane, Vivi, most of Tantalus, Blake, and Alyssa. Surely that is no coincidence whatsoever.
"Inoire." She repeated the name with intrigue and amusement. "He never stepped on my authority nor tried to give small pushes like Kuja did. He was the perfect minion, a true man of service. Can't say the same for that mouthy assassin he keeps with him. However, something about Inoire was...unsettling. His eyes were like diving into a green abyss, always moving and thinking. Strangely enough he believes in fate. That everything is happening for a reason. But before he left to aid in hunting down the jewels you had, he told me this…
'Fate will realign our destinies, even if I have to force it back on its correct path.'
I could easily picture him saying that. The man and his cohorts had chased them throughout the Outer Continent and provided enough trouble to last a lifetime. He had come close to killing us in the Iifa Tree until Blake was forced to do something desperate. Thankfully, we have yet to see him since arriving home and hopefully it will stay that way.
"A strange man that Inoire." Brahne was back to fanning herself, chuckling to herself. "I would pay attention to that man if I were you. He has something planned and even dear old Kuja will be on the receiving end of it. Possibly a similar betrayal to mine."
"We shall keep that in mind." Uncle Artania nodded. "Any more information we should know about Kuja or anything else that will ensure your safety or the kingdom's?"
She pauses for a while, fanning herself for a full minute before walking towards the glass. "If I can't stop Kuja with the might of his own black mages and my own army, what chance do you dream of having against him?"
"You do not know what we can to use against him." I told her. Even if I was confident that it would shake her belief of our chances, there was the matter of Alyssa and Blake actually wanting to contribute. The former was easier to convince than the latter. The Continental Conference may draw them back to the fold to help with this predicament.
Mother tried to hide a reaction, but was not fast enough to recover from the sneer she aimed my way. "If you think this is over then you are simply delusional. Know that simply confining me down here is only stopping the inevitable, especially when I am so close to achieving it! I will get out of here and reclaim what is mine." She sidles up against the glass right in front of me and slams her hand against it. "Enjoy the throne while you have it, Garnet. It. Will. Not. Last."
Knowing that this conversation is over, she turns away and decides to sit on the solitary furniture she had with her back turned to us. A few seconds later, a signal is given and that buzzer rings in the air, prompting the blinds to close and fully separate us from the former queen.
Amidst the quiet chatter of the guards around us, I find myself staring at the glass dividing mother's cell and the rest of the block. To think we might be able to get some help from her, that she had gotten some time to think about what had happened and what she had done. Apparently a few days is not enough. There is still that greed shining in her eyes and dripping in her voice.
I was wrong to suggest this. Her failure to kill Kuja and her arrest has not taught her anything. She still thinks of conquest despite being in a dungeon, her mind still thinking she sits on a throne instead of a wooden stool in a secluded dungeon. Her mindset is still to assume control of the world. My guess is that it will remain that way for a long time. There is nothing I can do to change her mind. In her eyes I am not her daughter anymore. Just a source of power in the form of eidolons and one of the people that tried to depose her as queen.
Sighing, I turn away and make my way towards the exit. We've gotten little from my mother and there is no point to staying if nothing else can be learned here. All we can hope for is that Kuja is occupied elsewhere, perhaps planning whatever devious scheme he needs for in the future, and for the conference to be successful.
As we got through nearly half of the second block, there was a ruckus happening in one of the cells. Sounds of a fight were coming from a very specific one and the surrounding cells were cheering it all on and egging those inside to fight more. Three of them stopped and readied their weapons, surrounding the front of the cell enough so Uncle and I can pass. I spot one woman fighting off one man while another lay face down by her feet as the rest of the cell's inhabitants either tried to stay out of the way or were screaming to keep fighting. Fortunately, most of the former were the soldiers formerly working for Mother's army. I could feel their stares come to me as I momentarily paused midstep.
The woman, red haired and intense, caught in the fight ducked under a dazed left hook and then retaliated with a knee to his midsection. She followed it with another similar strike and then a harder knee strike against the side of the man's head. Another man rushed her, one lankier than the two unsuccessful men, and it proved predictable when the woman leaned out of the punch's way and pushed him into the bars, promptly knocking him out.
Her eyes looked around to see if someone else wanted a piece of her. She quickly notices the guards on alert outside of the bars. It doesn't take her long to see me amidst the small crowd and that flare of familiarity goes through in her eyes. Now I clearly remembered who she is. That one determined soldier intent on torturing Blake throughout our journey in the Outer Continent and also a soldier in Mother's army. Lexine Kendrick. It's not a surprise that she can handle herself well in a fight. Most of Alexandria's soldiers should be able to fight with swords and close quarters.
One of the guards demanded the fight to be stopped unless they want to be physically reprimanded. Kendrick raises her hands openly, quietly saying she's ready to cooperate.
"I was merely defending myself." Kendrick states dismissively in the hopes that that was the end of it. "It'd be best if you take them out of our cell and put them somewhere else with more comparable trash like them."
But it wasn't.
The cheering may have died down when the guards tried to assert their presence, but uneasiness started to fill the air when whispers and gasps were heard from various cells. Sounds of struggling and fighting became more prominent. Some people were moving suddenly against their fellow prisoners. In some strange coincidence, every attacker was an Alexandrian soldier and they were moving in a way that seemed off. Their victims were everyone and everything that was not in Alexandrian soldier uniform and that meant that some of them were reaching for the guards escorting us. They managed to fight them off and it put everyone on high alert.
"No…" I heard someone gasp. My eyes turn back to the first cell that had made a scene and noticed that Kendrick had fallen on down on her knees. Strangely enough the soldiers in there behind her were just standing still.
"What is going on!?" The red guard with us shouted. "Someone help me regain control of the block! Send in more guards to detain the prisoners!"
While the ensuing chaos was starting to take over the block, my eyes were surprisingly trained on Kendrick's cell. The soldiers started to shift so that they were facing us, moving with unnatural stiffness like they were being forced to move. Surprisingly Kendrick was not moving like this at all. She was still on her knees, but she had put her hands on her head, shaking her head like she was hearing something terrible in her own mind.
"No! Stop it! SHUT UP!" She screamed.
Everything happening around us was successfully freaking out the guards. Uncle Artania put me behind him in case the cell happened to burst open as another of his guardsmen took position to my side. Kendrick kept screaming at nothing as her comrades started to surround her. If this goes on, she might get attacked also like the other prisoners. But then why would they attack their fellow Alexandrians?
As if to answer my own question, their approach stop. Not only that, but every noise in the block appears to have either stopped or minimized with the other noises we can hear were heavy breathing and groaning of the other prisoners.
"...er."
Everyone focuses on the sole voice we hear from the cell in front of us. The Alexandrians have stepped back all at once away from Kendrick. She was not holding her head or moving erratically anymore as her shoulders were slumped.
"...no…"
Kendrick begins to move finally. Hands grasp the bars in front of her tightly before she slowly pulls herself off the ground.
"Princess…it..."
It is definitely her voice, but something about it was off. There was this foreign edge to it that made her own voice partly not like her own.
"Is...not...OVER!"
Her head snaps up to look at us as she suddenly shouts at us. Her eyes sharply glares at us with bright green eyes. It seemed unnatural in the way it shined in the dark, but not only was it unnatural on her, it was unnatural on her comrades as well! They all had green eyes looking at us. It was like staring at an abyss and the abyss stared back with a thousand green eyes. Surely they had varying eye color when we passed here initially. Something is definitely not right here.
The guards draw their spears back in case she reached past the bars, but so far she only held on to the bars and leaned her face closer to it as she continued to speak.
"It is not over. Not yet, princess. This conflict will never be over as long as they exist. As long as they exist. As long...as they...exist..."
Her voice slowly loses its power at the same time as her grip loosens on the bars. Eventually her posture falters as her eyes lose their bright luster, slowly closing to reveal a more natural red. Then she falls against the bars like all of her strength had been taken away from her until she finds herself on her knees once again.
Not only is she suddenly looking fatigued, every Alexandrian acting strange starts to waver and fall to the ground. Chaos turned to confusion as the guards didn't know how to interpret what had just happened. All they know is that they have to get order back to the cell block before things worsen. That meant urgently getting Uncle Artania and I out of this place.
But what Kendrick had just said. It was odd. Earlier when we passed by I noticed her in the corner. She looked like she just wanted to left alone, but now she's saying these things up front while the cell block went insane for a short amount of time.
"W-Wha-What had just happened…?" Uncle asked beside me as we are rushed towards the exit. There was still some lingering shock in his voice and he tried to keep it down as he talked.
That message. Those green eyes. It felt like someone was trying to reach out to me and it is not the kind of communication that is supposed to be taken loosely. It felt like...a warning.
"Whatever it was, uncle, stopping mother is just the tip of the iceberg." I answered, mind heavy with thoughts about the future, especially with the upcoming conference.
A/N: Wow, this specific chapter took me 2 months to write. I was in quite a slump, like nothing really wanted to come out. If the first section felt a little weird then I guess it showed that my own momentum in writing this story is waning. Not being able to finish this chapter put me one chapter behind on the advance chapters. Like, ugh… Being stuck on the middlest of middles in a SI story sucks. The middle is where most fanfic stories die and I feel like I am falling into that very pit. It's basically like that song by half•alive: The hardest place to be is right where you are. In the space between, the finish and the start [is the arrow in your heart]. That's how I feel right now.
In other news, I earned the platinum trophy for KH3 last month and I have just finished my Son of Sparda playthrough of Devil May Cry 5. Seriously, I got it done before I uploaded this chapter. Nero is a blast to play! Dante and his style switching is hard to master. V is a unique experience and offers a different type of challenge. I am NOT looking forward to going through the Dante Must Die difficulty, especially after the final missions in SoS mode. Gotta try and replay them and see if I can beat the bosses without dying.
Anyways, I hope this chapter was worth the wait! I might skip April again so I can laze around due to it being my birthday month. Writing is still difficult when I don't feel the motivation and inspiration running through me. Like I swear Chapter 55 already has double digits of bullet points, as if it entails the entire blueprint of contents of the chapter and then some. Thanks to the reviewers and to the new followers of the story! I'll see you all in the next update! Let me put my response here to the most recent anonymous review here:
To searge:
- I'm glad you are enjoying this arc for now. And KH3 was indeed a delight to go through! Hoping for news about DLC in the future as well as more boss encounters or a coliseum gauntlet like the previous ones.
