Chapter 32 - Echoes of the Ruins

"Don't get near it, Niko."

The dark cloud of squares hovered next to the entrance to the room where Alula was held captive before they slowly began to move past us back the way we came. I moved Niko out of the way, fearful of what may happen if one of us ended up touching the thing. Once the cloud was out of sight, I let out the breath that I had been holding.

"Should we go after it?" Niko asked, looking down the staircase where the cloud had headed.

"No," I curtly answered, "I know what we need to do. We don't need its help."

I only barely caught her look of concern out of the corner of my eye as I turned away. I wanted nothing to do with Entity right now, and I definitely didn't feel humoring it. It was inevitable that we'd run into it at the Tower, so why bother interacting with it now?

I put the encounter out of my mind as we entered the room where we would Alula. The squares twitched and flickered along the edges of the doorway she was stuck behind as I got to work creating the image of the lightbulb on the floor panels. Not even a second after stepping on the last panel, the squares disappeared with Alula barreling out of the room and locking eyes with us.

"You saved me! Thank you so much!"

Niko cocked her head to one side, "Are you Alula?"

Her eyes widened, "Wow...you knew my name? The messiah really does know everything!"

"Actually, your brother was looking for you and asked to find you."

Alula flinched, "Oh, right! Gosh, Calamus must be so worried…Can you bring me to him?"

"Sure! I'm Niko, by the way!"

While I watched the two girls talk, the cold feeling that churned within me became worse. It wasn't right, seeing Alula smile so innocently, not even knowing that I had already robbed her of whatever future she might have once already. What gave me the right to stand here and act like everything was okay?

"Oh! I never asked what your name was!"

I jerked out of my reverie to see Alula looking up at me intently, waiting for a response.

"Oh, uh…" I stuttered, "It's Alan...Nice to meet you…"

Her eyes widened so much that they matched the lightbulb in Niko's hands, "Woah, really?! I can't believe I was saved by You and the messiah!"

I allowed a small smile to creep onto my face as she gushed about me with Niko giggling behind her. Before she could get too excited, I held up my hand, stopping her, "I know you're excited and all, but we should get you to your brother first. He'll probably have questions for me too."

"Ok!"

She skipped over to the doorway, waiting for me and Niko to catch up to her, and together we exited the ruins. Save for a detour involving herding rams again for the wool we needed and picking up the vial of ink, our trek back to Calamus was relatively hassle-free. Niko and Alula chatted with each other for the majority of the walk while I led the way. It was better that they didn't see how troubled I looked. It was getting harder and harder to keep it together, around Calamus and Alula especially.

"...Take care of yourself and Alula, alright? We'll have the sun back in no time, I promise."

I shivered as the memory washed over me. I guess breaking promises is all I'm really good at it seems…

"Calamus!" Alula trilled before running ahead into her brother.

"Alula! Thank goodness you're safe!" he wrapped his arms around her, "Where were you?"

"I was trapped in the ruins and it was really scary..."

"...Trapped? In the ruins?"

While they talked back and forth, the creeping sense of familiarity washed over me. Every word they said, every reaction, it was exactly the same as the original run like a broken record that couldn't be fixed. Was this how it was going to be if there wasn't a way to fix all of this? This world was just doomed to live the same final day over and over without knowing it?

"You didn't touch the squares did you?"

"Nope! Alan and the messiah saved me before anything happened!"

At the mention of my name, I focused back on the conversation to see Calamus staring wide-eyed at me.

"...Alan? Like THE Alan?"

I scratched my head sheepishly, "Uh, yeah...That's me."

"Oh my stars!" he exclaimed, covering his mouth, "I'm so sorry for my rudeness earlier!"

"Huh?" I recalled our earlier encounter, "Oh, I-it's alright. Don't worry about it."

He still looked guilty, but instead spoke to both me and Niko, "I can't thank you both enough for rescuing my sister, Mr. Alan, and you, savior..."

"Just call me Niko!" Niko said.

"And you don't have to call me Mister," I said.

"Would...that not be rude of me?"

"I mean, I'm just a kid like you two!"

"And I'm not really old enough to be called 'Mister'..."

"Ah, I see…" he murmured, "Then...would you two like to visit our house?"

"Sure!"

I rubbed my neck, "I...don't think it would hurt."

"Yay! Let's go!" Alula cheered before quickly sprinting off towards the ruins with Calamus quickly following behind her. Niko and I looked at each other before following along at a much slower pace. While Niko seemed eager to tour the sibling's residence, I was the opposite. Anxiety pulsed through every part of me as we drew closer and closer to their home. It only became worse once I set foot inside their hut again. The Barrens may have been a literal graveyard, but nothing compared to the feeling of standing in what had once ceased to exist two weeks ago.

Even when Alula brought us the feather, it hardly felt comforting.

We took the feather before Alula proudly took both of us on a tour of their den. The small two-room abode was the definition of cozy, but so far from the village, it was hard to imagine that it wasn't lonely at times. I only took a second to glance at everything and was ready to turn away before my eyes landed on a familiar orange and yellow fox. I blinked to make sure I wasn't seeing things, but the fox was still there. I kneeled down to pick it up and take a closer look.

"That's mine!" I flinched when Alula suddenly appeared next to me, "Our friend gave it to me last year!"

"Really?"

She nodded, "Yeah! He has a fox too! And she can even talk!"

A jolt shot through me like a bullet. This fox...was this the same fox we met in the Refuge? And if The Author is this "friend" they're talking about, then does that mean…

Was that Rue? Is that fox who I needed to find?

I had to be sure. Without turning back to Alula, I asked, "By any chance...did this fox have a yellow orb on its forehead?"

"Huh? Yeah, I remember her having one. It kind of had the same glow as the sun! Why do you ask?"

I could feel the blood drain from my face as I placed the plush back on the floor, "It's...nothing important. I just thought I remembered seeing a fox like that a while ago."

"Oh, wow! Well, if you see her again, could you tell her I said hi?"

I fought to get in control of myself before I turned towards Alula and gave her a smile, "Sure, I'll let her know."

She returned my smile with one of her own, causing me to internally wince. How long could I keep this facade up?

As soon as Alula had shown us everything, she led us out to the courtyard, showing us the rest of their home. I hung slightly back from the two girls as they continued to chat about anything and everything. I didn't want my attitude to ruin their mood. They were happy enough.

As I passed by the doorway that led to the Sacred Grounds, I stopped. From deep within the corridor, I felt...a pull. I broke away from the two girls and entered the passage. Bits of rock and dust crunched under my feet as I reached the edge of the water. Looking out across the water, I could see the faint green glow of what I guessed was the Sacred Grounds, but it wasn't what felt odd to me.

Like a lightning bolt, my headache surged back to life. I barely had time to cry out in pain before the image of a person covered my sight. At first glance, the tunic, scarf, and hat made me think it was Niko at first, but the bright yellow glow of the lightbulb's insignia on the person's cloak made me think otherwise. If this wasn't Niko, who was this? Was this person connected to the robot? To Rue?

Before I could question it any further, the vision faded away with my headache along with it.

"Ugh, I really wish I didn't have these headaches…" I groaned. I could hear the sound of footsteps behind me before I felt Niko grab onto me.

'Alan?! Are you alright? Did you see that vision too?"

I rubbed my head to help alleviate the rest of the pain, "Yeah, I did...I'm guessing you did too."

She nodded, before Calamus stepped up to me, "What happened? Niko looked like she was almost about to faint before she suddenly sprinted off after you!"

"Yeah...we had a similar vision happen earlier in the Barrens and I almost got hurt badly because of it..."

Niko wrapped her arms around me, cutting me off before I could say more. I returned the gesture, gently rubbing her back to help her calm down more.

"It is strange that you both shared a vision. This almost seems like something a prophet would see…" Calamus pondered.

"A prophet? You think this vision was something of the future?" I asked.

"Maybe...I don't know. I've only read about it before."

Something of the future…

My eyes wandered back down the tunnel as Calamus explained the Sacred Grounds that were down there. All I could think of were the three visions that Niko and I had seen: a robot, a person, and a fox. All three of them had something that radiated the same yellow hue as the sun, but why were we seeing them now? Why did we only see the fox in the original run? Was this the Author's doing? This all seemed important, but I just had no idea how it was supposed to help.

Once Calamus had finished his speech about the Sacred Grounds to us, which was the same in the original run, Niko leaned out my grasp, looking at me with a warm smile causing me to do so in return. I stood up, brushing myself off, and got ready to leave the passage, but when I took one last look down the river, a thought came to me.

"You said you had a friend that took you to the Sacred Grounds...do you think he's over there right now?" I asked Calamus.

He shrugged, "Maybe, but we wouldn't really know if he was nor would we be able to contact him."

"Hmm, that's a shame…" Another dead end with these visions...I sighed and shook my head. I'd have to keep looking for another way to fix everything then.

As if on cue, Niko's hand snuck its way into mine. A small respite to pull me away from the thoughts that constantly plagued me of the future, of this world, of her, but it wouldn't last long. We had everything we needed to get to the Refuge. Delaying the inevitable would only make it hurt more.

Hand-in-hand, we exited the passage with Calamus and Alulu saying their farewells as we left their home. The guilt returned as I stared into their retreating faces, hoping deep down that I could find a way to save them, that whatever the Author had planned would save them.

The walk to the gate passed by in a matter of seconds and I was ready to pull out the feather when I was stopped by a yawn coming from Niko.

"Tired?"

"Mmm...A little bit…"

I smiled softly, putting the feather back in my pocket, "Come on then, I think there's a place nearby for you to rest."

She mumbled in affirmation, barely able to stay on her feet. In fear of her crashing into the ground, I hurriedly guided her to the cove where the bed waited for us. I made sure to take her hat off before making sure she was tucked in. As she began to fall asleep, she stopped and looked up at me, "Alan, are you going to sleep too?"

I shook my head, "In a little bit. I have some things to think about, but I won't be long."

Her gaze bored into me, searching for whatever was bothering me, but quickly gave up, "Come back soon, okay?"

"I will," I said, running a hand through her cerulean hair while her eyes slowly closed, "Sweet dreams, Niko..."

Her breathing slowed to a steady pace, letting me know she was fast asleep before making my way back out into the Glen. A twinge of pain coiled inside my chest.

Sweet dreams. God, I was just trying to make it harder for myself, wasn't I? I should've said something else instead of that. Anything would've been better to say. All it did was burn the image of those golden wheat fields into my head. Somewhere I wanted to be, but couldn't.

True to my word, I made sure to stay close to where Niko was resting, just outside the room near to the bridge. I stared down at my reflection in the water while my thoughts went haywire. Meeting Calamus and Alula again was tough, but I was able to keep up the facade. It was draining, but I had no choice. I couldn't let them know what I had done, let alone Niko.

I sighed. What am I going to do? What am I SUPPOSED to do besides finding Rue? If the choice is the same, then this is all pointless. How could I do this to everyone? To Niko? None of them deserved this, being trapped in a cycle where either the world dies or Niko doesn't get to go home.

I swiped down at my reflection, sending ripples through the water as tremors racked my body. It wasn't fair...Dammit, it wasn't fair!

Get a hold of yourself. Niko still needs you, I mentally told myself. After taking several deep breaths and drying off my hand, I walked back to the room. My eyes landed on Niko, who was sleeping soundly under the covers. I couldn't help but smile at the sight. She was probably dreaming about home right now...It'd be best not to wake her up.

I quietly made my way over to the bedside and laid down beside her, doing my best to be as silent as possible. I stayed in that position, simply watching Niko sleep peacefully. As my eyelids closed shut and my body drifted off to sleep, I couldn't help but wonder…

How did a scared, runaway kid like me get so lucky to meet you, Niko?

"Sleep well..." I murmured before falling into the darkness of unconsciousness.

A/N: Finally was able to knock another chapter out! At least this one didn't take two weeks like the last one. I've finished moving so now I have more free time to work on chapters. Again, don't want to promise a schedule, but at best, chapters shouldn't take more than two weeks.

Reviews are appreciated and if you're enjoying the story so far, a follow and favorite wouldn't hurt! See you in the next chapter!