Disclaimer from previous chapters still apply

Chapter 7: Aftermath part 2

Arthur P.O.V

Day 1 after the incident.

The only thought on my mind was to just getaway. She trusted me and now because of me she almost died along with several others. I didn't know what to do except fleeing, the police weren't going to let me walk away so flying away was the best option. I used the power of the mark to win the fight, but using it can do serious damage to my body if I stay in this form for too long. I was already weak from the fight so it wasn't long before I passed out mid-flight outside the city.

When I woke up I was beside a tree. My injuries were slowly healing, so I used the time to think. The sun slowly rose from the horizon and the thoughts of how this night was going to affect the populace were one of the things on my mind. Terry was another thought, He had been trying to hide from mice, and now with the population on this island is aware of the supernatural, it won't be long before more mice outside the island become aware. Things would become difficult from him. I tried to find a solution but nothing I thought would work. There was just no way I was going to stop mice everywhere from learning about what happened.

It had been a few hours since I had awoken. I had been staring at the city from a distance.

My injuries were almost healed up, I had spent the time wondering how the city must be handling what happened, but I was more about Thea. Was she alright? How was she handling what happened? Looking at my torn outfit the professor had made for me, made me wonder how upset he would be if I brought back the suit looking the way it did. All my thoughts were interrupted when my stomach began to rumble. I may still be weak, but I could get up and look for food as long as I don't use my powers. Searching for food wasn't that hard, the berries laying around the area were enough to satisfy my hunger. It was a good thing Cortney, or Max couldn't find me when I was outside the city, it did want to know what exactly was hiding my energy from their trackers. I lay back down near the tree I was next to earlier when I heard someone's voice.

Alden: " So this was where you hiding." he said sounding pleased with himself. I got up to greet him. I was startled because I didn't think he would find me so soon but I calmed down.

" Hey, Alden. How have things been?"

Alden: " A little slow but I expect things to be a little crazy for a bit" His tone changed while he spoke, his happy attitude changed to one of worry.

Alden: " I saw the broadcast, I wasn't the only one of course both Matt and Maria saw it too, and when Maria saw it she blew a gasket. She was about to fly into the city but she realized that it would only make things worse."

" I don't blame her for getting angry. Things will start to change around here, and it's all because of me."

Alden: " Don't blame yourself, Cortney played you, because to her, Max, and their boss, it's just an opportunity to collect data."

" Where's Matt?"

Alden: " He's trying to calm Maria down but not sure he's trying to be careful to not let himself get burned alive by accident."

" I do have to ask, you still haven't told me everything yet. Just who are these mice that are after Terry?"

Alden: " I'll tell you about it tomorrow, I just came to find you. Now that I have, I can go back and help Matt calm Maria down. She is upset, she wants to kill you, but we're trying to convince her that working with you might be our only chance of helping Terry now." Alden walked back to where the others were and told me that he'll let me follow him back to his hideout until after Maria is calm. He tossed me a bag that was filled with and drinks, he wanted me to remain where I was and not go off anywhere the next time I was hungry. Seeing the food that was in the bag, did make me hungry again, and since I am not in the best of positions right now, I promised that I wouldn't leave from this spot until he came back. Sitting down and enjoying the food he brought, I resumed looking at the city. I thought about Thea and about how I would ever make things right with her again.

Day 2 after the incident.

Alden returned to the site the next morning and had brought another bag of food. He and I ate the food he brought in and chatted about the day. With him here I asked about the monsters I fought on that night.

" So Alden, about those monsters in the city?"

Alden: " You don't have to worry about them."

" Why?"

Alden: " The monsters you fought on the airport were called to return to their master, while the metal monsters evaporated leaving only their metal armor behind."

" Evaporated?" I said confused.

" The giant monster you fought in the city are different than the ones you fought in the Airport."

" What were those monsters I fought?"

Alden revealed that the giant monsters were of extraterrestrial origin. I wasn't a stranger to alien stuff since my universe three counterpart was a kind of space cop.

Alden: " The giant metal monsters are actually of species of alien that can quickly adapt to any environment they are in. They start as a small slime-like creature after they hatch, and depending on where they hatch. They move around and hide as they take on a form, and once they take on a form they begin to mutate into something that will help them survive, but the thing they will always have, is metal armor. And once they die, the body evaporates but the armor stays."

" So the armor is all that's left of their existence?"

Alden: " Yes, but that armor can be turned into all kinds of things. Weapons, armor, furniture, houses, buildings, even clothes. The metal armor is stronger than any metal here on Earth, but it can easily be turned into whatever you want if you have enough of the stuff. And I highly doubt that Courtney and Max will allow the authorities here to take it and figure out what kind of metal it is."

" Where did Courtney and Max even get such metal creatures?"

Alden: " That's because when these aliens first attacked, they did so in Terry's home, which is the same home Matt and I are from."

" Where are you guys from? And why didn't you mention Maria is she not from the same home you guys are from?" He started to scratch his head in discomfort. Just what was about Maria that worried him so much.

Alden: " Maria is just very stressed about this whole thing, she wants to protect Terry, and this situation has been hard on her. She just can't find herself trusting anyone, and I am sure she doesn't trust me or matt all that much."

" Is she Terry's mom?"

Alden: " No, she's not. But she does wish to be a kind of mother figure to him. Although she goes about it in ways that have me and Matt raise questions."

" Why does She want to protect him so much?"

Alden: " She knows what it's like to be the only one who's different."

" What do you mean?"

Alden hesitated, he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to tell me about who Maria was. He got up and started to leave, but not before leaving another bag with me. Alden asked me to wait until the next day because he wanted to make sure of something. What was in the bag were new clothes.

Alden: " I think it's best if you stretch your legs a bit, you should be able to get around more since your injuries have healed." I have been thinking of going into the city and seeing how the citizens have been reacting to what happened. I also wanted to know how Thea was doing although I don't think I could even face her. She must probably hate me for almost getting her and Pandora killed.

The clothes came along with a hoodie to keep my face concealed. I took off the outfit the professor made for me, and put on the new clothes, and peeked in the bag to see if there was anything else and there was some money in there. Picking up and counting the money there were a hundred dollars. I don't know why he gave me this money when I was going to ask Alden, he was gone. My curiosity about what was going on in the city was getting to me so I made my way into the city.

In the city, the only thing I kept hearing mice chatter on about was what happened on that night. Some mice were saying that they were glad mice close to them were able to return home, but they still had concerns, while others were letting their fears get over them. I was walking past a T.V store when I saw Geronimo on the screen. He was being forcefully removed from the sight of where the giant earthworm died. Several other mice were standing in front of the T.V watching what was happening.

Male mouse #1: " Do you see how aggressive they are with him?"

Male mouse #2: " I'm telling you, man, the government was responsible for what happened, they're just mad that they can't cover things up this time."

Female Mouse: #1 " They are acting like mice who are trying to hide something."

Male mouse #3: " Well it's not like they can hide a monster as big as that. Although I wonder what they plan on doing to the other monsters."

Male mouse 4: " It's a sign that the end is coming!"

I failed to dispose of the earthworm monster. Only half of its body was visible but the other half was still underground. I Left the crowd and made my way to the sight of the giant worm. Along the way, I continued to hear mice speak about their feelings towards the event. Some seemed relieved that mice close to them came back but they still some worries over how they were saved. While others were letting their fears get to them. I couldn't help but think of Terry and how things were going to be for him once word spreads.

Thea was also on my mind but I wasn't sure what to do yet. I went to her place to see if she was there but I learned she wasn't there after a few minutes. She's probably still at the hospital, so I should get her something, and tell the nurse they came from a friend. But I could do that later I needed to go to the site where the earthworm was so I can see what's going on there.

After a bit of walking, I made it to the sight, the area was cut off and no-one was allowed near, but that didn't stop people from taking pictures and videos from a distance. Geronimo wasn't in the area so I didn't have to worry about bumping into him. The guards stationed around the area looked ready to hurt anyone who tried to get close to them. I didn't have to worry about that since I had enough energy to investigate. Turning invisible I walked past the guards and towards the monster. Reaching it I wondered how Cortney could hold a creature of this size under control. While checking out the earthworm, I had found the spot in the armor which I destroyed, which gave me the chance to attack the worm. There wasn't anything underneath the armor so I jumped through it. Going through it I found that there was only darkness except for the light going through the hole. I shot a fireball in both directions to see if there was anybody else here. There wasn't anyone else here, the armor was completely hollowed out. Looking at the metal of the armor an idea came up. If this metal can be used for anything like Alden said then perhaps I could use it to create a new suit. Using warp gate I sent pieces of metal through to my spot in the forest. I jumped through the hole and got out of the area, I was starting to get tired. I could have jumped through the warp gate but there were still things I needed to deal with. Once out of the area and into an alley I became visible again and headed for Volt's lab.

Volt lab

Later

I was in front of the door to Volt's lab and entered. Volt was sitting on a chair drinking coffee while reading the newspaper. He put the cup on the table before getting off the chair and walking towards another table which had another suit laying on it.

Volt: " How long are you going to be standing there?"

" Oh, professor you already saw me waiting," I said in nervous surprise.

" I saw you walking in. You've certainly found yourself in quite a mess."

" Yeah, you're right." I walked to the professor to see the suit more of the suit he was working on.

Volt: " You managed to save all the victims who were taken by the crazy woman, but in doing so you have exposed the world to something it might not have yet been ready for. And how it was introduced may work against you, but it may hurt the one you are looking for more than it will hurt you since you are not from here." He was right.

Volt: " The suit I made for you. You're not wearing it." Volt looked slightly confused.

" Sorry professor, but I couldn't go walking around the city with it on."

Volt: " And how did you get those clothes?"

" A friend brought them." The professor was about to ask another question when his phone rang. He walked to the corner of his lab to answer it. Not wanting to bother him I left him I stayed near the suit. Volt came back a few minutes later.

" Who was it?" I asked him.

Volt: " It was Geronimo."

" Oh, how is he doing?" I asked nervously.

Volt: " He's keeping it together. After what happened he's been more concerned with his sister and his friends.Which makes me want to ask why don't you go see him?"

" I am not sure if I should."

Volt: " why not?" The professor said confused.

" It's just that after that night I don't want to put them in any more danger. Ever since they found me I feel like they become bigger targets."

Volt: " They've always been targets. It comes with the territory, they always put their snouts into other mice's business so it's not surprising that the mice they write stories about would hold a grudge against them. They knew what they were getting themselves into but they still kept helping you."

" But have they faced anything like what they are facing now?"

Volt: " Granted, this is a most unusual case but as long as they have each other then it will all work out in the end." Families sticking together, I had forgotten what that felt like. I may not have my family anymore but what can do is make sure nobody else goes through what I went through.

Volt: " Thea has also said that with you around things seem to be safer, not only for her but for her family."

" Well, I haven't been doing such a good job of protecting her."

Volt: " Well staying away from her isn't going to make her safe, it's just going to leave her vulnerable. She doesn't blame you for anything that happens, because even though you can do things that shouldn't be scientifically possible, she knows that you're just a mouse trying to do his best." I didn't know what to say. Even after everything she still wants me around. Thinking about what I just heard I decided to take some time to think about what to do next.

" Alright professor, thanks for that talk, I'll leave you alone."

Volt: " Feel free to come back anytime, I do want to show you your new outfit when it's done." The outfit the professor was talking about still looked like it had ways to go before it could be finished. An idea came into my head, I asked the professor to hold off working on the suit until I got something. Using the warp gate I brought the pieces of metal that I collected into Volt's lab.

Volt: " What is that?" The professor asked curiously.

I spent the next few minutes telling him about the metal but left out where it came from. The professor was interested in the metal and after a bit of examining the metal decided that he would try using the metal on the suit. It was going to take a bit so I left his lab and wondered what he had planned for the suit now that he had the metal.

A few hours later

I had spent the last few hours thinking about what the professor had said to me and tried to think about what I was going to say when I saw Thea in the hospital. Along the way, I had purchased chocolates in a heart-shaped box and some flowers. I did still hear mice talk about their feelings towards the incident but I wasn't as worried about that as much now.

After making it to the hospital I saw Simon also walking to the hospital. Probably going to see Sally, although I assumed he was only visiting her because he just wanted to make sure he would still be getting a paycheck, but I may never know. Well I mean I could know what he's thinking but I don't want to be rude. Simon walked in first into the hospital, and after waiting a few minutes to prepare myself for whatever she was going to say I went in. The lady on the counter greeted me.

Hospital Receptionist: " Welcome, how may I help you today?" She said smiling at me and patiently waited for a response.

" I am here to see Thea Stilton."

Hospital Receptionist: " Friend or Family?"

" Friend." The receptionist looked at me unsure of my appearance. Even with the flowers and the Chocolate, she was slightly put off by how I tried to hide my face with the hoodie. Thinking about the hoodie I wondered if it was a good idea to even be here. The receptionist was silent for a moment before speaking again.

Female Receptionist: " Her room is on the second floor, room 238."

" Thanks."

After thanking her I walked to the room Thea was said to be in, along the way I wondered how long Thea would be here. Looking around I remembered waking up here when I first met Thea. It was an odd introduction but the fact that I am here to see her made me start to feel guilty. As I drew closer to Thea's room the guilt started getting to me so I walked away into the nearest bathroom to clear my head. In the bathroom, I walked up to the mirror and removed my hoodie before starting to talk to myself.

" Okay Arthur, relax. You came here to see Thea, so stop worrying so much." I couldn't stop worrying about her, I was probably overreacting but the thought of confronting her scared me because I believed she would blame me for almost getting her and Pandora killed. I needed to calm down so I thought back to what Volt said back in the lab. It did cool me down a little, it was enough to convince me to go and see her again. Before I could get the things I purchased for Thea I heard a familiar but unpleasant voice greet me.

Simon: " Well good to see you again." They stood Simon blocking the exit, with a large evil grin on his face.

Simon: " I honestly thought that after the incident you wouldn't show your snout again. But now that you are here I won't have to waste time looking for you, which makes what I'll do now a lot easier."

" I have many ways of getting out of here, plus you've seen what I can do so I fail to understand why you blocking the door is somehow going to keep me here." Simon's expression quickly changed and he quickly started to plead for me not to leave.

Simon: " Wait wait wait don't leave I wasn't going to do anything I just wanted to talk!" I put the items I purchased near the sink. And listened to what Simon had to say.

Simon: " Okay first off I would like to say sorry for how I acted a moment ago, it's a habit from all the years working with Sally. And she is the reason why I wanted to talk to you.I wanted to say thanks for saving her." Simon crossed his arms and looked away in slight embarrassment.

Simon: " Don't get used to me apologizing okay, this was only a one-time thing. And don't think this is because I care about her. After all, it's not. I'm just happy that I will still be able to put food on the table." My body began to slightly vibrate from what he had said. Simon saw this and was spooked.

Simon: " What was that?"

" It's a power of mine, whenever I hear a lie my body reacts to it by vibrating, it's like how a phone vibrates when it receives a message."

Simon: " Why are you using your powers in a hospital?"

" I don't have much in the way of control over this power, It's just something that activates whenever I hear a lie."

Simon: " So when it activated when I talked then-"

" It means you weren't being entirely honest." Simon looked upset with what he just learned, he looked around before sighing.

Simon: " Okay well if I can't tell any kind of lie then whatever I say next is something that you can't mention to the Stilton's okay." Geronimo and Thea don't like Simon, so I don't think they will be asking me any questions about him.

Simon: " The truth is, I was worried about Sally, like very worried about her. When I saw her that night and when I saw all the mice that work for the daily rat on the T.V, and how they almost could have died. I was scared that I could have been one of those victims." I only knew Simon based on what Thea and Geronimo had told me and from my interaction with him so it was surprising to see him show a soft side.

Simon: " And when I saw you risk your own life to save all those mice, I mean you were beaten to a pulp in that fight in the airport but yet you still kept on fighting to save all those mice. Even for Sally, which made me wonder why you did. Why did you do it, you didn't know any of those mice except for Stilton, but other than her you didn't know any of those mice so why would you almost die for them? Fame, glory, or what? What reason could you have had for saving them?"

" It was never about fame or glory, it's about helping people and giving them a reason to smile. Unfortunately, I wasn't smiling during that incident, although I don't think it would have done much to change how the people reacted since this was something that they've never seen before."

Simon: " What would smiling do?"

" When a hero smiles, it's a way of telling the people that everything is going to be okay because now they have someone to rely on. Someone who can help them get through a troubling time. Someone who can give people hope for a better tomorrow. Unfortunately, if I'm being honest with you, I don't I've been doing well in following my beliefs, because ever since I got here it's been one surprise after another and so far I don't think I've been doing a really good job as a hero. Look no further than how things are going on out there, and when I add that with some other concerns then I have my work cut out for me." Simon thought about what I said and looked confused but somewhat relieved.

Simon: " I guess in some way I can understand because a while back I dressed up as a superhero and while at first, it was to help sell papers but when I saved someone who was really in danger I had a feeling that I couldn't explain it at the time. But the feeling of it made me want to continue to help others, I even saved Geronimo's sister one time." Simon saved Thea, from how Simon was talking, he was being honest about how he felt. While he may try to sound like someone who cares only about his job, he does have the potential to care for others around him. Which makes it appear as if there is more to why he puts up with Sally.

" Simon, is there any other reason for why you stick with Sally that isn't work-related. From how you sound and from what you've told me, you sound like someone who has other layers to him. Layers he wouldn't want to show others because it would affect how others see you. And I feel like working for someone like Sally has shown how to better suppress those other layers, for the sake of being how she wants you to act but is that really how you want to act?" Simon stepped away from the door and walked in front of the mirror and to a look at himself before speaking again.

Simon: " For my job then yes, but ever since that incident the other night, I have been thinking about what you told me the first time we met and how that incident made me feel. I've been starting to think that maybe I should at least reconsider some things. And the first thing would be to talk to Sally." I looked at the flowers that I had placed near one of the sinks, and a thought appeared.

" You know Simon if you want I can give you the flowers so you could give them to Sally, although I don't know if she likes flowers." Simon quickly looked at me in surprise.

Simon: " Oh, you don't have to do that."

" Well, I figured since we are in a hospital you could at least have something for the mouse you are visiting." Simon looked at the flowers looking back at me.

Simon: " Are you sure?"

" I'm sure."

Simon: " Well then...thanks." Simon picked up the flowers and thanked me for listening to him before leaving the bathroom. I was feeling more ready to see Thea, so I grabbed the chocolates and got out of the bathroom. Before I could make my way to Thea's room I heard Alden's voice calling my name.

Alden: " Arthur, I finally found you." I turned to see him running up to me. He was slightly out of breath.

" Hey Alden, what's going on."

Alden: " You need to come back with me to the forest outside the city."

"Why?"

Alden: " Maria has decided that it's time to meet you."

" How did you find me?"

Alden: " It wasn't hard to figure out where you would go after I could tell that you were very worried for her."

" True, but can't this wait, I am currently in the middle of something."

Alden: " She's not going anywhere, and besides this is important because it also has something in regards to Ares."

Day 3

By the time we got to the woods it was getting late, Alden told me to not use powers since I need to give myself time to recover. As for my visit with Thea, I would have to wait until tomorrow to see her again since visiting hours were most likely over. I was getting tired from all the walking, and Alden was getting tired too, so both of us rested for the night near a tree. Well, I rested near a tree, Alden slept on one of the tree branches. Before I fell asleep I looked at the box of chocolates I bought for Thea and thought about what to say to her. Even if she couldn't hear me I still wished her a good night and hoped to see her tomorrow.

The next morning we Alden lead to where he, matt, and Maria were hiding Terry. It was a bit of a walk to where they were hiding, but Alden led me to a cave that was at the very bottom of a mountain.

Alden: " This is where we hid Terry."

" In a cave?"

Alden: " Yes, and a reason why we kept him in here was that we have reason to believe that whatever is in that cave, is the reason why any form of tracking doesn't work."

" What is this cave?"

Alden: " That's what I am going to show you." We both walked into the cave and Alden used the time to explain what happened more than three months ago.

Alden: " Me, Matt, Maria, and Terry were on the run for years. Always going from place to place. Matt and I used that as a chance to show Terry the world, and Maria tried to become sort of a mother figure to Terry.Maria tried her best to keep Terry away from other mice so Terry never got the opportunity to socialize with others, which was a shame because after what happened eight years ago it should have been a time where we try to help Terry heal and finally see the world and grow like everybody else but couldn't bring herself to trust other mice yet which just makes me confused, because even after all this time Matt and I wonder why she keeps us around if she hates other mice being around Terry."

" Just who is Maria?"

Alden: " You'll see soon enough but warning though, when she finally sees you she might not be in the best mood so try and keep calm okay. In fact because of how she is acting Matt, and I decided that it would be best if we leave Thea out of this for now and let you tell her about what happened when you can."

" Alright if you can't tell me yet then why don't you tell me how you guys got stuck here."

Alden: " It was supposed to be just like any other stop we made, but there were places we went to where Terry acted very strange. He would walk as if he were in some kind of trance. He would walk into caves and snap out of it when he reached a certain point. Although we don't why this happens so when it happened again we wanted to know what was going on and this time we got our answer because unlike the other caves, this one led us to an answer. Unfortunately, it was an answer that Terry wasn't happy to see."

" What happened?"

" When Terry snapped out of it, he saw the cause of his trance, which made him panic and when he panics he used his powers, and another is that Terry has no control over his powers, so when panicked he made the entire cave shake violently which started a cave in. We were about to blast our way out of the cave but then Terry did something that not only stopped the cave in but it became the reason why we couldn't leave this island."

" What was that?" Alden didn't answer, he just kept walking until I started to see a light in the distance. When we reached it there were different colored gems scattered around the place, but what got my attention was the sight that lay before me. Diamond-like branches that extended everywhere in this area of the cave. Looking up branches were holding the giant boulders that would have otherwise crushed everyone in here. The branches came from a single source, a large diamond stood near the wall and above it was a symbol that appeared to have been etched on the wall. The symbol was three arrows, two were crisscrossing while the last one went right in between the two and all three of them were facing down. Alden pointed at the diamond and after looking I saw the figure of a mouse within the diamond.

Alden: " Terry encased himself using his diamond powers."

" So this is why you couldn't leave."

Alden: " We tried many times to get him out of here but no matter what we did we couldn't get him out here." I walked to the diamond and getting closer to it let me see Terry more clearly. I was told by the marked bearer from the twelfth universe that Terry was supposed to be the youngest of us twelve. From what I see Terry looks to be in his teenage years. I was about to touch the diamond that Terry encased himself in when a loud female scream echoed throughout the cave.

?: " Don't you dare touch him!" A loud screech could be heard which got louder and louder and a bright light could be seen in one of the darker areas of the cave.

Matt: " Easy girl he's not going to hurt him!"

Alden: " Matt's right this the mouse we've been telling you about, and the one who you wanted to meet!" The screech noises and the bright light ceased and two figures emerged from the dark spot. One of them was a mouse-like which I knew was Matt, but the other figure was bigger and not so mouse-like. The larger figure that emerged spread its large wings before flying to confront me. It was a dragon, the dragon's scales were a white color and her eyes were green. She flew in front of me and I backed away, she was now blocking me from getting to Terry. The only thing on my mind was how was there a dragon here? She slowly crawled towards me, I walked slowly walked back away from her trying to maintain some distance, she looked ready to fight. The look in eyes was one of great hostility. We both stopped in the middle of the cavern where she sat up straight and changed her expression. Her look was stern, she didn't know what to make me but looked ready to fight.

?: " I am Maria." I couldn't find the right words to say, Alden mentioned that Maria was able to relate to Arthur because she knew what it was like to be different, but I had thought of something different, this was not what I had in mind.

Maria: " Before anything happens I need to know something." She leaned in closer to me.

Maria: " Why are you here, I want you to tell me everything, that includes everything I heard Cortney mentioned during her Livestream on that night." If I am going to find some common ground with her then I have to tell her everything, this was going to take a while.

Evening

Our conversation lasted almost the whole day, I told Maria about the Marks, the other universes, and why I am here. Maria got upset at the parts that related to Terry, but she composed herself enough to let me continue. After I told her everything she asked me to get out of the cave so she could think about what I had told her. Not wanting to upset her I did as she was told, but Matt followed me outside the cave. Once out of the cave the stars littered the skies. Looking at them I couldn't help but think of Thea and how we looked at the stars the night she was abducted. I had planned to see her in the hospital but visiting hours were probably over again. A silver lining was that all this has restored more of my energy, it wouldn't be long before I was back to full strength. I still had the chocolates I bought for Thea and hoped that I would be able to see her tomorrow, so we can talk. Matt looked at me staring at the box of chocolates and started talking.

Matt: " Alden told me that you blame yourself for what happened to her." I looked at him, he was trying to be comforting but quickly looked away and kept staring at chocolates.

Matt: " Listen, buddy, I don't know what you and that girl have going on right now but what you need to know is that it's not your fault for what happened."

" Alden said the same thing to me but here I am guilt-ridden for what happened."

Matt: " Does it have something to do with how Cortney teased you while you were fighting to save all those mice, because I saw the broadcast, and she said things that hit a nerve, so if it's alright with you I want to know what's that about."

I told Matt about my past relationships which got me to start talking about my family, and how all their deaths had impacted me. Matt still tried to be comforting but he was getting serious. about what I had just told him.

Matt: " You're not the only one on that boat."

" What do you mean?"

Matt: " Terry, and Maria know what it's like to lose those closest to them, but Terry might be a bit of a different story." Matt looked up into the night sky and took in a deep breath before looking at me.

Matt: " The mice that are after Terry, how much has Alden told you about them?"

" Not much, all he told me was they are the ones causing the city problems and he gave the names of the two mice running the thing, and how both do things."

Matt: " Listen those mice take a lot of pleasure in making whoever they target feel as helpless as possible, they may have different ways of doing things but in the end, both can physically or mentally destroy someone. So when you arrived it wasn't a surprise to us that they would target you and any other who was with you."

" Alden said that those two were the left and right sides to whoever was really in control."

Matt: " And he was right, the mastermind only cares about one thing and those are results, he doesn't care what he has to do to get them. Everything that has happened on this island before and after you arrived was nothing more than an experiment for him, just a means of getting data and pushing his plans forward."

" Just who is this guy?"

Matt: " His name is Eric. He is Terry's father."

"What?!"

Matt: " Let me start at the beginning. Terry is from a series of islands that are hidden from the rest of the world. There are seven islands, but at the point, they were a single island. An island that broke apart after a war where gods allied with mortals to push back a powerful enemy. Each island is dedicated to one of the gods that helped defend our world. Arminus the warrior, Alvis the scholar, Laia the artist, Zacharias the holy minister, Saira the wanderer, Crow the sorcerer, and Aaron the prophet. The island where Aaron is praised is also the island where the mortal who brought these gods together is also praised but his name was lost to us, but he was a champion for our world so we referred to him as Earth's champion."

" Hold on, did you say sourcer? There's magic here?"

Matt: " The magic comes from the artifacts crow left behind, the inhabitants use these artifacts to deal with more supernatural forces, like spirits and any other thing you can think of that's mystical." Deal with spirits, so that's why those spirits couldn't help me find Thea. There were mystical forces at play. If they can use magic to get the spirits under their control, then what other artifacts do they have in their possession.

Matt: "The way of these gods would be the way people would live their lives. Terry's father is from the island of Alvis. He was one of the most intelligent scientists on that island, making several breakthroughs in several scientific fields. While Terry's mother Freya, was born on the island of Laia, she was a renowned artist, who was known for her depictions of each of the islands, and their inhabitants. She was also a good friend of mine when She was pregnant with Eric's child something very unusual began to happen. All the temples began to glow and as she progressed the temples glowed brighter until finally, she gave birth when she did all the temples released beams of light that formed a three-headed dragon. When Terry was born everyone in the room noticed that on his back he had the mark of Earth's Champion which were the three arrows that you saw in the cave. That mark would be what would lead to Terry going through years of suffering, so seeing the mark in the cave brought back all the memories of his pain which caused him to panic, and the rest you know."

" But there are still some questions that I hope I can have answered."

Matt: " That's something you're going to have to take up with Maria or Alden, though Maria could give you a better explanation since she was with Terry through everything while Alden got to see Terry whenever he could." Matt was feeling exhausted so he walked into the cave to get some rest, but before he went in he told me to rest outside because Maria still hated me so it wouldn't be a good idea for me and Maria to be in the same place. It was getting cold and windy but I didn't want to upset anyone so I sat near the entrance of the cave and used the time to think about what I had learned from Matt. There were still questions I wanted to be answered but for right now I used the time to think about how I was going to use what I learned to figure out how I was going help Maria see that I don't mean any harm to Terry I want to help him, I just need to get Maria to see it. It wasn't long before my eyelids started to feel heavy and I drifted off into sleep.

Day 4 after the incident

Morning

Another morning. My energy was almost fully restored, not that much longer now. I footsteps approaching from within the cave and it was Matt coming to greet me. We said hello to each other before Matt asked me to walk back to Maria. Last night all three of Terry's guardians discussed what they were going to do next. The conversation lasted an hour before all three of them went to sleep. It took that long because Matt and Alden tried to persuade Maria into agreeing with what the both had planned. He didn't say what they had planned except that this was my one shot with Maira, so I couldn't screw it up.

We reached the cavern where Alden and Maira waited. Alden handed something to Maria before heading to us. As for Maria, she went behind the diamond terry was encased in.

Alden: " Alright we managed to convince Maria to give you a shot, so just for today you and Maria are going to hang out."

" Here in the cave?"

Matt: " Not exactly, you are going to treat Maria to a nice walk around town."

" I'm sorry, what?" Didn't Maria hate being around other mice, why would she agree to go along with this?

Maria: " He said we were going for a walk didn't you hear." Maria said annoyed. When I looked at her I was shocked because what stood near Terry wasn't a dragon but a mouse. Her fur was pale white, she didn't have any wings, she looked like the average mouse wearing a yellow T-shirt and Yellow skirt, her hair was long and grey. Her green eyes stood out more with how much they shined in the light coming off the crystals. She didn't like this idea one bit but she looked at Matt and Alden.

Maria: " If anything happens I'll kill you both."

Matt: " You can trust us."

Alden: " Yeah, have a little faith." Maria growled at them before grabbing my arm and walking me out of the cave.

She wouldn't say anything until we got out of the cave. She let go and walked around. She spent a few minutes stretching. I did have to admit in her mouse form she did look cute, I wondered how she was able to become a mouse though. I did see Alden hand something to Maira, what was it? Whatever it was, it probably turned her into a mouse. She turned around and pointed in the direction of the city.

Maria: " Let's get this over with." She said while walking in the direction she pointed at. I quickly followed her, standing next to her I tried starting a conversation but what she would only give me angry looks before looking straight ahead. This was going to be a long day.

Afternoon

Once in the city, I tried to talk to Maria but she refused to even look at me. The purpose of this was to get her to see me as someone she can rely on because we both want to protect Terry. I may not have the full story yet but with what I do know I have to help these guys protect Terry, and if he doesn't have control over his powers then I could help him control his powers. We walked to the park where I fought to save most of the female hostages to find that not many mice were in it, probably afraid that another centipede monster popping out and attacking them.

Maria: " Well, isn't this the part where the guy tries to show a girl a good time?"

" What?"

Maria: " There are not that many mice here. Which is good, means things can move smoothly. So what are you waiting for?"

" I'm sorry I didn't think you were going to speak to me."

Maria: " Well I have to, for Terry's sake." She tried putting on a smile but was having trouble making it look convincing. I didn't think she had to try that hard for something like this but she said she was doing it for Terry. I didn't know much about the park so I walked around with Maria and tried to at least please her with some of the sights the park had, like with the fountain at the center, the ducks in the pond, and spending time walking around with her.

After an hour we sat on a bench, despite my efforts I wasn't able to get her to crack a genuine smile. We stared at the sky when Maria started talking.

Maria: " If none of this was going on then what would you have done with Terry, you told me about the other universes and the mark but you never told me what you were intending to do with him.."

" I was instructed by my universe twelve self to find the others and afterward I would report back, to which he would tell me to wait."

Maria: " But why couldn't he find them himself?"

" He was said to have important matters to attend to, he didn't say what they were but he gave me feathers that I could use to travel to the other universes. but I lost it in the ocean "

Maria: " Then how do you intend to get back?"

" I could find the feather or use my superspeed to travel through the universes until I get back to my universe but that takes insane amounts of energy. So it would be best to find the feather."

Maria: " How long have you been doing this?"

" A year, it only took so long because I would go back to my universe and wait until I was ready to go into another universe. And when I went to the other universes something was going on when I visited my other counterparts, so I just offered my assistance in whatever was going on, but the difference is those situations were dealt with within a matter of days."

Maria: " And you've been here a lot longer, your friends back in your world must be worried." Maria looked down at the floor, she looked upset. Was it something I said? I heard a loud rumble noise coming from her. She started to blush in embarrassment.

" I know a good coffee shop we can go to that also sells sandwiches."

Maria: " Just take me to eat already."

Later

Maria and I walked over to the same coffee shop Thea and I went to. Once there I ordered some coffee and some sandwiches, most of which got eaten by Maria. With her hunger satisfied she became a bit more talkative.

Maria: " This doesn't change anything."

" Huh?"

Maria: " I hate you," I didn't say anything, I sat and listened.

Maria: " I spent eight years trying to keep Terry safe, and you show and expose everyone on this island to the supernatural. It's only going to be a matter of time before the rest of the world finds out. And once they do...Terry will be hunted by everyone and be forced to relieve the pain he once felt by his father, but this pain will be brought by everyone in this world."

" What about you?"

Maria: " I am the last of my kind, it doesn't matter what happens to me."

" Last of your kind?"

Maria: "When I first arrived here on this planet I was only a teenager, I escaped the destruction of my planet and came here hoping that I would find refuge, but the first mouse I met was Terry's father. The things he did to me, I had to endure years of suffering, whenever I saw a mouse I knew to expect another round of pain. Then one day I saw a young mouse being forced into a cell across from mine."

" Terry."

Maria: " Yes, at first I believed they were going to have me eat him, I tried to speak to him but he was afraid of me, but slowly I convinced him that I meant no harm. I would later learn why they put him there. They dragged us out of both of our cells and put us in a room where they tortured us, but for him, the pain was worse."

" They had no problem hurting a kid, how old was he?"

Maria: " He was four years old."

" Four years old!"

Maria: " He had to endure all that pain for six years, but when he was eight we met Alden, who had snuck in to see what was being kept in the holding cells. When he saw us I thought he was going to take us to Terry's father but he didn't which confused me. He was spooked by me but he was shocked by Terry in a cell. After I told what was going on he was horrified and it was there where he let loose that Terry was the son of the mouse who has been hurting us for years. Alden promised that he would get us out but we needed to wait for the right moment. Well, that moment came two years later, and it was during the escape where we met Matt."

" It was Terry's father who made you hate all mice. And I'm assuming because of how long you had to wait you have some resentment towards Matt and Alden."

Maria: " I don't hate them, I'm just angry that I had to wait so long, and with all the pain Terry and I went through it's very difficult to give mice a chance."

" And I didn't do you any favors by making a scene."

Maria: " Eric has been pulling the strings since he saw you and Ares fell from the sky so I'm not sure if all the blame falls entirely onto you. By the way, how were you going to show up?"

" I had planned to come to this world in a more stealthful manner, and try to find Terry without causing a scene, but Ares ruined that plan."

Maria: " From what you told me about him, he believes that his sword is here. And since he's working with Eric then we can safely say that the sword is here but Eric is going to give Ares his sword back when thinks its the right time, and that worries me because if that sword is as strong as you said it is then the world may soon learn about the powerful beings that live in this world and their reaction is what scares me."

Maria stared out the window after she told her and Terry's story. The question of why Terry's father would do this was the only thing in my mind. The only mouse who can answer why Eric was so cruel to his son is Terry but with him encased in a diamond that answer wouldn't be coming anytime soon. After paying for the meal Maria and I went back to the cave. Along the way, Maria started talking about Thea.

Maria: " So that girl you've been with since you got here, why isn't she with you?"

" You mean Thea?"

Maria: " If that's her name then yes, where is she?"

I told her about Maria that I was planning to see Thea but I got interrupted. She picked up on my nervousness when I talked about Thea and asked what was going on. When I told her how I felt, she looked disappointed and started to talk.

Maria: " If you do like her then you should act on it, I can understand why someone like you wouldn't want to get close to someone but what you need to understand is that there's no worse fate than being alone. It sounds odd coming from me but my point is you should have people in your life. I have Terry, and I haven't done a good job expressing how I feel for having him and Matt, Alden in my life. So I will try to better express my gratitude towards them."

Maria asked me to leave her alone to think and that I should see Thea. Thinking about what she said I realized she was right. For years I let the people I lost isolate me from everyone when I look at Maria and when I think of what happened to Terry, I see people who lost a great deal and had suffered, but they have people who want to help them move back into the light. Perhaps it's time I start doing the same.

I headed over to the hospital and asked the receptionist for Thea's room number but I was told that she was let go earlier today. I was glad to hear that she was good enough to go home so I quickly made my way over there. When I arrived I knocked on the door but got no response. The sun was starting to set so I spent a few minutes thinking about what I was going to say to her. As I waited I thought if Thea would even be happy to see me but that wasn't until Trap showed up.

Trap: " Arthur is that you please let it be you!" Trap said, sounding very stressed. I removed my hoodie to let him see that it was me. When he realized that it was me he ran up and hugged tightly.

" Trap it's good to see you too but why are you hugging me?" Trap let go and told me we needed to get Geronimo's house as fast as possible. The look in eyes gave me a bad feeling so I grabbed his arm and teleported us both to Geronimo's house where he had been waiting for us.As soon as Geronimo saw me he started telling me what happened. When I heard Thea was abducted again I wasn't sure how to feel, I felt like keeping my distance would keep her safe but I was wrong once again. The memories of my conversation with Alden, Matt, and Maria about Terry's father Eric, and how he and his minions like to mess with those they target rushed through my mind. Rather than get sad I got serious, I was going to get her back. I told Geronimo about who abducted her and Geronimo told me that the ones who took her were mice from Thea's past. Geronimo asked about the tracking abilities I had mentioned when we first met. I told him that one of my tracking abilities could work but I would need a photo of the person I am looking for. Geronimo rushed into his house and got a photo of Thea. When he came back he gave me a photo of him and Thea at what looked like a graduation ceremony because Thea was wearing a graduation uniform. Using my power I was able to see that Thea was in a dimly lit place with her captors, who were hurting her. I told Geronimo about the place she was in but it wasn't good enough. I asked Geronimo to take me to the police station where she was abducted and I could begin finding her.

He took me to the police station and had cops rushing in and out. Thea's captors wouldn't have taken her out through the front door, they must have gotten her out through some other means. I told Geronimo to stay back while I looked for her but he was insistent that he come along. It was going to be dangerous but rather than argue with him I let him come along. I told him to grab my shoulder and not to let go, he did so without hesitation and I used my invisibility to make us both invisible. Once invisible we headed into the building where I Geronimo led me to the room where Thea was abducted. After arriving the place was sealed off but that wouldn't matter. Using my echo ability I saw what happened through echoes of the mice that were here. I saw the echoes of two mice who looked dressed in janitor outfits walking into the room and walking out with someone in a bag. No doubt it was Thea in that bag so we followed to the outside. Once out of the building I made us visible again. We saw the echoes of janitors take Thea out of the bag and put her into the back of a vehicle but not before removing her clothes and driving away with her. I had to follow the echoes but I had to leave Geronimo behind because it was going to get dangerous and I didn't want another mouse getting hurt.

Geronimo: " So where did they go?"

" I'm sorry Geronimo but I can't risk you getting hurt so I for your safety I'm afraid this is where you get off." I moved Geronimo's paw off my shoulder and quickly used my warp gate to take Geronimo back to his home. He'll be mad at me for sending him home but I can't risk his safety against mice who are always a few steps ahead of us. I had to quickly follow the echoes so using my invisibility and my jet ability I chased the echos undetected.

The echoes led me to the coffee shop me and Maria ate earlier today which shocked me. Thea was in front of the shop being held against her will and here I was eating and drinking. I noticed the echoes of the mice walking past the vehicle didn't bat an eye to her. I thought that maybe the glass on the vehicle was very dark or one-sided. I walked up to the echo of the vehicle and peeked inside of it. I saw Thea's echo desperately trying to free herself from her binds all the while looking like she desperately tried to get someone's attention...my attention. The echoes of her captors entered the van and I witnessed one they pour a cup of coffee onto Thea's feet, burning her. Enraged I watched as they drove away to continue my pursuit.

I made the echoes move faster so that I could find her quicker and the chase led me to a part of the city that looked somewhat rundown. Thrash littered the streets and the mice that walked around didn't look like the friendliest bunch. I saw the mice take Thea into an abandoned building, and after making myself visible I followed the echoes into the building. I followed them to a room, once the echoes faded into the room I knew the time was now. My anger over what they could have been doing to her made me want to hurt them, but I can't because they are regular mice so the best I could do was subdue them as fast as possible. But my anger would subside and in my rage, I used an ability that allows me to turn my blood into a weapon. With wings, and tails made of blood I flew out of the building through a window and charged at the building and brought down the wall in the room Thea was being held at.

Thea: " Armmmph" Thea was gagged so I couldn't hear what she was saying but I did see the state she was in. I quickly used my tails to cut the chains holding Thea up and I grabbed her before she hit the floor. She was in tears and when she looked at me I saw relief in her eyes. My attention changed to the mice who were holding her captive, they were trying to make a break for it but I stopped them with my tails, I smashed their heads together knocking them out. Turning back to Thea I used my healing abilities on her, I put in a lot of energy to speed up her recovery and After a few seconds she was fully healed, and despite how my blood ability made me look she hugged me and began to cry again. The only thing I could do was try and comfort her. She tried to speak but we both realized that the gag on her wasn't removed which got a slight laugh out of us. Once the gag was removed Thea through a pained voice and with tears once again starting to stream down her face could only say one thing as she held onto me.

Thea: " I wanna go home."

Night

Thea's house

I brought Thea back to her home where she invited me in. She went to shower while I sat on her couch. After a few minutes she came out in a robe and offered me something to drink but I declined, I was more worried about how she was feeling.

" Thea, do you want to talk?" The whole room was silent, I wasn't sure what to say. After what she'd gone through, she probably needed some time to herself. Those thoughts were dashed when she next to me and started crying onto my shoulder.

Thea: " Why did you leave?"

" I believed that you and the others would be safer if I stayed away."

Thea: " Why would you think that?"

" Because I was scared I don't like seeing the people I care about get hurt."

Thea: " And you think staying away and being alone is going to somehow fix that.?"

" I don't know what else to do, I care about you and I'm scared that I won't be able to save you. And no matter what I do you're in danger either way and I don't know what to do."

Thea: " I care about you too, and it hurts to see you carry all this weight by yourself. You aren't helping yourself by feeling like everything depends on you. I knew what the dangers we're going to be because as someone who reports the news you never know what's going to happen when you tackle a story. There are dangers like getting involved with the wrong mice who are going to want to stop you by hurting you or the ones closest to you. Which is why I am grateful for having mice in life who are willing to help me, which includes you, Arthur."

" Me?"

Thea: " Yes you, you're the only mouse who helps us get out of this thing alive. And for that I am grateful that there are mice like you out there, and I am also grateful that I got to meet you, but I got to know more than just a mouse with powers, I got to know you as Arthur."

" And I am glad I got to know you."

Thea: " But I kept asking you to tell me about yourself and you grew to trust me with some very personal stuff but you never once asked me to talk about myself so how can you say that you know me."

" You pulled me from the ocean, took me to a hospital and gave me a place to rest when I was unconscious and you're willing to stick with me despite all that has happened, that tells me you are a kind, caring mouse who never leaves a friend behind. Your actions throughout my time with you say enough already so you don't have to get personal with me." Thea wiped the tears away from her eyes and we both looked at each other.

Thea: " You mean that?"

" Of course, remember I can't lie."

Thea: " hehe...that's right you can't"

" Yeah and that way you can know I mean what I am going to say next."

Thea: " What?"

" I love you." Thea looked away in embarrassment which was cute to see but the expression she gave when she looked back at me said she was one of regret.

Thea: " But I told Courtney everything about you, yet you still find it in your heart to say that."

" I don't blame you for that, I told you all that because I trust you so don't think you betrayed that trust. Besides, throughout these past few days, I learned some things about Courtney and the mice she's working with."

Thea: " Like what?"

" You've already been through a lot so I am not going to add more to it, but my point is that I don't blame you for anything. I'll tell you about it later okay."

Thea: " Okay." She said hesitantly. She moved her paw on to my cheek and blushed.

Thea: " Why do you admit you love me now?"

" My time away from you made me learn a few things but the biggest thing I realized is that I saw you more as a friend, and rather than keep those feelings hidden I should just be forward with them, even if you don't share them."

Thea: " Did you forget that I confessed first."

" That's right...you did."

Thea: " I love you, Arthur."

" I love you, Thea." We leaned in and our lips met in a passionate kiss, our eyes closed and we wrapped our arms around each other. As long as we had each other things were going to be fine.