(This one's going to be the defining chapter, the big one that makes sense out of everything. I hope you enjoy it, I've been planning it out for a long time now. Go on, read, what're you doing wasting your time reading the author's note?!)
Miro steps backward a couple of paces, looking at the revealed figure in total disbelief. Matthew is also a bit surprised, but not nearly as much as Miro. Matthew wasn't quite sure why Miro was so taken aback, until Miro spoke.
"Wh… G… Galen?!" Miro stammers out, still looking at him. "But I thought you were… dead!"
Galen, revealed in all of his ancient ugliness, wheezes out a chuckle grimly. He stands there, supported by his crutch, with his hunched back and his pointed chin and his crooked nose, looking to be far, far older and grayer than most people could survive to becoming.
"Dead?… PAH!" He spits, sending an unbelievable amount of saliva directly at Miro's face, which contacted quite nastily. Miro remains still for a moment, his eyes shut, with old-man spit dripping down his face, and Galen continued.
"I wish I were dead, I know, but… it just ain't happening."
"Err… what do you mean?" Matthew asks, taking a small step away from Miro in disgust.
"Whaddaya mean what do I mean?" Galen replies, looking at him. He then glances at Miro again, noticing the spit, and grumbles in frustration.
"Now d'ya see what ya've made me do? I've been saving that up fer three weeks! I was gonna save up more until I could use it to swim my way out of here!"
Miro finally making a movement, raises up one hand and slowly pulls it across his face, wiping the worst of the spit from his eyes, nose, and mouth. He opens his eyes again and looks at Galen.
"Wait, but… I could've sworn that you died!" He says. "I remember, when I was little, I saw you fall off of the cliffside, hit a bunch of rocks on the way down, land in the river, and drift off into the ocean, and a bunch of sharks came and ate you!"
"Hah…" Galen mumbles. "But I didn't die… IT wouldn't let me die… 'sides, I'm so calloused, I'm tougher than beef jerky, those sharks couldn't even scratch me!"
"But we buried you… didn't we?" Miro asks.
"Y'thought y'did, but you didn't." Galen replies. "I wasn't in that coffin, they just dug Nina up and re-buried her."
"Oh, right… because we could never find your body!" Miro suddenly remembers. "That's why! …But… what's 'it'?"
"It…" Galen belgins. He shuffles closely to the two, an stares at them. "…The demon… That's what 'it' is."
"Demon?" Matthew repeats. "What demon?"
"Do you bunch want ta hear a story of evil, treachery and hatred?" Galen asks.
"Sure." Miro says, shrugging. "It doesn't look like we're going anywhere…"
"You asked for it…" Galen wheezes. He clears his throat, and speaks.
"Back when I was the keen, young age of 87, I came to realize that I was not going to live as long as my lovely wife Nina… Nina, I remember when we met. She was the most beautiful thing that you'd ever find in the town of… huh, I can't seem to remember… I saved her from marrying some big-time loser farmer, y'know… Anywho, I knew that she'd live longer than me, and I didn't want her to go through the pain of seeing me die first… so I made a deal. I came across an evil thing one day. It was down in the Archemological Dig, where I had gotten lost because Carter covered the entrance while I was down there looking for my dentures… It was lurking there for some reason. I asked it what it wanted, it didn't do anything. It pointed to where my dentures were, and I took them. I then thought for a minute or two, and asked it if I could ask it a favor. It didn't talk, so I just asked it anyway. I asked it if it could make sure I died after Nina, so she wouldn't have to live without me… It gave me a nod, and that's about when Carter figured out that I was down there and uncovered the way out."
"But… Now that Nina's worm food, you can go and die, right?" Miro asks.
"Nope." Galen replies glumly. "Sure Nina's gone, but I'm not going to go see her anytime soon. The demon made me immortal… I can't die no matter what, and don't think I haven't tried. I've done it all; stabbing, hanging, holding my breath, running int'a the middle of a chicken stampede, re-wiring my pacemaker, nothing works. Y'see, the demon needs me alive. When I gave myself away to it, it tied itself to me. I'm the source of its strength now. As I age and age, it feeds off of the shreds of remaining youth that I lose… It needs me, y'see."
"Right, then…" Matthew says. "Look, if the demon needs you, where is it? Why isn't it here? How do we know you're not lying?"
"What are ya, braindead?" Galen says, giving out a single half-chuckle. "I'm a hundred and thirteen years old! I don't drink any red wine, I don't take my pills, my spine probably looks like an upside-down J, there's no chance that I should be alive! As for where the demon is, how should I know? I don't keep in touch with it, I just have to be alive, not near it."
"Hmm… So it can be anywhere?" Miro asks.
"Yep." Galen says. "But we can't go lookin' for it, 'cause there's no way out of here."
"No, there has to be…" Matthew says, putting a hand on his chin. "There must be some way…"
"If only we had brought one of those things with wings, then we could fly out…" Miro says, cursing himself for not doing so.
"Yes, or those very large ones." Matthew says. "We could have probably built a large platform from them…"
"Ooh, I wonder what this hole's for…?" Comes a voice from above them. Looking up to where the trapdoor was, Miro and Matthew see Anna looking down, not quite noticing them yet.
"Anything down there? Hello? Riiiiicolaaaaa!" She says, giggling.
"Anna!" Matthew yells. "Down here!"
"Huh?" Anna says, squinting to see who it was. "Is that you, Matthew?"
"No, it's Hiedi Gorbastoffle, the Chicken Queen! We've come for your earlobes!" Miro says sarcastically. "Of course it's us!"
"Miro?" Anna says. "Err… what're you guys doing down there?"
"Oh, y'know, hanging out, shooting pool." Miro says with continued sarcasm. "We fell! There's no way out, or at least that's what the incredibly old guy down here says!"
"Oh… Well, I'll try to find something!" Anna says.
"Wait, Anna!" Matthew says just before Anna was going to leave.
"…Yes?" Anna asks, looking back at him.
"What're you doing in that aisle? Are the things in those boxes used for something?"
Anna goes beet red and smiles nervously, a sweatdrop visible. "…Umm, well, you see… Bye!" She says, slamming the trapdoor shut. The sound of shuffling could be heard, as though Anna was putting the heavy box on top of the trapdoor again.
"…Nice going." Miro mumbles.
"She'll come back…" Matthew says. "Just… give her a minute…"
"Forget it." Miro says. He turns to Galen. "Maybe you can help us out."
"Don' even bother." Galen says. "I've been stuck down here for years, y'can't get out."
"Well… how did you get in?" Miro asks.
"Oh… I fell down the stairs." Galen says.
"…STAIRS?!" Miro and Matthew shout, looking at him.
"Yep. Right 'ere." Galen says, shuffling to a darkened area, which Miro and Matthew follow him to. There it was, around a corner. A perfectly usable stairway.
"I thought you said there was no way out!" Miro says angrily.
"There ain't." Galen says. "I'm too old to climb stairs. They should install a damned escalator, I say…"
Matthew sighs, shaking his head.
"Let's go, Miro." He says, beginning to walk up the stairs.
"Oh, one more thing." Galen says.
"Yep?" Miro replies, turning to him.
"Tell your Dad that he should wax my gravestone every day, even though I ain't dead. Nina's, too. 'Cause… she really is dead."
"What if he doesn't believe me?" Miro asks.
"He should… if he doesn't, then… PAH!" Galen spits once more, coating Miro's face with a fresh layer of slimy expectorate. "…Aw, lookit what ya made me do! There goes the rest of it…"
"…Oh… sorry…" Miro says through clenched teeth, beginning to wipe his face off again.
The two of them then continue to walk up the stairs, emerging in the end of the hall they went down, right next to the store they were just in. They decided not to bring Galen along, since… well, he didn't ask, now did he? They begin to walk back down the hall, figuring that their hour was almost up and they had to get back to the bowling alley. They had failed to find a good way to cheat, which they sighed about.
As they passed by the main entrance, they feel a cold wind chill down their backs.
"Brr… Did somebody turn on the air conditioning?" Matthew asks, looking around.
"…We've felt that wind before…" Miro says, him and Matthew both stopping. With a quick motion, Miro draws his baseball bat from his Rucksack, which he was smart enough to put in an easy-to-grab position, and spins around, striking at the person behind them. The person grabs the end of the bat before it could contact him, however, and thrusts it aside, throwing it from Miro's grip.
"William…" Miro growls, stepping back a bit and glaring. Mathew steps back as well, more-or-less also glaring.
"Do not concern yourselves, I have no intent to bring you back." William says calmly, looking at Miro without much expression.
"Oh, really?" Miro says. "Well, for some reason, I don't believe you!"
Miro throws a fast punch at William, but he grabs Miro's wrist and throws him to the ground, placing a foot on his back.
"You have little choice but to believe me." He says.
"…You put up a good argument…" Miro admits, William removing his food from on top of him. Surprisingly, William offers Miro a hand, which Miro hesitantly accepts. He pulls him to his feet easily, and Miro releases his grip, stepping back a bit. He still wasn't convinced of all of this.
"Why are you so nice all of a sudden, William?" Matthew asks, also a bit skeptical.
"Normally, I would not be." William says. "This is an exception."
"How so?" Miro asks.
"It seems that I owe you a certain favor." William says, not breaking from his emotionless tone. "I pursued you only because I was informed that you were in danger, that you were walking into a trap. It seems, however, that there are no evil creatures here that wish to harm you. I was deceived by the parents to aid them in their cause."
"So… you're not going to drag us back home?" Matthew says.
"I have no reason to." William replies.
"And you owe us for all that you did to try stopping us?" Miro pursues.
"Correct." William says.
"So, TECHNICALLY, in the sense of the term of the phrase, you're on our side now?" Miro asks.
"Yes."
"COOL!" Miro and Matthew say, smiling happily.
"But… what about the parents? Are they coming?" Matthew asks.
"I have dealt with them. If they are smart, they will not proceed." William says.
-
"We have to get through this…" Elli says, looking up at the palisade wall of roots in front of them.
"I know, but how?" Ann asks.
"We could always go around." Popuri points out. The others look at her strangely, and she looks back.
"What?" She says. "Look, the wall ends right there!" She points to a far edge, where the wall of roots makes an abrupt end.
"Oh…" Nami says.
"Well, let's go." Jack says, him (them, if you count the other Jack…) and the others beginning to walk in that direction. Once they make it to the end, they simply walk by the barricade without another thought of it.
-
William suddenly looks like he had noticed something, and shuts his eyes.
"They have passed the boundary." He says plainly.
"So… so the parents are coming?" Matthew says.
"Do not worry, they can not pass by me so easily…" William says.
"'Pass by you'?" Miro echoes, confused. "What're you talking about…?"
"My power extends beyond my physical abilities." William says. "And they will learn that any facet of my power is not to be trifled with."
-
Just before they were completely beyond the barrier, the adults suddenly notice something. Kai notices it first.
"Umm… Those roots are wriggling." He says.
"They were always wriggling." Nami says, not bothering to look. "What, did you just notice?"
"No, Nami, they're really starting to move fast…" Jack-from-the-Valley says, also looking at it. Nami sighs and turns to see it, as do the rest of the group.
The roots did look like they were disturbed by something, they were writhing a bit strangely and unpredictably. They suddenly stop, completely, for a second. Just before the group was about to continue walking, the nearby roots lashed out at them, immediately grabbing the Jacks, Cliff, Elli, and Popuri. Nami draws her knives, but doubted if they could do much against such thick roots. Mary, Kai, Gray, and Ann stumble back, each narrowly missing an incoming root. One of them lashes out at Nami, and she dodges to one side, slashing at it with a knife in the meantime. However, as she predicted, the cut wasn't deep enough to slice the root completely through.
"It's no use…" Nami growls, ready for the next strike.
"Glad to hear you're so up about it, hon!" Jack yells as a root constricting his neck waves him around.
Kai draws a good-sized swordfish from his pack, and manages to slice the tip of one root off, but there were far too many for just him to handle.
"We need to figure this out!" He says.
"Do they have a weakness?" Gray asks.
"They're plants, they're photosynthetic!" Mary replies. "Unless we can shut the sun off for a few days, I can't see any way of stopping them!"
"Maybe the plants don't, but their master does!" Cliff says as a root dangles him by one leg.
"Oh yes, William!" Elli says, being held by the waist by one of the roots. "He must focus to do this, so maybe we can break his focus!"
"Well, we're listening!" Ann says, narrowly dodging another root.
"We can't help them!" Popuri says, being held up by an arm and a leg. "They have to do it!"
"Who?" Jack asks.
"Us!" Elli says. "Me and Cliff! We know how to stop him!"
"Oh yeah!" Cliff suddenly remembers. "All we have to do is make him uncomfortable, that way he'll lose his focus!"
"How're you gonna do that?" Nami asks.
"Just watch." Cliff says with a smirk on his face. "Ready, Elli?"
"Yep." Elli replies. They both clear their throats, come up with the single cheeziest love song that they had ever sung to one another, to William's disgrace, and begin singing.
"Every
night in my dreams
I see you, I feel you,
That is how I know
you go on
Far across the distance
And
spaces between us
You have come to show you go on
Near, far, wherever you are
I
believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And
you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on
Love can touch us one time
And
last for a lifetime
And never let go till we're gone
Love was when I loved you
One
true time I hold to
In my life we'll always go on
Near, far, wherever you are
I
believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And
you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on…"
-
William suddenly looks to be struggling with his focus. His eyelids begin to twitch and his hands go into fists. As his parents continue to sing, William continues to struggle with more and more difficulty. He places his hands on the side of his head and gives out a low growl. He could hear their singing in his head, it was completely unbearable. If one facet of William's former self still existed in him, it was that hearing his parents singing romantically to each other was really, really uncomfortable. Finally, he growls out a statement.
"…You have won this battle…"
And with that, he lets his hands drop and relaxes, looking like he had just lifted a heavy burden from himself.
-
At the end of the song, the roots finally give way and drop their captives, rather hard, back to the ground. Writhing in agony, they suddenly begin to shrink away and quickly dissolve into nothing.
"Y… You did it!" The Jacks say in amazement.
"Of course we did." Cliff says.
"I think we know our own son, don't we?" Elli says. Cliff nods.
"Well, you didn't know that he could do that." Nami says, not impressed. "You also didn't know that he has some 'true mission' and he now thinks of us as obstacles."
"Hey, yeah…" Jack says, getting up and standing beside Nami. "What's up with that, anyhow? Is there something you aren't telling us?"
"I think now would be a good time to explain yourselves." Nami says in a rather demanding fashion.
Elli and Cliff sigh and look at each other. Elli decides to speak.
"Well, you see…"
-
"What happened?" Miro asks, looking at William.
"They have managed to breach my defences, by… overwhelming means." William says.
"So they're coming?!" Matthew says in alarm.
"It is not a concern." William says, looking at the main entrance. He holds out a hand, which glows green for a moment, and a set of vines shoot from the ground and wrap themselves in among all of the doors, tying the handles together and tightly wrapping every part of the doors which could even suggest that they are openable.
Miro and Matthew look shocked.
"How did… you… do that?!" Miro breathes out in amazement.
"It is my power." William says. "I can control nature."
"No kidding…" Miro says, recovering a bit. He looks at Matthew.
"Are you comprehending what I'm comprehending…?" Matthew asks slowly.
"I think so…" Miro says. They both look at William.
"William, you're gonna win us a game." Miro says, smirking evilly.
When they reached the bowling alley, Miro opens the door and walks in, followed by the other two. Anna, Ricca, Kate, and Lumina were already there, waiting patiently for their return. Once they noticed William, everyone but Lumina gasped and stepped back.
"Miro, you you realize that there's a superpowered nemesis of ours following you around?!" Kate asks, pointing to William.
"Don't worry, don't worry." Matthew says.
"He's on our side now." Miro reassures them. "It turns out that he… umm… what was it again?" He looks to William.
"I was deceived by the parents. They informed me that you were in danger, but you are not. Therefore they are enemies, and I now owe you for the disturbance I have caused."
"…Really…?" Ricca says, walking over to William. "So, now you're with us, in the group?"
"In those respects, yes. I am in debt, and I must still protect you from other forces." William says plainly.
"Oh, you mean like the parents?" Kate says.
"…Yes." William says.
"…Oh, so that's William?" Lumina asks, finally getting it. "Wow, I thought he'd be a lot uglier."
"You thought wrong." Ricca says, looking at her and almost looking like she took offense to that.
"…Anyway, why don't we continue our game?" Miro says, smirking suspiciously.
"I don't see why not." Kate says, shrugging.
"Okay. I believe it was your turn." Matthew says, sharing the same smirk.
The group of them return to their game, Kate going up first. The rest of them wait on a bench, Miro and Matthew sitting on either side of William. The two of them whisper the plan into William's ears, and William nods slightly in response. When Kate rolled the bowling ball down the lane, William summons a gust of wind without moving and blows the ball into the gutter. Kate seems confused for a moment, but shrugs and picks up a second ball. When she rolls it down the lane again, William turns a section of the lane into quicksand and the ball sinks down in it. The lane immediately returns to normal once the ball was gone. Kate looked bewildered for a moment, and turns back to the others.
"What the heck just happened?" She asks.
"I…" Matthew begins. "…I heard that there were areas of soft earth that pop up once in a while in these parts. It just tends to happen. Keep going."
Kate pauses for a moment, shrugs, and picks up another ball. Miro and Matthew sigh in relief. As Kate was approaching the lane for her throw, William turns a section of the ground in front of her into ice, on which she slips for a few feet and lands on her back on the other side of the red boundary line.
"Out of bounds!" Miro exclaims. "That's zero points for Kate that round. Sorry. Ricca, you're up!"
Kate gets up slowly, the ice gone at this point, and walks in an exasperated way to the bench, Ricca walking by her. Ricca picks a ball up and rolls it down the lane. Just before it hit the pins, William causes a small slope of rock to raise up, which the ball rolls up and jumps over, also jumping over the pins.
"Jeez, be more gentle with your throw, Ricca!" Miro says. "That way it won't bounce like that!"
"It couldn't bounce like that…" Ricca mumbles to herself, ignoring Miro. "Something strange is going on…"
She picks up another ball and readies herself for a throw. William flicks his wrist and a hummingbird appears in his hand. He waits for the right moment and releases it, the little bird flying toward Ricca. Just as Ricca pulls her arm back for the throw, the hummingbird places itself between her arm and her side, fanning her underarm with its wings. Ricca's face contracts, her mind suddenly preoccupied to resisting the tickling, and her throw is sent off-course. It lands shamefully in the gutter, and Ricca swats the annoying bird away, looking a bit flustered and very annoyed.
"Hmm… Now where did that bird come from all of a sudden…?" Miro asks innocently, looking around.
"That was not a coincidence!" Ricca yells, glaring at them. "What are you doing to make these things happen?!"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Matthew says, shrugging. "I mean, it's not as though we can control nature…"
"…I'm gonna trust that." Ricca says suspiciously. "But if it keeps happening…"
And so it did, with Ricca's third attempt stopped by a small earthquake sending it off-course. It was then the guys' turn, with otherwise-hopeless shots hitting their mark and getting strikes every single time. Examples of this are when a small canyon suddenly forms in the middle of the lane, guiding the ball to the pins, and when the gutter is inexplicably filled with large beetles, which roll the ball to the pins once it lands in there. By the time Miro and Matthew had tied Ricca and Kate, with Miro's next strike aided by a sudden tremor knocking the rest of the pins down once Miro's ball had knocked a single one down, the girls were fed up. They all stand up and stomp over to Miro, Matthew, and William.
"What is going on?!" Kate says angrily. "It seems like awfully good timing that these weird acts of nature are happening in the middle of the game, helping you win, doesn't it?"
"I suppose so." Miro says, acting cool as a cucumber.
"It's really quite interesting, these phenomena all taking place within the confines of this bowling alley." Matthew says.
"Yeah, I'm sure it's a field day for an egghead like you." Ricca remarks.
"Egghead?" Matthew says, an eye twitching. "I prefer 'sophisticated covert-type', thank you."
"Whatever." Ricca says. She turns to Miro.
"So, do you have anything to say in your defence?" She asks.
"Nope." Miro says. "As it stands, you have no proof that any of this has anything to do with us. I'm just playing the game, honestly."
Ricca thinks for a moment, considers something, and then she and the other girls turn to look at William. Miro and Matthew become a bit more nervous.
"William, tell me," Ricca begins. "Have you been doing anything that would… tilt the odds of the game in their favor?"
"Yes."
"NO HE HASN'T!" Miro and Matthew say, each putting a hand over William's mouth. William turns his eyes at either of them, and then causes their hands to catch fire. Miro and Matthew pull their hands back, blowing to put them out. Once they were out, they look at William.
"Why did you tell them?!" Miro says. "We told you not to tell them!"
"And Ricca told me to tell them." William adds tonelessly.
"So?" Matthew says. "The point of being told not to tell someone is to not tell them even if they are told to tell them!"
"Incorrect." William says. "I list requests by priority. Ricca is of a higher priority than both of you."
"What?!" Miro and Matthew say.
"Really?" Ricca says, her eyes widening a bit. "Well… that's good. You're a high priority, too…"
"Hmm… Pardon us while we puke out the food we've eaten recently that is urging us violently to do so." Miro says.
"Yes, your little hint of emotion to William was like the wind…" Matthew says in a poetic tone. "…It blows."
"…William, I'm a high priority, right?" Ricca says.
"Correct." William says.
"Good. Then you can do me a favor?" Ricca begins. Miro and Matthew's eyes widen.
A moment later, the two guys are on the floor outside of the alley, in the hall, looking to be in even worse condition than they were before the fall and the propane explosion. They are followed by the rest of the group, including William, who stand around them expectantly.
"So… have you learned anything today?" Kate asks.
"Yes…" Miro says, looking blankly up at the roof. "Pain is… bad…"
"I can aid them in their recovery, if you wish." William says.
"Hmm… Oh, I suppose so." Ricca says, sighing.
William walks to them, crouches down, and places a hand on either of them. He closes his eyes and his hands glow white for a moment. He then stops, opening his eyes and stepping back.
Miro and Matthew get up, trying to find the bruises that they had recently gained, and now lost.
"Wow… what did you just do?" Miro asks, looking at William.
"I gave a very small amount of my power to aid your body in its recovery process." William says. "However, I took it back as soon as you were competently healed."
"…Jee, thanks." Miro says.
"It's good to know that we were a very small amount as powerful as you… for a second." Matthew says, sighing.
After a pause, Ricca looks to Anna, who looks to Matthew, who looks to Ricca, who looks to Anna and Matthew, who then look to each other and Ricca, and then they all look to William.
"Umm… We've been meaning to ask you something…" Anna begins.
"If we could be so kind…" Matthew says.
"…Proceed." William says.
"How did… how did you become like you are right now?" Ricca says. "I mean, Matthew saw you going to the Pond, but he didn't see what happened…"
"…That information is…" William begins. But he is cut off, or he almost seems to cut himself off, since it looked like he was listening to another voice. After a moment, he nods.
"…I understand." He says to no one that the group could see. He looks at the others and takes in a breath calmly.
"I was brought to the Pond because the pastor, Carter, told me and my family that I was to go there. He did not say why, only that the Goddess willed us to. That day, they brought me to it, and we gave an offering as is the custom. The Harvest Goddess then appeared before us, and spoke of a task that she needed accomplished. We accepted the task, and I walked to the very edge of the Pond. She then bestowed me with the unfathomable power that I now possess; enhanced physical ability, control over nature, and removal of any emotions that may impede my journey.
The day that you four left, the day after I was given this power, I was told by my parents to use my abilities to help them in the retrieval of you. I informed them that, since you were self-sufficient enough to survive in the wilderness without need of aid, I could not spare myself to help them. They then told me that you were, in fact, in mortal danger. They told me that your final destination would lead to an area filled with evil creatures, and that you were under the illusion that you were going to some fanciful paradise. Looking back at this, I should have known better. They did not even know where you were going at that point."
The rest of the group was quiet for a moment, digesting all of this information in. Ricca is the first to speak out.
"So… You can go back to normal… once your mission's done, right?"
"Correct." William says. "If I survive the mission, my power will be given away back to the Goddess."
"S-Survive?!" Ricca stammers out, the others looking a bit surprised as well. "You mean that you might… die?"
"Correct." William says. The group is silent for a long time after this.
-
"So that's how it all happened…" Gray says, after the group heard what had happened from Elli and Cliff. They were now walking toward the Place, with no further obstacles.
"Exactly." Cliff says, nodding. "You see, we had to try something to help us get the kids back, we couldn't just ignore such a perfect opportunity!"
"But what is his real mission?" Mary asks.
"How should we know?" Elli asks. "William was given the orders privately, we didn't hear what the Goddess told him."
"And you figured that whatever orders they were didn't matter as much as what you wanted him do do?" Nami asks.
"Well…" Elli begins.
"Didn't it cross your mind that he might not like it if he found out that you were lying?" Nami persists.
"It… wasn't like that." Cliff says. "I mean, it was, but I thought that he'd forgive us if he did find out since… well, we're his parents. And hey, at least Elli and I saved all of us from those roots."
"Yeah, that was amazing!" Kai says, him and the Jacks still reeling over the impressive victory that Elli and Cliff scored over the giant plants, changing the subject completely.
"It was nothing, really…" Elli says modestly. "We just sang a song, that's all."
"Hmm… Hey, I remember a good poem that I made up. It's not a song, but…" Jack says, turning to Nami. "Do you remember it? I made it up just a while ago."
"Hmm… Which one was that…?" Nami asks.
"Here, I'll recite it." Jack says, pulling a random paper from the inner reaches of his shirt. He clears his throat and takes in a breath.
"It is autumn, we walk hand in
hand, my wife and I
Our love is like music, now and then a string
breaks,
And what were sharps are now flats.
Our love is like a
fretless bass,
We've been playing it so long we know exactly where
to put our fingers."
Nami stomps on Jack's foot, and while he was busy taking in the pain, she snatches the paper from him. She remembered it now.
"Jack, what did I say about reciting that in public, or anywhere, at any time?!" She demands.
"Err… Don't?" Jack suggests.
"Right." Nami says, crumpling the paper up and shoving it into the deepest recesses of her bag. Jack sighs in disappointment, and then looks forward and notices something.
"Wh… WOW!" He says, pointing forward. The others turn to look, and see the incredible Mall in front of them.
"…Well, that saves us time looking for them." Gray says.
"Yes, I'm quite sure they wouldn't ignore something so blatantly obvious." Mary says, nodding.
"Not to mention cool!" The hatted Jack adds. "I remember this place, it's exactly how it looked when I came here!"
"Yeah, let's go inside!" Popuri says urgently. "I can't wait to see what's on sale in there! Ooh, I haven't been in a Mall since I was in Highschool!"
"She made it to Highschool?" Jack whispers to Nami. Nami shrugs.
"Anyway, yes, let's go!" Kai proclaims, the whole group speeding forward. However, when they made it to the entrance a minute or so later, the doors did not swing open for them. Instead, they all smash into the main entrance in a big pile.
"Ooh… that smarts…" Kai says.
"My back…" Jack groans.
"Yeah, mine kinda cracked there, too…" Nami says.
"No, Nami, I mean you have your elbow in my back…" Jack continues. Nami notices this and pulls it out with a disconcerting crack. It couldn't be told if it was Nami's elbow or Jack's back that made the noise, but three months were definitely taken out of someone's life somewhere in the process.
"Can everyone clear out, please?" Cliff asks, who was in the middle of this horizontal dogpile. The others groan and shuffle their way a distance from one another, now focusing on why the doors didn't open.
"Hmm… hey, look at that." Gray says, pointing into the inside of the glass portion of the door. There were many vines visible, wrapped in front of them in a way that kept the doors tightly sealed.
"This is probably Wiliam's work." Nami says.
"Well, we could try singing…" Elli suggests.
"No, the vines aren't moving." Gray points out. "That means that William couldn't be focusing on them. It probably wouldn't affect him."
"Well, does anyone else have a plan?" Ann asks, looking around at them.
"Simple." The blue-overalled Jack says, pulling something from his Rucksack. It was a Mysterile Sickle.
"Ah, that's Grandpa's work." Gray says.
"That it is." Jack says, pulling the sickle back. "Now you guys might want to step back, unless you'd like to look like the weeds that I've taken out with this puppy."
The others comply, stepping a safe distance back, as Jack pulls the sickle fully back and swings it, spinning around quite a few times before stopping. At first it looked like nothing happened, but then the vines behind the door collapse to the ground, and fine lines were visible on the door itself.
"Thank you, Saibara." Jack says, putting the Sickle back into his Rucksack.
"Umm… be careful opening the door." Mary says. "It might fall apart on us."
The adults push the door open carefully, and it remains in one piece, thankfully. They then walk in, looking at the spectacular Mall, and try to see their children.
"Hmm… should we split up?" Kai asks.
"That's probably a bad idea." Nami says. "Even if one group finds them, we'll most likely be outnumbered. Let's just start searching one hallway at a time."
The others nod, and the group begins running down a random hallway.
-
"William…" Ricca begins. "There's one more question that we need to have answered."
"Yeah," Miro says, knowing what it was. "What is your real mission?"
"My mission…" William says, pausing for a moment. "…The mission that the Harvest Goddess gave to me, is to seek out and destroy-"
He suddenly cuts himself off, looking down the hall and upward, opposite the way they came. There, a dark figure had perched itself on an overhanging pipe. It was one of the shadow-things, with the small red spot of its forehead glowing the same as always.
"-that." William finishes, suddenly breaking from the group and running to it, jumping up to the pipe. The creature jumps away, however, and William pursues it down the hall.
"Come on, let's go!" Miro says, beginning to run. The rest of the group also starts running.
"There's more than one of those things, William might need help!" Ricca adds.
As they continue to run, going down the long hallway, William and the creature are lost to sight. They run faster, hoping to catch up. After running around a large decorative statue of a dead fish, they see that William had stopped. Running in his direction and halting beside him, they take a moment to catch their breath and look at him.
"Where… where did they go?" Miro asks, panting.
"I must tell you now, I did not aid you in your bowling as a favor." William says. "I did it to attract the creatures."
"That's nice and all, Will, but…" Matthew begins. "Where are they?"
William points forward for a moment, and the group looks in that direction. They all gasp in shock. There, on the top of a platform with stairs in front of them, which was probably used to showcase cars or something, were the two shadow-things. They were both standing at either side of a third person, which Miro immediately recognized.
"Hugh!" He yells.
"Get out of there, Hugh!" Lumina says. "Those things are dangerous!"
Hugh, in all of his superbly-great, muscle-loaded self, chuckles a bit at Lumina's statement.
"Why else do you think I'd have them here?" He asks, smirking.
Miro gets it immediately, and glares at him.
"So you're the one one pulling the strings on this!" He says.
"Heheheheh… Yep." Hugh says, looking quite proud of himself.
"But why? How'd you get control over them?!" Kate demands.
"Long story." Hugh says.
"We're not going anywhere." Mathew says. "I'm sure that you have time to tell us."
"There they are!" A voice from behind the group says. The adults come charging toward them, and stop just behind them.
"Come on, Miro, we're going home." Nami says.
"Mom, this is not the time…" Miro says urgently, pointing to Hugh and the shadow-creatures.
"Huh? Hugh?" Jack says. "What're you doing here?"
"He's just about to tell us." Kate says, looking back to Hugh. "Aren't you?"
"Fine, fine…" Hugh says. "But first I think you should see what my little helpers here really are…"
Hugh glances at either of the creatures, and they both comply, stepping forward a bit and dispelling the veil of darkness that covered them. Standing before them now were two people that Miro also recognized but Nami commented on before Miro could.
"M-Muffy?! Celia?!" She says in shock. Indeed, the two things in front of them were the very same disgruntled bachellorettes which tried to take Miro, Jack, and Nami out. They were extremely different now, though. They had a soulless look on their faces similar to William's, but more evil. Also, the red, glowing spot on their foreheads was a big change. The spot reminded Jack and Miro of something, but they couldn't quite put their finger on it.
"That would be them." Hugh says. "Oh, but don't bother trying to talk to them, it has full control over whatever they do."
"It?" Ricca says. "What's 'it'?"
"Now, now, let me tell the story first." Hugh says, looking at all of them. He takes in a breath.
"Back when I was a bit smaller, I noticed that Lumina was paying a whole lot more attention to Miro than to me. I thought that she'd get over him after a while, but I was wrong. Every day she'd ignore me running laps around her house, doing push-ups in her garden, bench-pressing on her piano, nothing caught her attention. Finally, a couple of weeks ago, I figured that there was only one thing I could do. After I saw Celia and Muffy here get stomped by Nami, I decided to make a little plan of my own. When you two, Miro and Kate, were busy yelling at each other for hours like that, I took a little something from under your noses and gave it to these two." He points to Muffy and Celia.
Suddenly, Jack and Miro realize what those spots were. They recognized the glow immediately, and gasped in shock.
"Daachan!" They both exclaim. Nami, Kate, and Lumina gasp at this, too.
"Bingo." Hugh says in a sinister way. "Daachan wasn't dead, you see. His eyes were still intact. All that they needed was a different body. That's where the ladies here came in handy. I then told them to bring Lumina right here, as fast as they could, without her knowing, so that she could catch up with you, Miro. And now, with the help of Daachan, I can take you out. Lumina will be mine!"
Miro pauses for a moment, and then chuckles.
"I'm surprised that a jock like you could come up with a plan like that." He says. "But I beat Daachan before, and now there's a lot more of us to help out."
"Yeah, but you've got a couple of little problems." Hugh says smugly. "You don't have a gross, rotten, old sandwich to help you now. Plus, Daachan is much stronger than before, since it's been feeding off of the energy of many different things, and it's not just a teddy bear anymore."
"Feeding off of the energy…" Matthew repeats, mumbling. He turns to Miro quickly. "Miro, I think that Daachan might be the demon that the old Galen guy mentioned!"
"Hey, that's right…" Miro says.
"Correct." William says, stepping forward slightly. "It is also the demon that I have been told to slay by the Harvest Goddess. You, Hugh, have been consoling with my enemy, making it stronger. This makes you a high-priority target. I will now get rid of you."
"Ha!" Hugh says, stepping forward as well. "I'd like to see you try, Whitey!"
William dashes forward at Hugh at a blinding speed, and Hugh simply stands there, crossing his arms smugly, his eyes shut. Just before William could reach him, Muffy and Celia place themselves in front of him, grabbing William by either arm and holding him in place.
"You see?" Hugh says, opening his eyes. "Daachan told me about you. You may be tougher than a mortal like me, but can you beat these two?"
"You will not escape me." William says. "Once the demon is dealt with, I will destroy you next."
He then shuts his eyes, his entire body glowing a light blue, and a huge gust of wind blows from him, knocking Celia and Muffy away. They land on their feet, though, and prepare their weapons. Muffy flicks her wrists again, as she did in the fight with Nami, but her nails shoot out an astonishing three feet in length this time.
"Yike…" Nami mumbles. "William just might be in trouble…"
Celia also readies a weapon, causing a broom from a nearby closet to fly into her hand. This time, however, Daachan's power turns the bristles of the broom into razor-sharp blades.
Before anyone could do anything, Muffy and Celia run at William, who quickly summons up a sword of ice and dodges them, the three of them dodging, clashing weapons, and jumping off until they were out of sight.
"They'll take care of him." Hugh says.
"I swear, if they hurt William even a bit, I'm going to pound your head into powder, you evil-" Ricca begins, but she is cut off by Miro.
"Ricca, Kate, everyone…" He says, stepping forward. "Go help William."
"Wait… Miro, you're not going to do what I think you are, are you?!" Kate says in alarm. "You can't beat Hugh, he's in way better shape than you!"
"Just go." Miro repeats.
"Miro, you're not gonna win-" Kate begins to say.
"If William loses that fight, it doesn't matter who wins this one!" Miro says, turning to her and the others. "Now go!"
After a pause, the group of kids and adults nod, running off in the direction that William went. Two people who paused to turn before they went around the corner were Kate and Lumina. Kate left after a moment, but Lumina lingered for a bit longer.
"Hugh…" She mumbles. "What a nice guy, doing all of this for me." She smiles and runs off after the others.
Miro sees them go, and then looks to Hugh.
"Ah…" Hugh says. "I thought it might come to this. But don't worry, I'm more than ready to strangle you myself, you skinny loser!"
"So, what, you're going to kill me to impress Lumina?" Miro says.
"That's the plan." Hugh says, nodding.
"Have you put much thought into this…?" Miro asks. "…Oh, wait, sorry, stupid question."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Hugh snaps.
"Hugh, you're a complete jock." Miro says. "Your thought process rarely leaves the field of 'me got big muscles, me like piano lady with the big, squishy-'"
"Shut up!" Hugh says.
"Make me." Miro challenges.
"Ha!" Hugh laughs. "You kidding me? I eat crap like you for breakfast!"
They were both silent for a moment after this.
"…That's more than I needed to know, thanks." Miro says.
"Grr…" Hugh growls. He calms down a moment later, though. "Heh. You're talking big to buy yourself time before I cream you. Well guess what, Miro?" He begins walking down the steps toward him, Miro not moving.
"Time's up."