Chapter Fifteen:

The sound of Storm's screams rang throughout the wing of the hotel. All the older children, plus Layla and Igneel ran towards the sounds, finding Storm crumpled on the floor. Jude, who had been asleep as the children had their meeting, also ran into the room.

"Storm?" Bianca asked as she approached her brother. "What's wrong?"

"That idiot!" Storm whispered through his tears. He held out the note. Bianca took it and read, then gasped.

"She went to try and find our parents!"

"WHAT!?" everyone gasped. Jude snatched the note from Bianca and furiously poured over the words.

"Nashi, what are you doing?" Jude asked.

"Nashi left?" Layla whimpered, her bottom lip trembling.

"Where'd she go?" Igneel asked.

"Somewhere we can't follow," Farrah muttered. "Stupid girl!"

"Is she going to be okay?" Layla asked.

"I...I don't know," Farrah answered. "The way Carmen was talking...it sounds like it's going to be dangerous."

"Wait, what?" Jude asked as he turned to the children. "What are you all doing awake? What's going on?"

"Oh, well…" Cato scratched at the back of his head as he began to explain what Carmen had told them.

"So she just jumped into a portal without opening the other end!?" Jude exclaimed. "That's insane!"

"You're telling us?" Persephone exclaimed.

"There's gotta be something we can do!" Koree exclaimed. "We can't just let her go off by herself!"

"But she already did go off on her own," Cato said. "And none of us can create portals as she can!"

"We can't just abandon her!" Koree shouted.

"But what are we supposed to do?" Cato exclaimed.

"Cato!" Storm shouted as he jumped to his feet and ran to him. "You're a memory make wizard. Make one of Nashi's portals."

"I…"

"Cato, c'mon!"

"I can't!" Cato said.

"Yes, you can! You can-"

"No, I can't," Cato shook his head. "I've tried to recreate Nashi's spells before but I can't. I don't know why, but I can't. It's never worked."

"It's because Nashi's different," Jude sighed.

"Different how?" Storm asked.

"Titan Fire Magic can't be wielded by normal human beings. The only reason Nashi can do it is because she has some Etherious blood in her thanks to Natsu," Jude replied. "It doesn't matter how skilled of memory make wizard Cato becomes, I doubt he'd ever be able to recreate Nashi's spells."

"Etherious?" Farrah asked.

"Oh, yeah," Cato nodded. "I remember Mama and Papa telling me that story."

"But if she has Etherious Blood," Storm said, turning to Layla and Igneel. "Then so do you two. Which means one of you could use Nashi's magic, right?"

"Uh…" Igneel stuttered as he thought.

"We've never really tried to before," Layla answered rubbing nervously at her arm. "Besides...I don't know if we could learn."

"What do you mean you can't learn?" Storm asked.

"Well, because Nashi didn't learn it, so how can we?" Layla answered. "She was born with her magic, remember? I don't know if Titan Fire Magic can be taught to someone else. I think it's something you have to be born with. Otherwise, how come no one learned how to do it before Nashi was born?"

"Well, there were no Celestial Dragon Slayers before Igneel was born either, yet he still learned how to do it, right?" Storm shouted.

"Hey, that's different!" Igneel snapped, before lowering his head and frowning at the ground. "At least...I think it is...huh? How did I learn Celestial Dragon Slayer Magic…"

"NOW'S NOT THE TIME TO ASK THESE QUESTIONS!" Storm screamed. "WE'VE GOTTA HELP NASHI!"

"Storm," Roman, who had been quiet the whole time, stepped up to his friend's side and set a hand on his shoulder. "I...I don't think we can."

"No!" Storm screeched, putting his hands to his head. "No, there has to be-"

"There is," Farrah finally said. "We can make sure Phoenix Grave and Elena don't find out where she went. We make sure they don't try to go after her. And we do that by playing the Grand Magic Games like nothing happened."

"That's it!" Storm shouted. "There's gotta be something-"

"Yeah, get some rest," Farrah stated. "We've got a long day ahead of us."

"C'mon, there's gotta be more, think guys!" Storm insisted.

As Storm kept yelling, Layla covered her face and began to cry. "Mommy's gone. Daddy's gone. And now Nashi's gone!"

"She won't be gone long, Layla," Igneel tried to comfort his sister. "She'll be back. And she'll bring Mommy and Daddy back with her.

Jude stared at his two grandchildren. He wanted to say something to comfort them, but he had no words. The older children were practically out of control now, yelling and screaming at one another, and waking the younger ones. Jude decided it would be best for him to check on Kyri and Luna. Somehow, they were both still sleeping through the night, slumbering soundly in the cribs next to his bed.

Alone in his bedroom with no one to see him Jude sat down on the edge of his bed and buried his hands in his face.

"Nashi, why did you…" he wondered as his chest tightened.

A place between life and death, where all the deceased enemies of Fairy Tail could find her. That was no place for anyone, much less a twelve-year-old girl.

But maybe she wouldn't find an enemy. Maybe she'd find a friend?

"Layla?" Jude whispered, calling out to his late wife. "Layla, darling, I don't know if you can hear me. But if you can, our granddaughter is in danger. Please, help her."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

She was still falling. Ever since she'd stepped through the portal Nashi had continued to fall. But where she was falling to, she didn't know. There was nothing but darkness around her.

And she couldn't breathe.

She tried to gasp, but there was no air.

This was a trap! It must have been! Carmen had set her up! Now she was going to die! Maybe it wasn't too late. Maybe she could still open up a-open a-

Her eyelids fluttered closed and she lost consciousness….

….Nashi gasped loudly as she opened her eyes. Air! She was alive!

Nashi sighed in relief as she sat up and looked around her.

There was nothing there. Just darkness. Empty, endless darkness.

"Rhea," Nashi called, pink flames engulfed her body, but did not burn her as she stood to her feet.

The light did very little to help her.

She could nos see she was standing on a black floor, but other than that there was nothing around her. Just empty, black, nothingness for as far as her eyes could see.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Welcome back to another exciting day of the Grand Magic Games!" Chapati announced. "And welcome our guest commentator, Saber Tooth's guild master, Sting Eucliffe!"

"Thanks for having me, pal," Sting smiled.

Despite all the cheering going on around them, all of the Fairy Tail kids were in a glum mood. None of them had slept a wink the night before, everyone was worried sick about Nashi.

Storm wasn't even paying attention to the announcements, he was busy flipping through his notes. He'd written down everything Carmen and the others had said the night before and was trying to find some sort of way to help Nashi.

"Do we know when we'll hear from her?" Koree asked.

"Carmen said it took Tate two days to complete the spell," Cato said. "So I guess we'll know by then if she's okay...or not…"

"That's when the final day of the games is!" Koree exclaimed. "We'll all be fighting in the streets and won't be able to help her if she needs it."

"Will we be able to anyways?" Roman asked. "We can't get to her because we have no portals. I don't know if we can-"

"Sh!" Farrah snapped. "Remember, we have to make sure no one suspects anything's changed. Which means we can't let them know Nashi's gone. Which means stop talking!"

"Right, sorry," Cato hung his head.

"Now let's get to the games!" Yajima announced.

"Our first game is called 'Riddle Me This!'" Chapati shouted.

"Hm, that sounds like your wheelhouse, sis," Koree said, slapping Persephone on the back.

"Huh?" Persephone asked she'd been busily searching through a file on her archive.

"You're up," Koree gestured to the arena.

"I am?"

"You are?"

"Oh. Okay," Persephone shrugged as she walked onto the field.

"And for Fairy Tail, we have Persephone Redfox!" Chapati announced.

"For Phoenix Grave we have Malla Lancome." Yajima said.

"For Sabertooth, my wifey, Yukino Eucliffe," Sting cheered.

Yukino, walking past Persephone blushed. "Oh, stop you."

"Blech!" Persephone cringed.

"For the Lamia Scale, Sherria Blendy!"

"For Blue Pegasus, Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki!"

"Oh, great," Persephone cringed.

"Persephone!" Ichiya called.

"What?" she asked.

"I sense a touch of sadness in your parfum. Are you alright child?"

"I'll be fine when you stop sniffing me," Persephone said as she put her foot up to push Ichiya away.

"Stop smelling my sister you freak!" Koree yelled from the dugout.

"Yeah, get away from her!" Cato loudly agreed.

"Wait, why are you worried?" Koree asked. "She's not your sister."

"Uh…" Cato blinked as a blush began forming on his face. "Just looking out for a friend."

"Well, well, well," Farrah grinned.

"Farrah, don't say a word!"

"How the tables have turned," Farrah continued.

"Shut it!"

"I'm lost," Koree scratched at her head.

Back in the arena, Milliana was announced for Mermaid Heel, and a woman named Coralie was announced for Twilight Ogre.

Everyone cheered for the contestants as Persephone waved half-heartedly. "Yeah, woo-hoo!" If she were being honest, her heart wasn't in it. But she knew she had to do well, for her guilds honor and to keep away suspicion.

"Now, pumpkins," Mato announced. "Let the games begin!"

"Meh," Persephone shrugged, then she gasped and shouted "HEY!" as massive stone walls appeared around her, and a tall ceiling sealed off the outside world.

"So, here's how the game works, pumpkins!" Mato said. "As you can see you are all now trapped in a room with one door. This room is a part of a labyrinth. Your mission is to make your way through the labyrinth until you reach the courtyard at the center where you'll then battle it out against the other contestants!"

"That doesn't sound so bad…" Persephone shrugged.

"But here's the catch."

"And...here we go…"

"There's a puzzle or riddle at every door. To get through each door you'll have to solve the riddle."

"Oh, okay," Persephone said as she looked around her room. On one side of the door was the alphabet is written on a wheel. An arrow was pointed at the top of the wheel.

On the other side of the door was a series of numbers.

And on the door was a number pad.

"So, I guess I gotta use that wheel and these numbers to find out the door combination. Hm," Persephone thought as she pinched her chin. "Hm….oh! I got it!"

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Now what?" Nashi asked herself as she looked around at her glum surroundings. How was she supposed to know which way to go when, no matter where she turned, everything looked the same. Dark. Empty. Just...nothing.

And there seemed to be no one nearby.

Carmen had said dead people would help her, but she wasn't seeing anybody. Dead, or alive…

"Hello?" she called, but nothing. Nashi wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't like this…" she whispered as she picked a random direction and began walking in it. But then she stopped.

What if this was the wrong way? But how was she to know? Every direction looked the same. There was nothing but darkness, emptiness, and smoke.

Smoke?

Nashi blinked as she looked around. Dusty brown-yellowish smoke was now billowing around her.

That wasn't here before, was it?

"Okay…" Nashi muttered as she took a step back, nervous, then she thought of something. When there was smoke there was fire. When there was fire there was life. If she could just figure out which direction this smoke had come from and headed in that direction she might find someone. Nashi focused on the smoke, trying to find a general direction. But it just seemed to be going in a circle.

Another dead in.

"Uh…" Nashi began shivering, though not from cold. She held herself tighter. Her heart began pounding. Monsters were one thing. Dark wizards were one thing. She could punch them down and fight them off. But this? This endless nothingness? How was she supposed to get away from this?

Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe she should just head back. She could always open a portal home. But what hope did her parents have if she left?

"Hello?" she asked again, hoping someone was in this void with her and could hear her.

A giggle came from behind her. Nashi screeched as she whirled around, but she saw nothing. The laugh came again, to her side, along with the sound of pitter-pattering feet.

"Who's there!?" Nashi shouted, black flames billowing around her hand, creating a sword that she held up, ready to attack if need be.

"La, la, la, la, la," the same giggly voice began singing, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Who are you!?" Nashi shouted, still wildly looking around, trying to figure out where the singing was going from.

The giggle continued as more pitter-patters circles around Nashi.

"Where are you!?"

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Persephone opened a screen and implemented the numbers on the wall onto her screen.

"Each number must represent a letter. So A is 1, B is 2, C is 3, and…"

Persephone swapped each of the numbers out for a letter. It read out a riddle that said:

"Once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years."

"Wow!" Sting exclaimed from the box. "She figured that out quick!"

"Yes, indeed," Yajima answered. "Smart kid, that one."

"And with that, Persephone Redfox takes the lead for Fairy Tail, but can she keep it? Can she figure out the next step?"

Persephone scratched at the back of her head, staring at the riddle on her screen.

"Huh, well that makes no sense," Persephone murmured. "Must be a play on words...or maybe something in the actual writing...hm?"

She read over the writing a few more times before finally nodding her head. "Oh, I get it. The letter 'M.'" She smiled as she walked over to the number pad and punched in the number 13.

Nothing happened.

"Close, but no cigar!" Yajima announced.

"Okay, no, huh?" Persephone crossed her arms. "Guess I'm missing a step. Hm."

She glanced at the letter wheel on the wall. "I wonder what would happen if…"

She spun the wheel until the letter "M" was under the arrow at the top. The center of the wheel popped out. Persephone peeked into the newly opened drawer and pulled out a roll of paper. On it was the numbers:

500761.

Persephone punched them into the number pad and the door popped open.

"Sweet," Persephone smiled as she stepped through it and into the next room. She slipped the piece of paper into her pocket in case she would need it later.

"And with that!" Chapati cheered. "Persephone Redfox is the first to clear room one!"

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

The giggle came again, zooming behind Nashi.

"La, la, la, la, la…"

"Who is it!?" Nashi shouted, swinging her fire sword.

"Nashi…"

"Huh?" Nashi asked. That was the same voice that had called out to her when she fell through Tate's portal.

"Nashi...come here, Nashi."

It sounded like a woman's voice. Nashi was fairly certain she'd not met the person this voice belonged to before, something about it made her feel calm. Maybe, hopefully, a friend amid this void.

"Nashi…"

"No, Nashi!" the giggling voice called. "This way! Come with me! I've got so many improvements I can make to you!"

"Improvements?"

"Uh-huh! Uh-huh! Uh-huh!"

"Nashi," the woman's voice called. "Come with me. I can help you find your parents."

"No, Nashi, come with me!" the giggling voice shouted. "Don't listen to her. She's trying to trick you. Your parents are already dead, anyway."

Nashi gasped, dropping her sword. Her parents...dead? She was too late? But...no! No! They couldn't be! They just couldn't be!

"Don't listen to her, Nashi!" the woman's voice called. "Your parents are still alive, they all are, but you have to hurry. They're growing weak, and they're running out of time!"

"No, no, don't listen to HER!" the giggling voice says. "She just wants to steal your power. But I want to make you stronger! I want to help you get revenge on the people who killed your Mommy and Daddy!"

"Nashi, don't! She'll corrupt you! Come with me, I can show you the way to them. Please, trust me!"

Nashi kept looking back and forth in the directions of the two voices, searching for any hint of who may be talking to her. But she still couldn't see anyone.

"Where are you? Who are you? Why can't I see you?"

"It's because you have to make a choice," the giggling voice called. "So choose me! My name is Lamy, and we could be great friends! I'm going to make you so strong!"

"Don't listen to her!"

"C'mon! Dontcha want to show all those mean fellas how wrong they were about you? Don't you want to get back at those Phoenix Freaks for killing your parents?"

"Ugh! Who are you people!" Nashi screamed. "Are you even real? What's going on!"

"Nashi, please," the woman's voice called again. "You can trust me?"

"No, me!"

"Then prove it!" Nashi shouted. "You want me to trust you, give me a reason to!"

"Oh, c'mon," the giggling voice said. "You jumped into a void and NOW you're worried about trust?"

"Capricorn!" the woman's voice called out.

"Huh?" Nashi asked.

"You're little sister, does she have Capricorn's key?"

Nashi gasped, turning towards the woman's voice. "How'd you know that?"

"Your mother gave him to her, right? Just like she got it from her mother before her?"

"Yeah…"

"Oh, don't listen to her! What's a bunch of key nonsense gotta do with anything?" the giggling voice scoffed.

"Your sister is named Layla, right?" the woman's voice continued. "She was named after your grandmother, the one who had Capricorn's key in the first place, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"That was me."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Persephone carefully made her way through the door and into the second room. There was a table with a series of bottles on it. On the other side was an open door. Persephone tried just walking through it but she was stopped by a dark ecriture barrier.

"Ow," she grunted.

"Oh, nope!" Chapati called. "I'm afraid you're not going to get out that way, kiddo. That'd be way too easy!"

"Well, worth a shot," Persephone shrugged. She walked back to the table. "I guess it has something to do with this, eh?"

On the table were a set of instructions:

"One of these five bottles will let you pass through the barrier. But drink the wrong one and you are out of the game."

"Oh, great…"

"To figure out which one of these bottles you should take, solve this riddle: "I speak without a mouth, and hear without ears, I have no body, but come alive with the wind. What am I?"

"Tch," Persephone sniffed. "That's easy, an echo. But how does an echo help me figure out which bottle to drink?"

She tapped her foot as she thought. Echo? Echo? Well, an echo was the sound bouncing off of something and coming back to the person who said it. So...bouncing back? Bouncing back?

"Looks like she's stumped," Sting noted.

"I wouldn't blame her. You've really got to think out of the box for this one," Yajima said.

"Ergh!" Persephone began picking up the bottles to see if any of them gave her a clue. As she did so she noticed they all had an odd shape: one looked like a leaf, one a flower, one an igloo, on a sun, and one a tree. Not only that, but they were all balancing on their corks.

"It's like they were made backward...is that a clue? Backwards….and echo...backwards...and echo...backwards-reverse? Reverse? Reverse!" She clapped her hands. "A reverse echo is when you hear what you just said but backwards...or upside down...hang on!"

Persephone pulled the number code out of her pocket and flipped it over. Instead of reading the numbers 500761 she saw the word "Igloo."

"Gotcha!" Persephone smiled as she picked up the igloo bottle and drank the contents. Smacking her lips she walked back to the door and passed straight through the barrier.

"And there she goes!" Chapati called. "Persephone Redfox has made it to the next round! Unfortunately, Coralie of Twilight Ogre drank the wrong potion, and she is out, taking eighth place!"

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Nashi gasped. Did she just hear what she thought she heard?

"I'm your grandmother, Nashi," the woman's voice continued. "I can help you, but you have to come here. I can't get you. As she said, you have to make a choice."

So that was it! Nashi wasn't going to be able to see anything or anyone until she decided who to go with.

"Don't listen, she's lying, it's a trick!" the giggly voice called.

"Oh, yeah, well who the heck are you?" Nashi asked the giggling voice.

"Like I said, I'm Lamy," the giggling voice said. "And I'm just a friend who wants to help you."

"Why?" Nashi asked. "Why do you want to help me?"

"Because," Lamy giggled. "I'm just like you…misunderstood..."

Nashi gritted her teeth.

"Everyone either underestimated me or thought I was super dangerous too. I understand you! And I want to help you get even!"

"Nashi...please...trust me…"

Nashi took a deep breath, made her choice, and took off running.

"No, come back!"

"That's right, this way!"

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Persephone made her way into the next room. It looked like a storage room. There were stacks of boxes lining the walls, collecting dust.

"Ew," Persephone cringed as she tiptoed over dust bunnies and made her way to the door at the back of the room. on the door was a checker design and the words:

"2 women against 30 men. Put them together and we'll see who wins."

"Uh…" Persephone frowned as she began looking through the boxes. "Ugh, guess I gotta look through all this junk."

Persephone picked one up and dusted it off. It was a board game. In fact, all of these boxes looked like games: dominos, cards, checkers, and…

"Chess got it!" Persephone said as she grabbed the chess box and opened it.

"Wow," Sting exclaimed. "Look at her go!"

Persephone picked up one of the pieces and saw there was a magical magnet on the bottom. Taking the box to the door she began placing the pieces in their designated area on the checker pattern upon the door.

However, once she finished...nothing happened.

The door didn't open.

"Huh?" Persephone asked.

The board suddenly lit up. One of the white pawns moved.

"Oh, so what! Now I've gotta beat a door in a game of chess!"

The door dinged as if to say "yes."

"Ugh…" Persephone grumbled as she plopped down cross-legged in front of the door. "If I lose to a door Koree will never let me hear the end of it."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

The smoke thickened, practically blinding Nashi as she charged forward. She felt something grab her, but it let go of her instantly, screaming in agony. Nashi kept running, pumping her legs all the faster now that she knew the voice she didn't know was chasing her. What the heck was up with that? She couldn't see them, but they could see and grab onto her? At least she'd thought to activate her Rhea flame.

The smoke thickened even more. Good grief, where was this stuff coming from? Nashi began coughing as she waved at the air in front of her, still running, trying to find out who was calling-

She tripped.

She gasped and braced herself for the fall.

But it never came.

Instead, she found herself wrapped in a pair of warm arms.

"Sh, I've got you," a comforting, woman's voice whispered as someone stroked her head. "I've got you."

Nashi opened her eyes and gasped. There was no longer just nothingness. She was in a canyon of some sort. A neverending one, no matter how far up she looked she couldn't see the top of it. Just brown, rocky walls. The arms holding her tightened around her. Nashi turned, looked, and saw a woman who looked almost exactly like her mother, same eyes, same hair, same smile.

"Wow," Nashi gasped. "You really are my grandmother, aren't you?"

The older Layla smiled and nodded, gently pushing Nashi's hair out of her face. "I am."

"I...uh...wow...okay," Nashi stuttered. "I have several questions."

The older Layla laughed. "I'm sure you do."

"Who was the other person?" Nashi asked.

"Lamy," the older Layla answered a frown on her face. "She was a part of a guild known as Tartaros that your parents defeated long before you were born."

"Oh," Nashi shuddered. "So...what did she want with me?"

"I'm not sure," the older Layla said. "But I know she had a bad habit of experimenting on humans when she was alive."

"Ugh!" Nashi shuddered again.

The older Layla wrapped her arms around Nashi again, holding close. "It's alright now, though. You made the right choice. You're safe now."

"But...she was lying, right?" Nashi whispered. "When she said my parents were dead?"

"She was," the older Layla nodded. "They, and the rest of the Fairy Tail adults, are alive. But they are growing weak. I'm afraid they're running out of time."

"Can you take me to them, Grandma?" Nashi asked. "I know I can get them home if I can just find them."

Layla smiled. "I'll do what I can, but I can only take you a part of the way," the older Layla said.

"Why is that?"

"This is a place between life and death. I don't belong here. So, just like Celestial Spirits can't stay in the real world forever, neither can I stay here long."

"Oh," Nashi hung her head.

"But I'll take you as far as I can," the older Layla said as she stood to her feet and helped Nashi stand. "And then, once I've returned to the afterlife, I'll send someone else to help you."

"Okay," Nashi nodded as she stood to her feet and followed after her. Layla took Nashi's hand in hers and began leading her through the canyon.

"Come, let's get going."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Ha! Checkmate!" Persephone declared after about thirty minutes of playing. The pieces fell off the wall and the door swung open.

"Good grief," Sting whistled. "I knew she was smart, but geez!"

Persephone stepped through the door and into the sunlight. The courtyard! She'd made it through the labyrinth. And from the look of things, she was the first one out. Persephone looked at the screen above the arena. Sabertooth, Lamia Scale, and Blue Pegasus were the only three still in the running. Everyone else had either failed at the bottle or chess phase. Persephone smiled evilly as she rubbed her hands and set three screens on three doors.

She then sat cross-legged in the middle of the courtyard and waited. And waited. And waited. Geez, they were taking a long time! What was up with them. As she sat there she began to think back to Nashi.

Why did that idiot have to go off by herself? Sure, she understood wanting to get their parents back. But she couldn't have taken someone with her? Or waited until they found a way to communicate with-

-wait!

Persephone gasped. She had an archive link with everyone in the Birthday Gang. Would it still work even if Nashi was in another dimension? Well, there was only one way to find out.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"So...grandma?" Nashi asked.

"Yes?" the older Layla answered, turning towards her as they kept walking.

"How did you know about me?" Nashi asked. "I mean, you died when Mommy was still a little girl. How did you know I was your granddaughter?"

"Oh, sweetheart," the older Layla smiled. "Do you really think I didn't keep an eye on your mother all these years?"

"So...you can see us living folks from your side?" Nashi asked.

The older Layla nodded.

"So you know about all of us, right? Layla, Igneel, Kyri, Luna, our dad?"

"I do," the older Layla smiled, running a hand over Nashi's hair. "And I'm so proud of all of you."

"Oh, wow, really?" Nashi asked. "Really? I mean, that's nice I guess, but-"

"Of course," the older Layla giggled. "You're all so strong, and brave."

"Eh, I don't know about that," Nashi shrugged.

"You're here right now, aren't you?" the older Layla asked. "Jumping through that portal to come here took a great deal of courage."

Nashi blushed. "I, uh, guess?"

Layla smiled. She then stopped in her tracks.

"Hey, grandma, are we not going to-" Nashi gasped as Layla stooped down and hugged her.

"I'm going to have to go soon," she said.

"Oh...but, no!" Nashi wrapped her arms around Layla's neck. "I just met you! And I've still got a long way to go! I don't know-"

"Just keep walking straight ahead," Layla pointed down the canyon. "There will be someone at the end waiting for you."

Layla then took the pearl headband off her head and placed it on Nashi's. "Give this to your mother for me and tell her I said 'hello.'"

"I will," Nashi nodded, trembling slightly.

"Don't be scared," Layla assured her. "You'll make it."

Nashi nodded. "Okay."

Layla stood up and took a step back.

"Grandma?" Nashi asked.

"Yes?"

"I wish we had more time."

Layla smiled and bent back down, kissing her on the forehead. "Me too."

Then she began to fade and disappeared.

Nashi gasped, reached a hand out to where her grandmother used to be, but felt nothing. Once again, she was alone.

Nashi turned and looked down the canyon.

"Just keep walking straight," she told herself and began walking forward.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been walking when she heard another voice.

"Nashi?"

Nashi jumped and whirled around.

"Who's there?"

"Nashi, it's me, Persephone!"

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Persephone?"

Persephone put a hand to her mouth, tears stinging her eyes. It worked! She wiped at her face. She wasn't expecting hearing Nashi's voice to affect her like this. But after everything they'd been through, it was the good news she needed.

"Oh good!" she smiled as she spoke within her head, so no one would hear her. "My archive link still works!"

"Wow, really?" Nashi replied.

"Nashi, are you okay?"

"For now," Nashi answered. "I'm walking through some sort of canyon right now."

"A canyon?"

"Yeah, my grandmother helped me get this far. But she had to go back to the afterlife. She said there'd be someone else waiting at the end of this canyon who could help me find our parents."

"So, you've figured out where they are?"

"Not exactly...but I know they're here somewhere. And they're still alive."

"That good," Persephone sighed.

"AUGH!" Persephone looked up. Ichiya, Yukino, and Sherria had walked into the courtyard, and they had all fallen into her trapped. They were trapped inside an archive cube, and any attack they tried only shot back at them.

"I think I have to go. I just won the games," Persephone said.

"Hey, nice job!"

"Thanks, just stay safe, okay? I'll leave the link open in case you need to talk to us."

"Okay, thank you, Persephone! It was nice to hear a familiar voice."

Persephone smiled as she walked back to the dugout.

"That's my sister!" Koree cheered, then frowned when she noticed Persephone had tears on her face. "Hey, you okay?"

Persephone nodded, smiling as she looked at the rest of the other children. "Nashi says 'hi.'"