Chapter 13: Henrik's Guilt
The first thing they noticed when everyone opened their eyes was the sky. They stood underneath the starry blanket that was above them. It took a while for everyone else to gather their baring's, but they soon managed to know where they were. Chase was the first one to speak up. "This is… the road that takes you to the hospital." The vlogger noted as he saw a bench which was occupied with someone sitting there. "Hen… it's you!" Chase pointed to the person that was on the seat, staring up at the sky as he was breathing deeply.
"This is the memory?" Angus questioned, raising a brow as he sensed how calm the situation was.
"No… just the start…" Henrik's voice was low as he spoke. He also had his eyes downcast to the ground, as if he didn't want to see the scene play out.
Marvin looked over at Henrik, becoming a bit fearful yet wanting to support him. "Henrik… what exactly is this memory?"
The doctor bit his lip, his hands began to tremble as he was shaking. "I-I…"
"I thought I'd find you here." A soft, feminine voice called out. Everyone was stunned, hearing a new voice as they were not certain where it came from. Soon enough, they managed to see a woman coming over to the bench where Henrik sat. She had long, flowing brown hair and fair skin. Her eyes sparkled like clear blue sapphires, as she wore a turquoise turtleneck with a golden ring around her neck. Her smile was so kind and warm, it seemed like she could melt anyone's heart. "I figured this was where you were hiding." She smiled at the Henrik in the memory.
"I wasn't hiding… just thinking." He admitted, turning to her as he spoke, then went back to sky-watching.
The woman kept that smile, standing near him. "Mind if I join you?" She asked, taking a seat by him as they shared the bench. Their hands found one another and intertwined their fingers. She rested her head on Henrik's shoulders, while her eyes were half-lidded. There was silence between the two for a while, so it gave the group time to chat.
"Ah, t-that's…" Marvin began, as he couldn't take his eyes away from the woman. Anti stared at her, aside from the eyes, she looked exactly like someone that he knew from the Omitted Verse. Another kind woman who saw him as a person, not an experiment.
"Woah… is that-" Angus was about to answer, but Chase gave a nod his way. Tears began to form in his eyes while the vlogger looked over at his friend. Angus jumped at the answer, he couldn't help but look at her as he wondered where this memory was going.
"Henny… I want to have a baby." The woman said in a calm manner.
The past Henrik jumped from his seat, looking over at the woman in fear and confusion. "Y-You what-?! Joline! Look, if you're saying that because that is what I want, then don't! I know I've talked about it for a while, but I don't want you to do something you don't want. Especially something as big as-"
"Henny, stop being so hysterical." She gently reassured him, cupping his left cheek with her hand as she looked into his eyes. "I want this. I really do. I know there are risks, but there is still a chance regardless. I want to have a baby. I mean… if you want to, then I'm ready." She promised him.
Tears began to form in Henrik's eyes, as they slid down his cheeks while a smile spread on his face. "Joline… Yes!" He leaned over and hugged her as he laughed with joy. "Let's have a baby!"
Joline giggled, holding onto him as they sat there for a while now. Henrik stared at his past self and his wife. He blinked a few tears from his eyes, as he was reminded of that day. The day that changed their lives forever. Marvin and Chase looked down, as they knew where this was heading. Even Jackie was somewhat skeptical about the outcome of this ordeal.
Anti just stared at the scene, still confused about a lot of things. Marvin saw how confused Anti was and went to his side. He quietly whispered to the chimera. "That woman you see? That was Joline. She was Henrik's wife… She was the sweetest woman.." Anti looked up at the magician as he spoke, then back to the lady. He wanted to say something else, but kept silent as he felt it wasn't his place.
Angus heard what Marvin said, and it made him look down with sadness in his eyes. "I've only seen pictures of her… She seems like a good woman, Dad. You were lucky."
"Yes…" Henrik sniffled, the tears coming back to his eyes. "She was amazing…" He went closer to the bench, watching the two being lovey-dovey with each other. "The first time we met… it was here. I came out here to watch the stars one night... she came over and asked if she could watch them with me." He chuckled sadly at the memory. "Apparently we chose that spot and had watched the stars every night, but we always missed each other until that one day."
Anti looked over at Henrik, making his comment. "She's really beautiful."
"She was… much more so than the colors in the sky. I think I fell in love with her the moment I first saw her."
Posi gushed as he listened to the story. "Awww~ So romantic!"
"Is that why you like stargazing so much?" Angus asked softly.
Henrik nodded. "She and I would go every night. I honestly feel closer to her when I look at the stars. It makes me feel like she's right there next to me. It's like-"
"Come on!" Joline hopped off the bench and held Henrik's hand. "We best head back home, so we can start making the baby." She winked at him.
Henrik blushed as he nervously laughed. "R-r-r-right…" He followed her as they headed back to the hospital, which was less than half a mile away from where they were.
"Making the baby?" Anti raised a brow. "How do you make a baby?"
Jackie placed a hand on Anti's shoulder as he started to speak. "When a man and a woman love each other very much…"
Angus quickly went over and covered Anti's ears while looking directly at the hero. "We are NOT having this conversation with him right now!"
"Yes… we'll uh… explain it to you later, Anti." Marvin promised as he pushed Jackie away from the protective Angus. The chimera looked up at Angus, wondering what the problem was. The hunter merely shook his head as he removed his hands from the child.
"C-Come on…" Henrik waved his hand to gather the attention of the other egos. "Let us keep moving forward." He urged, doing his best to remain strong. The others could sense the front he was putting up, but they followed him. They soon reached the hospital, watching the pair heading inside through the front doors. The eight walked right into the building, but instead of being in the waiting room, they found themselves in Henrik's room, which was a lot more different. The bed was a double one, and there were fewer filing cabinets, with two dressers next to one another, and a night stand on either side of the bed. Henrik's past self was nervously pacing back and forth in the room, while the others watched.
"We're… in your room?" Jackie raised a brow as he noticed the difference in atmosphere in the very room. Even Chase, who had been here plenty of times, noticed how much calmer it was.
"T-This is when…" Henrik was cut off as the door to the room opened, having Joline step in with her hands behind her back.
"W-Well?!" Past Henrik gulped, looking at his wife. "Are you… are we…?" He couldn't even finish his sentence as he was shaking with anticipation.
Joline pulled her hands from her back, showing a pink and white stick with a red positive sign on it. "We are, Henny." She giggled.
Past Henrik started to cry again. He ran over and embraced his wife as his face beamed. "Oh Joline! We did it! We're going to have a baby!"
"Oh! Henny! I know we just found out… but I can't wait for them to get here."
"Me too, Joline!" Henrik cried more as they embraced each other in a tight hug.
The present Henrik watched, as happy tears came to his eyes upon the memory. "This was the day Joline found out she was pregnant… it was the happiest day of my life…" The doctor sniffled, as he watched how happy the two were. Chase went over to Henrik's side, as did Angus.
"You would have been a great dad, Hen." The other father stated.
"And I would have loved to have met Joline and your child." Angus admitted, a sad smile spreading on his lips.
Henrik looked at his son, as he was glad for the support. "They would have loved to have met you, Angus. Joline would have spoiled you." He joked. The doctor in the past gently rubbed Joline's stomach, which made her giggle.
"You two look so happy…" Angus noted.
Henrik's smile fell as he watched with his son. "We were…" The others noticed the shift in tone from Henrik's voice. Marvin and Jackie looked at one another, being reminded that there was no happy ending. Chase gulped, looking down as he failed to find the right words to say.
When Angus scanned the faces the others were giving off, he turned back to Henrik. "Dad… what happened to her…?" He was dreading the answer, but he had to know. He was the only one that didn't seem to know the fate of Joline, and it was eating at him to know the truth. The room soon faded to become much darker, as the past Henrik and Joline were gone. The door was still opened, showing a dark void beyond the frame. Henrik slowly walked over, not saying anything. Everyone else followed, becoming more worried as they feared what would be shown next. They stayed as close to the doctor as possible, wanting to be there to support him if the memory went south. Angus was especially close to Henrik as they walked through that door, being brought outside the hospital walls.
"Now where are we?" Nega questioned, seeing that it was dark out again. The others looked around, trying to get their surroundings figured out until the doors to the entrance opened, revealing the past Henrik who was walking out. He stopped and looked behind himself.
"Are you sure you don't want to take a cab?" Henrik suggested.
Joline came out from the double doors, holding onto her stomach as she appeared much fatter. "I'm fine, Henny. I'll be put on bed rest soon enough anyways, so I want to get as much exercise as I can. Besides, the inn isn't that far." She assured him with a smile.
"Woah…" Anti blinked as he saw how bigger Joline was.
"She looks like she's in her third trimester…" Nega noted.
"The inn?" Jackie repeated, hearing what she was saying. "Wait… why were you going there?"
"Hold on…" Chase blinked a few times. "If I remember correctly, this was when we were throwing the baby shower for them!"
"Oh yes! I remember!" Marvin smiled. "We all planned it to congratulate them on their new baby girl! We planned it for several weeks." The magician remembered how proud they would have been when they saw the pub.
"We… even had a name picked out for her as well…" Henrik admitted, his eyes glued to the scene of his memory.
"Are you ready? We better leave now if we are to get there on time." Joline pointed out.
"Yes! I can't wait to see the look on everyone's faces!" The past doctor held his wife's hand, as the two started to walk away from the parking lot of the Hospital.
"I'm so glad you agreed to do this. You deserve a break." Joline told her husband.
"Yes, I know… I am looking forward to it." He admitted. Anti watched in content, seeing the interaction between Joline and Henrik. It reminded him a lot of seeing his own family, how close they were. The memory of Henrik led Joline down the street.
"Wait a minute… if this was the baby shower… this was before…" Jackie trailed off, as he looked between the doctor and the survival hunter.
"B-Before what?" Angus questioned. Chase gulped slightly as he looked down, then up at Angus. The hunter was still not getting what they were referring to. He was about to speak up and ask further, only to be silenced by something else.
"Hgggh!" Everyone turned their heads, seeing Joline had fallen over with Henrik kneeling over her side.
"Joline!?" Henrik began to panic as he held onto his wife.
"I-I… I'm alright, Henny." Joline winced as she held her belly with one arm. "Aaa!"
Henrik helped her up. "No you are not! You do not collapse when you are 'alright'! We need to get you to the hospital, right away." Henrik carried her inside, bringing her back to the building, and heading through the doors. While the present one gulped, he knew where this was going.
"I-Is she…?" Posi winced slightly, as he watched them go into the hospital.
Marvin whimpered. "Oh no…" Jackie held onto the magician, shuddering. Marvin held onto the hero. Both of them knew what was going to happen. Chase looked down, the tears coming back as he started to shake.
Henrik was trembling, all he could do was watch as he began to let the tears flow down. Angus looked over at his father figure in concern. "Dad…?" He went over to hold onto the doctor, trying to comfort him.
"I-it's alright, Hen." Chase promised as he rubbed his back. "It'll be okay."
"Breathe, darling." Marvin said in a gentle tone. "We're here for you."
"We're going to help you through this." Jackie added.
Henrik was taking shallow breaths as he tried to keep himself stable. Key word tried. "T-thank you… everyone. I-I know I-I've faced this multiple times but… it should be easier b-by now…"
"Trauma is never easy, Henrik." Chase told the doctor. "We've all been through different experiences that have caused us pain. We all have different kinds of traumas, but that means we should be here to help each other through it. And that's what we'll do!"
"Couldn't have said it better myself!" Angus spoke up. "We'll face this with you, Dad. I promise. We'll get you through this." The hunter hugged his father figure, making sure to stable him as best he could.
The doctor hugged him back, having a smile on his face. It was a small one, and sad… but a smile nonetheless. "T-Thank you, mien sohn…"
"So… where do we go now?" Posi asked.
Nega turned back to the doors of the hospital. "I think we have to go inside?"
Henrik gave a solemn nod. "L-let us get going…" The group headed inside, going through the doors. Once they were in the building, they were greeted with a dark maze of hallways and corners. Blood was splattered on the walls, on the floor and even the ceiling. Some equipment like wheelchairs and stretchers also had stains on them. The moment they saw the hospital in such a state, everyone's face, except Henrik's, was that of horror.
"O-oh…" Chase stepped back a little, seeing the blood trail on the ground.
"S-so this is your memory…" Marvin muttered.
"I...wow. I wasn't expecting something this heavy..." Jackie admitted.
Henrik stepped forward, seeing the rooms as they were coated in the blood of his deceased wife. The tears were once again fresh in his eyes, as he spoke in such a somber tone. "I have relieved this day so many times in my head that I have it memorized. Every moment that occurred, every word that was said, every action that was taken and every regret I will have to live with. I've even begun to start listing the ways I could have changed what happened on this very day! I even tried to change the memory itself at times, but it never worked. In the end, it will play out the exact same way. Like a crushing collision, you know what is coming, and yet you are powerless to stop or avoid it." Henrik sighed, as he looked at the hospital. Where his nightmare had only just begun.
Anti's one bullseye pupil stared at the blood and the messy equipment. He was doing all he could to remain strong, and yet he softly whimpered as he huddled behind Angus's back. "A-Anti?" The hunter noticed this, looking over to see the chimera trying to keep his breath steady. "Hey, w-what is it?"
"Anti?" Henrik snapped out of his grief as he noticed how visibly upset the child was.
"I-I'm a-alright…" Anti tried to sound convincing.
"Darling, you're shaking like a leaf…" Marvin pointed out.
"Is it… the hospital setting?" Angus wondered, knowing full well that Anti already had a fear of them. With the way that the scene was set up now, of course it would make him even more stressful. The trauma was probably resurfacing.
"J-just n-need a m-minute…" He bit his lip as he held onto his tail, stroking it.
"Oh, Anti…" Henrik felt the guilt in him. Of course the chimera would probably be triggered when he saw the hospital like this. He should have realized it sooner. Angus was doing all he could to comfort Anti, having the child press his face against Angus's chest so he could block out the sights. The German doctor's eyes went wide, as he began to search the pockets of his coat. "Anti, come here." Henrik ordered. The young chimera looked up, taking a step over to Henrik who held some sort of cloth in his hands. "Hold still for a moment." He knelt down, placing a face mask over Anti's face, covering his eyes. The young ego wagged his tail a bit, looking around but couldn't see out of it. "Not… an ideal solution… but it should work for now."
"Thank you Henrik…" Anti gave his perma-smile his way to the doctor.
"Are you sure you'll be okay to continue?" Posi asked, worried for Anti's mental health just as much as Henrik's.
"Y-yeah… I want to help out if I can. I'll be fine now that I can't see…" He promised.
Angus seemed hesitant to want the ego to move along with them, but he didn't want to leave him behind either. "Alright, hold onto my hand, okay?" The hunter reached down, gripping Anti's hand tightly, as Anti returned the grip. They kept walking, heading down the pathway as they were close by to one another. They navigated the maze, following Henrik as he seemed to have been the one to know where to go. The eight continued down the halls, but soon noticed that the wooden floorboards were being replaced with green grass and wildflowers. They walked further, turning to the left as they came to an open area, with many pine trees and white lilies.
The man-made pathway was up ahead, but their path was blocked. Before them was a giant tombstone, with a flower engraved at the top. The stone itself seemed to have been chipped away, pieces of the rock missing and a few cracks forming. It clearly was an old grave… and it appeared abandoned.
"A-A grave?" Chase looked at the tombstone, shaking a bit. There were three letters present, an O, L and N. It appeared there were more letters to be displayed, but they were missing.
"T-This can't be... What I think it is…" Marvin whispered to Jackie, who merely nodded as he saw Henrik examine the stone.
"How odd… some of the letters are missing." The doctor noted.
"Where are they?" Anti asked, trying to look but still had the mask on his eyes. Since they weren't in the hospital anymore, Posi reached over and took the blindfold off of the chimera. He blinked a few times as he saw the gravestone.
"Looks like we need to find the letters to progress then…" Angus realized.
"But where are they?" Nega wondered. Everyone looked at each other, about to make their suggestions. Before they could, they felt their feet shake as the ground beneath them trembled. It only happened for a second though, and no one was knocked over.
"What the hell was that?" Jackie raised a brow, trying to search for the cause.
Posi gasped, pointing over to a bridge which led to an area across from the tombstone. "Look! A pathway!"
"Let's check it out." Marvin suggested. "That seems to be where we have to go."
Angus nodded. "Good idea! Better than standing here." He looked back over to Henrik, who had his eyes staring at the gravestone. The hunter grabbed his father's hand and led him with the others across the bridge. He felt a bit uneasy, but he had to be strong, for Henrik's sake. The group walked down the grassy path, soon being taken to a large room of pine-wood flooring and three separate doors, each one decorated differently. On the far left door, blood could be seen spilling out from underneath the frame and even on the handle and surface. The middle door was made of stone, with some white lilies wrapping their vines around the frames. The last one on the far right appeared ordinary, nothing of difference to note.
"Shit…" Angus grunted. "Now what?"
"Three doors to go through… but which one do we go in first?" Nega questioned.
"How about instead of all of us going in one door at a time, we just split up?" Chase suggested.
Henrik seemed a little hesitant. "Are you sure that is wise, Kasebrot?"
"Yeah, haven't you seen any horror movie ever?" Nega looked over at the vlogger. "Splitting up is asking to be killed."
"But… it would be faster…" Jackie pointed out.
"As long as we pair up in groups, we should be fine." Marvin added.
"Yeah, everything should be fine if we do that!" Posi agreed.
Nega turned to the angel, being reminded of what happened only moments ago in the soul clinic. "Keep thinking that…"
"I'll stay with Hen!" Chase declared. "That way, if anything happens, he at least has his best friend there."
A smile appeared on Henrik's face as he looked at his friend. "Thank you, Chase."
"In that case, me and Jackie will pick a door!" Marvin assured them as he looked at his hero.
The one in red smiled as he saw his boyfriend. "If anything happens Marv, count on me!" Jackie flexed his muscles.
"I feel safer already, my hero.~" Marvin blushed as he smirked at Jackie. He then turned to the hunter in question. "What about you, Angus?"
"I'll stick with Anti. Posi and Nega are going with us too." Angus told them.
"Not like we have much of a choice." Nega stated.
Anti looked over at Angus, a bit hesitant himself as he had something on his mind. "B-but what if we get into a fight? W-will you be alright on your own?"
Angus knelt down and gave a reassuring smile. "I'll be alright, Anti. Remember the promise?"
Anti's ears flinched a bit when Angus brought that up. Even though he appeared guilty, he nodded gently. "N-no fighting…"
Nega stepped forward, seeing how upset Anti was. "Don't worry, you got us. If we do run into any of those creatures, Posi and I will keep you both safe."
"We'll protect you both!" Posi promised.
With the groups decided, everything seemed in order. "Alright, let's get moving on! Stay safe everyone!" Marvin said to them. He and Jackie went to the door on the left, heading inside.
"You guys be careful!" Chase told them as he and Henrik went to the middle door. Angus took Anti's hand, as the two along with Posi and Nega headed to the one on the right.
And they were off. The three groups went through each door to figure out what had to be done. Chase and Henrik walked onto a stone pathway, heading to an open area of trees and flowers. "This… this is…" Henrik took in the surroundings as he looked around. There was a stone grave next to them, with a shining light towards the end of the trees. An empty bucket on either side of the light as well.
"W-What is it, Hen?" Chase asked, already becoming a bit scared.
"This is Joline's grave. Or, sort of. It looks out of place."
"Maybe we need to put it back?" Chase suggested, glancing between the tombstone to the light.
Henrik didn't respond as he went over, shoving the large grave over to the light. He struggled at first, after all he was not the strongest ego. Chase could see him doing all he could, but the grave was hardly budging. The other father figure went to his friend's aid, pushing the stone as hard as they could. They worked together, placing it back in the spot where the light was shining down. Chase wiped the sweat from his brow, looking at the work they did and waited for results. After a while… nothing happened. "Shouldn't we have gotten to the next memory? I mean… we put the grave back…" The vlogger noted as he looked around.
Henrik was confused at first as well, he hummed as he tried to figure out what his next move was. He noticed the empty buckets on either side of the grave and began to put the pieces together. "Chase, get some of the lilies from the field." Chase wasn't sure what the reason was for that request, but he trusted Henrik. The two gathered as many lilies as they could, then placed them in the buckets. They put as many as the pails could hold, then stepped back as they waited once more.
Their efforts were rewarded, as they heard a rumble nearby. Chase looked over, seeing the pathway between the meadow and the door leading back to the hospital. "Henrik, look! The path opened up for us!" He turned back, trying to gain Henrik's attention. The doctor merely stayed where he was, watching the scene taking place. "H-Hen?" Chase walked over, trying to shake him out of his trance. He looked back to the grave, and saw a scene playing. He saw Henrik from the past near the gravestone with a few other people, all of them wearing black clothing, crying with tears in their eyes. A woman with dark skin and cherry-colored hair was holding a book in front of the grave.
"Today, the Mindscape has lost a kind soul, and Heaven has gained a new angel. Joline Schneeplestein was a wonderful woman, who was known for her compassion to others and a smile that could melt anyone's heart. The wife of Henrik Von Schneeplestein and mother of Emma Schneeplestein, she was taken from this world too soon. And yet, we are here to send her off and to help welcome her into the gates of the skies above. Joline Schneeplestein, may you find peace and tranquility in your new home. We hope you continue to watch over those who have loved you, as they will keep your memories in their hearts." Henrik and Chase watched the memory play out over the grave. The doctor was shaking as he watched the others begin to leave, only for himself to stay. The memory of the German doctor stood where the gravestone was, just seeing the pile of dirt that had been dug up. He stood there, the tears falling down his cheeks and making the ground beneath him wet.
With a shaky form, Henrik fell to his hands and knees. The sobs grew louder, as waterfalls gushed out of his eyes. At that very moment, he felt alone. Chase and the present Henrik watched the scene play out, as the current doctor matched the expression his past self was giving off. "Hen…" Chase reached over, holding onto his shoulder to calm his friend down. So this must have been Joline's funeral, that explained the ceremony.
Henrik sniffled, looking over at Chase. His vision was becoming blurry as the tears covered him. Chase knew how upsetting this was to his friend, he was already being affected by the memory alone. He walked with Henrik towards the exit, holding onto him so they could walk out together. They crossed the bridge and started to get to the area where the grass became covered by hardwood tiles. The door was within their grasps, Chase practically carrying Henrik to the area. With only a few more steps, they were blocked by a pair of 'Manifestations'. Both had similar features like Henrik such as the hat and the glasses. One was more hunched over but both had a red X over their right eye. Loneliness and Worry emerged as they were about to attack. "Chase! Look out!" Henrik shoved the man aside, as the two goop monsters attacked Henrik, knocking him down to the ground.
"Hen!" Chase shouted, glaring at the two that attacked them. He grabbed hold of his fidget spinner in his pocket, hitting the center button as it began to light on fire. He tossed it, letting it slice up the enemies and leaving them with a burning sensation. Henrik hissed as he tried to get up, but the attack left him dizzy. The enemies went after Henrik, attacking him. Thankfully, Chase grabbed his Nerf gun and aimed it at them, shooting them a few rounds to keep them at bay. It worked, and for extra measure he tossed some tea bag bombs at them, which made them both confused. The enemies looked at one another, attacking each other instead of the egos.
Chase took this time to go to Henrik, picking him up and looking over him. Aside from a small scratch from the enemies, he was alright. The two 'Manifestations' killed one another off, making the doorway free from any blockage. "Wasn't expecting that…" Chase panted. "Hen, you okay?"
Henrik shuddered, tears welled up in his eyes. Not from the pain, but from the guilt. "I-I'm so sorry, Chase… If anything happens to any of you at all here… I-I don't…"
Chase reached over, holding onto Henrik's shoulders as he looked him deep in the eyes. "Hey… we may have come here to help Angus and Anti, but helping you is just as important! You deserve to overcome this! I don't want to see you in this much pain anymore. None of us do! You've helped me get away from Stacy, so let me help you defeat your demons too."
Henrik blinked a few times, seeing how serious Chase was in his words. He couldn't believe how determined and strong he was being, all for the doctor's sake. "Chase… thank you… for everything." Though Henrik kept crying, he was grateful for Chase's presence.
Chase chuckled, hugging Henrik to help him calm down. "You're my best friend. I would do anything for you." Henrik returned the hug, taking a deep breath before pulling back. He gave a nod, promising Chase he was fine. The two looked towards the ground, seeing a large capital E resting there. Henrik picked it up and smiled.
"The first letter from the grave…" He held the stone piece as they walked out the door, being taken to the familiar hallway that led them to the stone. They followed the trail of blood until they reached the grassy clearing, then Henrik placed the piece in the location. "Looks like we only have two letters missing now."
"Which means everyone else will bring the last two. I'm sure they'll come back soon! Guess there's nothing to do now but wait." Chase shrugged. Henrik didn't object, to be honest, he could use a small breather.
Jackie and Marvin went through the door with the blood splatters underneath it. They walked together as they came to a dimly lit hallway, with only some lights flickering at best. The place looked clean, though there were some holes in the wall and floor. "Alright dear. Let's get to it!" Marvin smiled, confident. The magician led his boyfriend down the hallway, maneuvering through equipment and going to a door. When they walked through, they found themselves in another corridor.
"Man, is it just me, or does this hallway go on for quite a ways?" Jackie questioned.
Marvin noticed it as well, though saw that the hallway they were in looked too similar to the one they came from. "I know… best you hold my hand to be safe." Marvin advised.
Jackie looked at the magician with a raised brow. "You just want an excuse to hold my hand, don't you?"
The cat ego gave a devilish smirk. "Guilty as charged, dear~." Jackie rolled his eyes, but held onto Marvin's hand as they continued to walk. They headed to the next door at the far end of the hallway, being taken to a small room with a stretcher, an IV, and a cabinet with medical equipment. Once they opened it and walked through, they began to hear distressed voices.
"Hold on, Joline! You're in good hands now! Nurse, hurry up with the equipment!"
"Right away doctor!"
"H-Henny…"
"It'll be alright… I'm here, Joline."
Marvin and Jackie listened, as they could hear the voices but didn't see the source of the sounds. It made both of them spooked. "W-What was that?" Jackie asked, shaking as he held Marvin close.
"T-That sounded like Henrik a-and Joline?" Marvin wasn't sure if what he was listening to was true or some hallucination.
"Does that mean a memory played out?" Jackie questioned.
"I don't see anything though…" Marvin noted, seeing no sign of either of them in the room. They looked at one another, holding onto their hands as they walked through the door on the other side. Only to once again be brought back to the exact same room.
"Wait… we just came from this room! What the hell?" Jackie looked around the room once more, and quickly noticed that the floor was covered in a few puddles of blood, which made the hero jump back.
"Shh, darling listen!" Marvin hushed his boyfriend, as the two listened to the voices coming from everywhere.
"Doctor, she isn't at full diameter yet! And there are already complications with the baby."
"Damn it! And with it being three weeks early…"
"It… hurts…"
"We have no choice… we need to do a C-Section!"
"I will begin preparations!"
The voices faded, as the two egos looked at one another. Their faces were growing pale as they couldn't help but take in what they were listening to. "Is this… when Joline was…"
"Yeah… when she went into labor… three weeks before the due date." Marvin added solemnly. "And from what was heard… it didn't sound like things were going well." He whined. Jackie held onto Marvin, as the two slowly walked through the room and headed to the door on the other side. Once again, despite trying to get out of there, they were brought to the exact same room. Now however, the equipment and floor was all bloodied as the voices kept getting louder.
"Doctor, she's losing a lot of blood!"
"Where is the transfusion?!"
"We won't be able to get it for her. She's losing too much before we can infuse blood into her."
"Damn it Nurse, I have to keep trying!"
"H-Henny… p-please…"
"D-Don't worry Joline! You will-"
"Henny… take care of our angel…"
"N-No! H-hold on a bit longer, Joline!"
"I will… always… love… you…"
"J-Joline? Joline! JOLINE!"
And just like that, the voices were done speaking. The lights in the room came on at full illumination, as the stretcher was covered in complete crimson fluids. Just the sheer exaggeration from Henrik's voice and the weak tone in Joline's told the story of what went on. Marvin and Jackie looked at one another, both were silent as none of them had any words that could describe how they felt. They mostly were wondering what Henrik's feelings were during that time… though they could only make assumptions.
Jackie noticed something resting on the very center of the stretcher, so he went to investigate it. It was a capital I, which looked similar to the letters on the gravestone. "H-hey… this is one of the letters we needed to find!"
"Hopefully this means we can catch up with the others…" Marvin noted with a somber tone. "I do hope they've finished by now… And that they haven't seen such a traumatic experience."
"Yeah… glad Henrik and Chase didn't go down this door." Jackie agreed. The two of them walked slowly to the exit, going through and were taken back to the hallway with the blood trail. At least they were not circling around the room again. They went down the corners until they made it back to the clearing with the grave, where Henrik and Chase were waiting for them.
The doctor turned, hearing the footsteps and seeing the hero and magician making their way to them. "Oh thank goodness, you're back!" Henrik sighed in relief, seeing that they were unharmed.
"Y-yeah…" Marvin gave a fake smile, trying to look brave. He didn't want to tell Henrik what they saw, just in case he may feel embarrassed or guilty. Besides, Marvin nor Jackie wanted Henrik to relive that memory. "Did the second letter show up?"
"Yeah, take a look!" Chase pointed to the grave, where the name was almost fully complete.
"Guess that just leaves the last letter then…" Jackie noted, wondering how the third group was fairing compared to them.
Henrik looked down, fiddling with his fingers nervously. He could only imagine what Angus and the others were going through. "Angus…" He whispered.
Chase heard that, smiling to reassure his friend. "They'll be okay, Hen. He's not alone!" The other two nodded in agreement. All they could do at the moment was wait.
Angus, Anti, Posi and Nega walked through the average door which led them to a new location. They looked around, seeing the tall buildings and the streets littered with other 'Manifestations'. "W-where are we?" Anti questioned.
Nega seemed just as confused as he looked at the area they were in. "The fuck? Isn't this Attitude City? I would have figured we would have ended up somewhere near the hospital."
"It does seem weird that we would be here…" Posi admitted, not liking the situation or where it was heading.
Angus came front and center, trying to rally everyone together. "It has to be important for some reason. We won't know why until we find out more. Let's keep moving." Angus urged, leading everyone through the maze of Attitude City, at least Henrik's memory version of it. Anti looked over at the goop creatures, growling slightly at them. He knew he wasn't supposed to fight any of them, but as long as he scared them off there was no harm in that. Angus looked back at the chimera, but kept quiet since he was at least trying to keep his composure. The goop creatures kept away, at least
They walked straight ahead, until they made it to an alleyway. They went to the dead-end, seeing some papers laying on the ground. A large dumpster with garbage at the brick walls, where some posters and cracks were present. "Looks like a dead end…" Angus sighed.
"There has to be something here…" Posi hummed.
The hunter looked around, as the others were trying to figure out what was here that they needed to progress. Near the very end of the alleyway, they could see what looked like an indent in the ground. The four knelt down closer, to get a better look. "That looks kind of weird…" Nega admitted.
"You can say that again." Angus said.
"That looks kind of weird." Posi repeated.
Nega rolled his eyes as he looked at the angel. "He didn't mean that literally!"
"Sorry, I'm just trying to help…" Posi blushed in embarrassment.
"Why would there be an indent here to begin with?" Anti wondered.
"I dunno but…" Angus couldn't help keeping his eyes on the scene, taking in the surroundings as he bit his lip.
"Is something wrong, Angus?" Anti asked, seeing how lost in thought the hunter was.
"Mnn… just… a lot of this is striking a chord with me."
Nega raised a brow as he held himself. "Actually, I feel something here as well…"
Anti wasn't sure what was going on with Angus and Nega, but he rather not press it. He looked around, the chimera wandering off as he tried to figure out what they were supposed to do next. It probably had something to do with that indent, but what was supposed to go into it? The child soon saw a staircase leading to a door on the side of the alleyway. Curiosity got the better of him, as he climbed the stairs to get a better look.
The other three were having the same feeling as Posi looked over at the devil. "You too Neggy?"
"Yeah… this feels familiar…" Nega admitted as he rubbed his arms.
"Looks like something is supposed to fit here." Angus realized, trying to get back on track. "But, dunno what though."
"Maybe that's what we have to do then." Posi pointed out.
"But what? Doesn't look like there's anything-"
"Ahhhh!" Nega was cut off from his sentence as the three heard the scream of Anti.
"Anti?!" Angus stood up, running over to the open door which was up the staircase. Posi and Nega followed behind. They walked into what appeared to be a bathroom, with black and white square tiles, a sink with a mirror and cleaning equipment such as mops and brooms. They saw the chimera laying on the floor as he tried to pick himself up.
"A-Anti, what happened?!" Posi ran to his side and checked him over. "A-Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine... startled, but not hurt." Anti reassured the angel. "That statue caught me off guard."
"What statue?" Nega asked. They turned to where Anti was staring, seeing a life-like figure of a person with dark, green hair wearing all black and having heterochromia eyes of blue and green. "Yikes… I'd scream too if I saw that when I walked into a room."
Angus examined the statue, his eyes going wide as he was able to recognize the features. "Wait a minute… this is what I looked like when I was 'Anti'. Back before I knew who I was and before the Corruption."
Anti blinked a few times as he walked around the statue, taking in all of the details like a curious child. Nega looked over at Angus to add a comment. "Well, no surprise there. Considering you're a big part of Henrik's life, it would make sense. Not sure why it would be here though."
Anti stood next to the statue, trying to mimic the pose. "I have to say, you really took up a lot of my form. I mean… if I wasn't corrupted and you looked like this, we could be twins!"
"Well, minus the wings along with the thickness and shapes of the tails." Nega pointed out. Angus couldn't help but chuckle at the comment… it would have been a sight to see, two Anti's in one Mindscape. The chaos that would ensue.
"Hey! Maybe this statue is supposed to go in the indent!" Posi realized.
Angus smiled as he looked over at the angel. "You know, Posi, that's not a bad idea. Let's try moving it." The four then grabbed onto the statue, tugging, pulling and even pushing with all their might combined, but to no avail. "Shit… it's not moving…" Angus complained.
Anti looked at the statue and realized something. "Looks like it's bolted to the ground."
Nega grunted in annoyance. "Fuck… so much for that plan."
"Now what?" Posi questioned. "How are we going to solve that puzzle if we can't put the statue in the indent?"
"Maybe there's another Anti/Angus statue we can get?" The chimera suggested, trying to find the solution.
Angus looked at the life-like image of his past self. There was no doubt that the statue was supposed to go there, but getting it to the alleyway would be a problem. Then again… this memory must be focused on Angus, just like Nega mentioned. Angus is a part of Henrik's life so… maybe… "I've got an idea! Let's go!" He gestured to everyone as the hunter went back outside with the other three following behind him. They weren't sure what he was planning, but they went along with it. Once they were back outside, Angus took a step and placed himself onto the indent.
"Angus, what-" Nega was about to question, only for a weight to come over the hunter, making him nearly fall.
"Nnn!"
"Brother!" Anti ran over, holding him to stabilize him. When he did, they saw a flash which blinded them, as their brains were playing out a memory before their very eyes.
It was a rainy day as Henrik came across this alleyway. He seemed depressed, tired even. He didn't even care that the rain was coming down on him, he just walked slowly, one would think he wasn't even awake. The sounds of sniffles and whimpers was what drove him to look up from the ground, taking a peek down the same alleyway and advancing into it. Henrik's eyes went wide as he saw someone shivering near the end of the lane. A figure dressed in black with fluffy, dark green hair and pointed ears. He had a black, demon tail with his arms covered in the same colored coat. His neck was bleeding from a cut. His eyes were also coal voids, crying oily tears. He seemed to have been in pain, based on how he was acting.
Henrik stared at the figure for a while, watching him as he observed his actions. 'What the... who is that?' Henrik questioned mentally, though his thoughts could be heard by the observers. 'He looks like... a new ego?' He shuddered as he felt something just looking at the figure. 'Strange, he's giving off a lot of negative energy that I can feel from here... where did he-'
The figure turned around, finally seeing Henrik there. "M-Mmmnnnn...H-H-Help.." He begged while crying.
Henrik jumped as he saw the poor ego. He looked lost, desperate even. Now that he saw the doctor, he couldn't turn back. 'Oh dear. I can't just ignore this! He looks like he is in pain.' Henrik decided to get closer. "H-Hello there." He smiled a little, trying to appear approachable. He didn't want to scare him anymore than he already was.
The new ego shuddered as he looked up at the man. "Hhh- W-Who…? Who are you?"
"No need to worry. I'm a doctor around these parts. My name is Henrik Von Schneeplestein." He introduced himself. "Could you tell me what happened to you?"
"I-I...I d-don't...know...I-It..." He began to cry even more as his shuddering were getting worse. "I-It h-hurts...H-Help.." He begged.
Henrik bit his lip as he could see the agony on his face. The doctor kept that smile on him as he spoke to him gently. "Do not worry. I'll take care of you so you won't hurt anymore. Do you have a name?"
The new ego looked around, as if he was having trouble coming up with the answer. "A-A…" He tried to speak, with some hoarseness in his voice. He gulped it down, as he finally said it. "A-Anti…"
Henrik held out his hand. "Well then, Anti. I think we should get you out of the rain. How about you come with me? I'll make you some dinner and give you a warm bed to sleep in." Anti looked at the hand and back at Henrik. He wasn't sure why he was being so kind to him, but he didn't want to be out here all alone anymore. He still shivered, but accepted the hand.
"Come on, I've got you~" Henrik assured. They headed out of the alleyway, with Henrik carrying the new ego. Though the two were not certain what would happen next, they could only hope things would be looking up for the both of them.
Angus finished watching the memory play out. By the end of it, he was a shaky mess. The tears were once again in his eyes, but they were the black ones due to the memory. "D-Dad…" He fell to his knees as he had that memory fresh in his mind now.
"Angus?" Anti still stayed close to the hunter, as he saw the memory as well. He held onto his brother, doing his best to comfort him. He was still trembling, but Angus appreciated the gesture as he held onto the chimera.
"Angus? Anti? Are you two okay?!" Posi asked, worrying as he looked at the two. "What happened?"
"I...I think we saw another memory…" Anti admitted.
"A memory inside a memory? What is this, 'Inception'?" Nega raised a brow as he looked at them.
"I-it… was when I first met Henrik… back when I was 'Anti'." Angus explained, trying to wipe the tears from his eyes.
Nega jumped when he heard that, being reminded of that day since he was there when it happened. "Oh… right. That was after you took me. Back then, I was having a hard time just trying to keep you together by myself."
"Because you're only the negative half of my soul… only you and Posi together can stabilize someone." Anti added.
Angus looked down in guilt, seeing the hole in Anti's chest where his soul was supposed to be. "I'm… sorry about that again." He told Anti.
Anti looked over at the hunter, seeing the pain on his face. He gave a small smile of his own, well big one with his perma-grin. "Hey, you didn't have a choice. You were trying to survive, I get it. I would have done the same if the roles were reversed. But you still suffered even after that…" Anti noted.
Angus managed to pick himself back up, rubbing the back of his neck as he thought back on that memory. "N-Now that I think about it, that's probably why my memories were so jumbled. I didn't k-know or remember anything from before and I just...stumbled."
Nega nodded. "Not only that, it was hard for me just to keep him going. He could only feel bad emotions..."
"I-I'm so sorry you guys had to go through that all on your own..." Posi said somberly as he looked down with guilt. "I-I should've found you two sooner...Then you guys...wouldn't have gone through so much pain."
Nega patted Posi as he smiled. "It's fine Posi. You came when you did and we managed to fix everything."
Anti nodded as he looked at Angus. "I see now why you consider him a father figure. He reminds me a lot of Henry in more ways than one. You were lucky to have met him when you first came here."
Angus chuckled at the chimera's words. "Yeah… I was glad to run into Dad when I did. When Dad came around, things felt...a little less empty for me." Angus tells him.
"I know that feeling all too well."
Angus smirked over at Anti as he knew what he meant. "Guess that's another thing we have in common." He took in a few deep breaths to calm himself down better.
"Are you sure you're okay, Angus?"
He shook his head but kept the grin. "Y-yeah… just a bit of a shocking memory… but not a bad one." He reassured, petting Anti's hair to make him feel better. The chimera purred as he welcomed the pats.
"Hey guys, look!" Posi pointed to the ground next to the indent. "It's the letter we've been looking for!"
Anti picked it up, seeing it was a capital J. "I guess this means we can head back?" He asked.
Angus nodded. "Yeah. Let's get back to dad and everyone else. I'm sure they're waiting on us." The four had to literally find their way to get back, which took some trials and errors. They ended up going back to where they came from, heading down the same bloody hallway until they found the grassy area with the grave and were greeted by the other egos.
Henrik was the first one to greet them as he saw them coming their way. "Angus!" He practically cried as he saw his son.
Chase smiled as he saw the four walking over. "See, Hen? I told you he and Anti would be okay!"
"That you did, Kasebrot." Henrik chuckled, as Angus went over to his father figure with a small smile on his face.
"I see we are the last ones to show up." Angus noted as he saw everyone else.
"Did the last letter show up?" Posi asked. They all looked at the grave, seeing the name 'Joline' had appeared.
"Looks like it was the last one we needed!" Marvin declared.
"Time to see what will happen to this gravestone now." Jackie rubbed his hands together as he waited to see what would become of the grave. Within a few moments, the stone started to shine brightly, before disappearing and opening the pathway up.
"U-Uh, did anyone else guess 'glow and vanish'?" Chase asked everyone.
Nega shrugged. "I did."
Marvin was slightly disappointed. "Dammit, I thought it was going to turn into one of those goop monsters."
Nega held out his hand towards Marvin. "Pay up, cat boy." Marvin sweated a bit as he hid behind Jackie. Angus shook his head at what Nega was saying, turning over to look at Henrik, who seemed to be silent as his eyes were downcast.
"Dad…?" Angus walked over to the doctor, noticing how shaken he was becoming. "You know what's up ahead… don't you?"
Henrik nodded. "I do, and it's... not good."
"That might be, but this time, we're right here with you." Marvin reassured the doctor.
"We'll protect you if some asshole tries to attack us." Angus told him.
"Whatever is standing between us and the shard, we can handle it!" Jackie promised.
Henrik took a deep breath, while the tears still gathered in his eyes. "Just… don't judge me for what you will see, alright?" He begged. Everyone walked down the long hallway of the hospital wing, it was a narrowed one, but soon enough they got to the room. There were only some areas that were lite up, and aside from some cabinets, equipment and a crib, it was mostly empty. The first thing everyone noticed when they walked in was the sound of crying, from a young baby.
"W-What is that?" Anti asked, the sound of the infant catching him off guard. Everyone looked to the crib, seeing Henrik looking down into it with tears in his eyes, as he was stroking the cheek of the youngling.
"Shh… it's okay… it's okay…" The memory of Henrik whispered gently in the crib. Despite how exhausted and stressed he looked and sounded.
"I-Is that… her?" Chase asked, looking over at the scene as he was by Henrik's side.
"Yes…" Henrik stated, as his bangs covered his face while he tried to keep the tears at bay. "My little angel… this was after she was born."
"W-wait… where's Joline?" Angus asked, but he already had a sense of dread in his feelings. He looked over at Henrik, seeing the tears fully cascading down his face. The reaction alone was enough to tell him what happened. Marvin and Jackie already knew, but didn't want to say anything.
Instead, Henrik took over. "...She wasn't going to make it… There were complications during the birthing process. I tried to save them both… but Joline was fading in and out. In the end… I was only able to save our child. And with her dying breath, Joline begged me to look after her. She was born three weeks before the due date, and there were some health problems with her so… I was by her side the night she w-was born to make sure she would s-survive."
"Daddy's got you. It's okay. I'm gonna stay right here with you, Emma. I promise." Henrik in the memory began to rock the cradle, as he started to sing to his daughter. "Schlaf' ein, schlaf' ein, schlaf' ein. Du gähnst schon, komm' kuschel' dich ein. Ich sing' dir noch ein Lied. Ich freu' mich so, dass es dich gibt. Ich wunsch' dir eine gute Nacht. Wir seh'n uns wenn wieder die Sonne lacht. Schlaf' ein, schlaf' ein, schlaf' ein. Wir lieben dich schlaf jetzt ein. Wir lieben dich schlaf jetzt ein." He sang in German, which no one really understood yet… Angus recognized that song.
'T-that song… Dad sang that to me my first night in the Mindscape…' His eyes went wide at the realization.
"Your father loves you so much… little angel…" Henrik smiled, with tears and bags in his eyes as the song seemed to have calmed Emma.
At this point, Henrik finally broke down. He went to his knees as he held his head with his hands. The tears came like waterfalls. "F-Fuck… I can't!" He laughed-cried while he tried to keep his eyes anywhere but the past. "I hate seeing this... It was all my fault! I was so tired, I lost Joline and the stress caught up to me! I ended up passing out while I was watching over her to make sure she would survive the night. When I woke up... she was... she..." He trailed off, not being able to finish the sentence. He didn't have to, everyone knew what the outcome was. Angus could only hug him, now understanding the true trauma of this memory. Not only had Henrik lost his wife that day, he lost his daughter before she could even get a chance to live in this world. It was all so unfair. Marvin began to gather tears in his own eyes, as he held onto Jackie. The two of them being reminded of that conversation in the memory between Henrik and Joline.
Chase kept his hands on Henrik's shoulders as he tried to reassure his friend. "I-It's alright, Hen...I-It'll be alright."
"Is it, though?" Everyone gasped when they heard that. They looked over, seeing the memory of Henrik by the crib speaking, though he looked down at the cradle. "You've been here so many times already, reliving this moment. All it does is remind you of what you could've done... what you didn't do. You can never get rid of the guilt of what you were unable to promise, can you?" As he spoke, the room started to transform as the walls started to drip with black tar, similar to the goop from those monsters.
Jackie jumped as he looked at the figure. "Wh- wait... is he.. talking to us?"
Henrik shook his head, he knew where this was going. "No, he is talking to me."
"Does that mean he has the shard?" Anti asked.
"He must have it..." Marvin concluded.
Angus held Henrik close to him and tried to keep himself calm, even though he was beginning to twitch. He did not like the way this 'Manifestation' was talking to his Father.
Chase joined Angus by Henrik's side and comforted him. "Don't listen to him, Hen..." He begged.
The past one spoke as he gripped the railing of the crib. "It's all your fault. You knew the risks of Joline getting pregnant, especially with her health! You knew the illnesses Emma could have gotten from that! You saw the signs, you knew how much sicker she got. You could have stopped it... but you just watched and let it happen." The 'Manifestation' turned over to them, finally showing his true form. He was melting, with hollowed out eyes behind the glasses, as chains attached to stone balls were wrapped around him.
The moment that the transformation was done, Anti gasped, stepping back as he was shaking just looking at the figure. Posi noticed this, going over to him and covered his eyes. "Shh…. shhh, it's okay Anti. Just don't look." He begged. If Anti didn't want to fight before, he wasn't even gonna try to get involved now.
"You couldn't even stay awake to watch your little angel, could you? You promised to protect and watch over her, and yet you closed your eyes long enough for her to become an actual angel. She could have lived if you had just pushed yourself a little harder. What kind of doctor are you if you can't even take care of your own family?" The 'Manifestation' mocked the real doctor.
Angus growled as he began to twitch more. "What the fuck?! How is that at all his fault?!" He snapped as he only held Henrik closer to him, now holding him in a protective manner while he glared at the fake doctor.
"You're only one man, Hen… You can't blame yourself for what happened. Things can happen when you try to save the people you love. You would risk just about anything to help them, even your own life.." Marvin spoke up.
"You definitely aren't a fucking machine. So what if you fell asleep? You can't help it!" Jackie added.
"Exactly! It wasn't your fault for passing out then, Hen! You were already depressed over losing Joline and the weight of it just crushed you. You did your best, like always! You did what you could for them. For Joline and Emma! You can't give up now!" Chase told him.
"I..." Henrik trailed off. He couldn't believe that despite what they saw, everyone was still willing to take Henrik's side and not blame him for what happened. He felt like he didn't deserve it, but it made him feel slightly better.
The memory version still kept mocking him. "You're a failure as a doctor, a husband and a father. What's the point? After all, you returned here over and over just to save your 'son'. But what if this fails? You know the risks of this serum. If it doesn't stabilize for him, that's another death that will be on our hands. Don't you see how useless it is? He's probably better off without our meddling."
That was the final straw for Angus as he snarled at the 'Guilt'. "That is It. We're taking this bastard down." The rest of the group, aside from Posi and Anti, approached as they were ready to take on the guardian of the soul shard. Angus was the first to attack, summoning his machete and 'Double Slice' the enemy, getting in a few cuts. Henrik's Guilt stumbled back, but it wasn't enough to take him down. Nega stepped up, summoning his technique called 'Hell Fire', where he could summon flames so hot, they felt like they came from the Inferno itself. Creating two fireballs in his hands, he tossed them at the Manifestation, making him scream in pain as he was burnt in the process.
Chase took a turn, throwing his 'Tea Bags' at the enemy. He hoped that it would end up confusing Henrik's Guilt so they could get a better shot at attacks. It didn't give any status damage, but it did do a lot to make him lose balance at least. Marvin took that opportunity to summon his deck of cards, using his 'Air Cut Flurry' to slash at the enemy. The cards managed to give the 'Manifestation' some paper cuts, making Marvin smile in triumph. Jackie had a feeling the Guilt would try something, so for extra measure he used his 'Vigilance' to brace himself for an attack while increasing his defense.
The 'Manifestation' was only getting started though. "We don't deserve the title 'Doctor'." He mocked while staring directly at Henrik. "Emma was so small... So precious…" The words were making the real Henrik shake in fear. The Guilt used that opportunity to rush to Henrik. He summoned his 'Shadow of Guilt' tactic, aiming a ball of darkness and dust over at the doctor.
"Henrik, look out!" Jackie acted quickly, pushing the doctor out of the way in time for the hero to take the hit. He hissed in pain as the orb hit his eyes, making him close the lids.
"Jackie!" Marvin screamed, running to his side in worry.
"I-I'm alright… my vision is blurry though." He admitted, rubbing at his eyes to try and clear his sight.
Marvin glared over at the 'Manifestation', using his 'Razzle Dazzle' trick by creating some glitter and dust in his palms and aimed it straight at the enemy. This not only made the figure lose balance, but confused him as well. "Come on, darlings! Let's finish him off!" The magician declared. Everyone else nodded, knowing they had to keep battling. Nega took his turn, slamming his axe down to the ground. He created his 'Volcanic Shatter', splitting the earth to make hot lava erupt from the cracks and burn the enemy. Chase took a turn by summoning his Nerf Gun, and shooting his 'Nerf Fire' at the target, hitting him multiple times to deal damage.
Now realizing that his family needed him, Henrik shook himself as he went over to Jackie, trying to heal up his blindness. All the while, the others kept attacking. Henrik's Guilt tried to attack again, but Angus got an idea. He took in a breath, using his 'Roar of the Wild' to stun the enemy. It worked, as the hunter smirked with satisfaction. Nega struck the ground, creating a 'Pyroclastic Flow' as he summoned hot gas, ash and rock fragments which hit the enemy. Once Henrik healed Jackie, the hero thanked the doctor and got himself ready to do more damage. He clenched his fist, using his 'Hero Punch' and decked the Guilt straight in the face. Henrik took the chance while his Guilt was down to use his '4 Point Strike'. Aiming at the limbs and draining the enemy of their HP, distributing it to everyone so they could recover.
"Way to go, Hen!" Chase smiled as he looked over at his friend. The doctor grinned, glad they were still standing. But it wasn't over yet.
"So much blood on our hands… The people we failed to save… their souls shattered to pieces… All for your selfish desire to have a family!" Henrik's Guilt shouted at the doctor, which gave him enough time to use his 'Crushing Torment'. He held up his balls and chains, tossing it over to Henrik. The weapon was blocked by more playing cards, as it acted like a shield for the group. Marvin smirked as he made his 'House of Cards' to protect his friends.
"Now Angus!" Marvin shouted, as the hunter gave a vengeful glare before hitting the 'Manifestation' three times. On the third strike, he fell to the ground, fully weak from the fight. It was a long, drawn out battle. Even so, when it was over, the Guilt looked up at them with a pained expression. "Heh... No matter what you say to him, he will always know that Joline will blame him for all of this, especially if she were still around. She would hate him for what he did. She would-"
"Since when would I hate you, Henny..? You did everything you could to save me and Emma. I would never blame you and you know that.." Everyone gasped as they turned to the doorway, seeing the very woman herself coming in with a confused expression upon her angelic features.
"J-Joline?" Henrik blinked as he looked at the woman.
"Why the hell is she here?" Nega wondered. "Don't tell me she's going to fight us as well."
"Of course I'm not going to fight you." Joline reassured Nega with a giggle.
"J-Joline, h-how're you here?" Chase asked her.
"She's a part of the memory..." Marvin whispered.
Angus looked over at her with wide eyes, raising a brow as he couldn't believe how close she was to them all. "H-hi… mom…?" That was all he could say.
Henrik stepped over, once again crying as he saw his late wife. "Joline… is it really you?"
Joline smiled at him. "Of course it is, silly~!"
"I… How? You're not..." Henrik has so many questions, but he couldn't seem to find the right way to ask them.
Joline walked over to him, holding his hands in hers as her eyes gazed up into his. Just like when she told him her decision to have a child all those years ago. "Henny. Nothing that happened was your fault."
"B-but..." He tried to interject.
"No buts. There was nothing you could've done." She continued. "You did your best, like you've always done. You may not have gotten either of us, but you shouldn't keep letting it drag you down like this. I want you to move on, and find happiness again. You deserve to forgive yourself. For your sake, as well as mine and Emma's. Everyone else's too." Joline smiled warmly at him. "I know it won't be easy. But you'll make it through this. I know you will!" She then walked over to Henrik's Guilt, giving him a sweet kiss on the cheek. "And no more fighting the others… I know you have been hurting just as much as him, but you should let go as well. Let us both find peace."
The 'Manifestation' looked over at the woman, crying as he gained that smile. "Joline… I love you!"
"I love you too, Henny." She told him. Just as it seemed like they were about to disappear, she turned over and walked slowly to Angus. The hunter was surprised by her sudden approach, but what made the situation more awkward was when she cupped her hands under his chin so his eyes met hers. He could see the blue sparkle that were in her spheres, now understanding how Henrik could compare her pupils with the stars in the sky. "You deserve to forgive yourself too. You made mistakes in the past, but look at where you are now. You're making up for it after what happened back then. You regretted what you did and now you're helping them through their traumas, as well as letting them help you with yours. I'm so proud of you, Angus.~" Angus gasped, looking up at Joline as she spoke while giggling. The tears welled up in his eyes, wishing he could have met her in real life instead of this memory. She then wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug, while everyone else watched and listened. "You would've been an amazing big brother for Emma as well as my son. I love you, Angus."
Angus wasn't sure what to feel at that moment, except that he knew he missed out on meeting someone so great and special. The hunter hugged the woman back, as he let the tears fall. "Mom…" He whispered gently. She pulled back then began to go towards Henrik's Guilt, who appeared much calmer now. The doctor went over to his son, petting his head as he was proud Joline would have approved of him. Once the two were back together, Joline and the Guilt were enveloped in a light, disappearing as they left behind a blue soul shard.
Henrik walked over to it, sighing as he just stared at the ground. "Hen?" Jackie called out from behind. "Aren't you going to grab it?"
The doctor let the water run down his cheeks, as he began to cry mixed with his laughs. "I… have spent the last several years agonizing over this… Every night, I would blame myself. I would tell myself every night, while looking up at the stars to Joline's angel… 'I failed you. I wish I could make up for my reckless and selfish desires, but I can not.' I would look up to the stars, asking and begging for Joline's forgiveness. Praying she could hear me, but I never got an answer. I thought that it was my selfish desire of wanting a child that caused me to lose everything, and thus I stopped thinking of my own wants and needs and focused on everyone else. Every time I closed my eyes, I thought I would miss something. I couldn't take a break from working, because for every life I didn't save, I had to rescue ten more just to make up for it. There were times I was even afraid to save the people I cared for. Because I thought I would fail them like I failed Joline and Emma."
He looked back over to Angus, his son. Wiping his eyes as he grabbed the soul shard and held it within his hands. "But... Now I think it's time. I am no longer afraid of losing anyone else. I am not going to doubt how bad of a doctor I really am. Thank you. All of you. I will do whatever I can to get over these fears instead of running from them."
Angus stepped up to him with tears still at the corners of his eyes. "She would have been an amazing mom…" He told him.
"Yes… especially to you." Henrik agreed. The others began to get their own tears, they were emotionally drained from the experience. All except Anti, who remained silent as his ears were flat and his eye downcasted. He had nothing to say, but he had a lot built up inside of him.
Now with the fourth soul shard retrieved, the group found themselves in the soul clinic once more. Marvin jumped, sighing in relief as they were in the Mindscape. "Haaaaa~! We're back!"
"Do we have enough to make the serum for Angus's soul?" Jackie asked.
Henrik looked at them as he answered. "Nearly. We still need one more soul shard before we can get one from Angus."
"So we need another donor." Jackie noted. "Who's it going to be?"
Henrik rubbed the back of his neck. "Well... I already have someone that volunteered."
Before anyone could say anything, they got interrupted as a robotic voice called out. "Um... excuse me. I do hope I'm not intruding..." Bing came over to the group and smiled at them.
"Sunflower!" Angus grinned as he saw his boyfriend, running over as Marvin and Chase stepped aside so the two could hug. "Hey! We just finished up!"
"I was coming in to check on how things were going." Bing explained.
"We are making great progress actually. We just got the fourth shard we need." Henrik explained. "Oh, that reminds me. Are you ready Bing?"
"Of course! If it means to help Angus!"
"H-Hold on… you're the fifth donor?" Angus was shocked, that meant they were going into his memory next!?
"Have you done this before, darling?" Marvin asked Bing, even he seemed nervous about this ordeal.
"Yes, I donated one last year actually. It was for a discreet project Henrik was working on, but there's not much of a point in it now."
"Are you sure you want to do that again?" Angus questioned.
"I should be alright. Though, I will admit I didn't really see the 'memory' I was supposed to. So it wasn't much of an emotional experience for me." Bing admitted.
"If you deleted memories from your memory bank, it may have caused a malfunction where you couldn't see it." Henrik stated. "Which means, chances are you won't come with us in the memory when we go in there." Once again, Angus was surprised by this news. So it looked like Bing wouldn't be seeing or experiencing the said memory with them. Though considering how bad everyone else's were, Bing was getting off pretty lucky.
"I rarely delete memories, unless their files take up space." Bing looked down, as he rubbed his left arm while admitting another reason. "Or they... tend to affect how functional I am on an emotional level."
"Sunflower..." Angus gave him a worried look.
"I know, I know, It's not the best way to deal with those problems. I don't do it anymore, of course~." He promised. "I do wonder what that memory was."
"When we go through, we'll tell you what we see, okay?" Angus told him.
"O-oh! Thank you!" Bing smiled at his angel.
Henrik nodded. "Right! How about we all get some rest and you and Anti can come back in a few hours for Bing's memory?" He suggested, then turned to the other egos. "Are you guys coming with us?"
"Mmm… I kind of have a playdate with the kids in a few hours." Chase told Henrik.
"Jackie and I have a date tonight.~" Marvin added.
"And by 'date' he means binge watching Sabrina the Teenage Witch on VHS while eating doritos." Jackie smiled.
"Listen..." Marvin turned to Jackie.
"Pffft.." Angus snickered at the two, while Marvin tried to list the ways that the show was more important.
"Well then, looks like it will be you, me and Anti for Bing's soul shard." Henrik smiled. As he said that, Anti was clinging onto Angus's shirt, he remained quiet while being behind the hunter. Though no one really noticed how upset he appeared, aside from his two souls.
Angus glanced down at Anti and put an arm around him. He then looked back at Henrik and Bing. "I'm more curious about what I'll see than anything." He admits.
"It won't be anything weird, I'm sure..." Bing promised
Angus gave a playful smirk at his sunflower. "Oh yeah? How would you know if you don't remember the memory~?" He teased.
Bing pouted. "Angel!"
Henrik sighed. "Alrighty then. Bing, would it be alright if you help me around the hospital for a few hours while Angus and Anti get some rest?"
"Sure! JJ is watching Robbie today so I can stay around." Bing assured him.
Angus giggled at Bing's reaction before looking at Henrik." You get some too soon, Dad." Angus reminded him as he rubbed Anti's back. The two then began to make their way to the cabin, leaving everyone else in the clinic.
Henrik waved to Angus as he watched the two boys head off. Bing smiled. "They've really grown to become close, huh?"
"Yes... I say they are like siblings at this point." Henrik admitted.
Bing blushed. "I... did always think it would be fun to have an in-law."
"And that is another person who agrees we should keep Anti!" Chase declared with a fist raised up.
"Dude, seriously?" Jackie looked at the vlogger.
"Well… I think it is official at this point." Marvin pointed out.