Arc II: Advent of the Divine
The quartet of souls that have newly risen to the challenge. They have done admirably so far. Finding their own path through the dark, they truly could bring back a utopia of light, and prevent the two streams from crashing into each other, ending the river of time.
The shadows that pursue them, however, remain, and the misguided cross still fight with a false hope. Soon, truth shall come to the cross, and it may either shine anew, or fade into oblivion, alongside the reversed Magician, one whose dreams have been buried under the immense dark.
I shall be watching, to witness the gods and demons these souls harbour, during both days of rest and days of warfare.
Chapter 16: Normal Day
|Real People Offices|12:34|
It was an eventful day for the Real People crowd - they would finally finish their first issue. There was quite a tense atmosphere, especially from Karen. She had been nagging everyone to work hard, especially Amara who was hard at work finishing her artwork. Amara finally put the finishing touches to the illustration of a small comic about fashion disasters, much to Colette's joy.
"Amara, you're amazing! I was never any good at art!" she said, face beaming. "Hey Sheila, don't you think Amara's incredible?"
"Yeah, sure. Whatever." Sheila, the relationship columnist, said without even looking. It was nice to have her art appreciated, though, even if Colette was easily impressed. Sheila tended to get really focused in her own work, never paying attention to anyone else. Which made Amara wonder how she got to be a relationship expert.
"You have a lot of pressure, huh? I mean, your artwork's gonna help sell this thing." Juan said, looking up from his MacBook. "I need to work harder to, so I don't look like a slacker! After all, Rome wasn't built in a day!"
"Well, going by the builders near my apartment, of course it wasn't." Sheila said.
"Haha! It's nothing special. I just practice a lot at home!" Amara said, thinking back to all the paintbrushes around her house. She made a mental note to clean up, in case anyone came round one night. "Anyway, Stella, where should we go for lunch today?"
"Well..." Stella said, happily. "The scared spirits of my stomach demand we try this Café Roma for ourselves."
"Great! I love some pizza! I tried making some back when I was in high school, but let's just say the results weren't great. Dad had to redecorate the entire kitchen." Amara said, giggling as the others stared in confusion.
"Alright, enough! Stop talking and get to work! We have to get this magazine out and soon!" Karen barked, with a face like thunder. Lucy, who had been quiet, nodded. Ignoring Colette's mention of her new pink outfit, Karen stormed back into her office.
"She's in a bad mood today, isn't she?" Sheila said. "Maybe her divorce isn't going well."
"Actually, I heard it was almost done. Maybe it's something else." Juan said. "Anyway, Colette, when I went to the Grand Canyon…"
|Legarte - Silvana River, Outside Johnson and Son's Bookstore|15:56 pm|
It was just after school, and Kyle McHale was by himself. Serena apparently had too much homework to do, so she had to finish it off. Thus, Kyle had a rare afternoon to himself. The river was a nice place to be…especially for looking at the seagulls. Yet, he hadn't been here since he found out about Matthew's death.
"Matthew…" Kyle said, gazing into the sky, at the flock of seagulls. Over four years ago, Kyle was by the river, having been allowed to leave the house on his own. Despite this brief moment of freedom, Kyle didn't have anyone to hang out with, or anywhere else to go. Still, the river seemed like a nice place. Yet when he got there, he felt so miserable…and jealous of the seagulls. They could go wherever they wanted, and he was stuck watching them.
"Hey, kid!" a voice called from behind. Kyle panicked, and tried to pretend they were calling for someone else. In the blink of an eye, a pair of binoculars appeared in front of him…held by a teenager, with black hair and blue eyes. There was something contagious about his smile…
"Why are you giving these to me, sir?" Kyle said, nervous at the older boy. Shaking, he took the binoculars, and stared at them. They looked so expensive, and he wondered how much the boy spent on them.
"Sir? I'm just a kid! The name's Matthew. I just thought you'd like them. You can see the birds closer with those!" he said. Kyle tried them out, and gasped - he could see them so clearly. "I've seen you before, you know."
"Really? But I've never noticed you before..." Kyle said, still apprehensive.
"Welll, you always looked so down! Dunno why you were so sad, but I just felt like talking with ya! C'mon, why don't we do something, you and me? There's so many things in the city you can't do alone." Matthew said, grinning. Kyle looked down, at his wheelchair, and sighed. "Oh, that thing? Well…even so, we can probably find something fun. Don't worry! I don't bite. I'm not a werewolf or anything."
"Heh... Oh, I'm Kyle." Kyle said, a bit less wary. "You sure we can find something fun for the both of us?"
"Of course! Besides, it's good to get away from home once in a while. I'm from Kanaloa! Not the most fun place in the world." Matthew said. The two of them went off, talking all the way towards Saragel, and Kyle realised as they arrived, he had made his true first friend.
"Matthew...Why did you have to die?" Kyle asked, staring at his reflection in the water. Now Kyle was the same age as Matthew was, the day they first met. Yet Kyle believed he hadn't changed at all. They day he found out Matthew died...he could never forget. Kyle tried to put on a happy front for his mother, and when he was with Serena, he was truly happy. She understood him, and every time they met, his heart raced. Yet without her or Kyle, he just felt like a burden, trapped in his wheelchair.
After a long while, Kyle left the river - but as he was leaving, he thought he saw someone familiar. That 'Dan' person. Matthew's older brother. He had spoken about his family at length, but Kyle had forgotten the details. All he really remembered was that it sounded like he had a lot of fun. More than he had at his house, where he was just with his mother day after day.
"Should I say hello?" Kyle thought to himself. However, Dan soon saw him, and simply waved. Kyle waved too, and quickly left. "I wonder if he's sad as well..."
|Serena's Room|16:21 pm|
"Ugh..." Serena said, staring at the stack of papers in front of her. There was a lot to do, but the history report was the worst on the list. For some reason, it was her worst subject. Possibly because it wasn't one she could be creative in, but it was the one she scored the least in. And of course, her parents wouldn't let her forget it. Yet ever since her seventeenth birthday, she hadn't spoken to them very much, and they had kept out of her way.
"Man, what now?" Serena said, thinking. "Maybe I could ask someone for help?" Nathan would be busy at work, Amara would be as well, so that left Blaine. She never thought of Blaine as the academic type, but maybe he wouldn't be working today. Perhaps he knew more than he let on. Even if he didn't, she could use a fun conversation. The atmosphere at home was as tense as ever, and Serena was not looking forward to another dinner where no one said a word. Throwing caution to the wind, she dialled his number.
"Hey, what's up? Some guy on WoW call you a bitch again?" Blaine said.
"No, silly! I need to do this history report for tomorrow. Thing is, I suck at it. You wouldn't happen to be any good at this stuff, would you?" she asked…but after she said it, she suddenly felt afraid, like he would tell her to get lost. Or something more explicit.
"Hey, don't sound so sceptical. It's been a while since I was at school, but I can probably give you a hand. I know what sceptical means, after all! Where should we meet, though? I don't think your folks would want me around. It'd be awkward." Blaine said. Serena could just imagine what her parents would say if he came round, asking for her. Perhaps they would accuse him of being a drug dealer, or taking advantage of young girls. Serena didn't think Blaine was like that, but her parents would never listen to her.
"Yeah, going to your place would be really risky. How about Cocoa Harbour?" Serena asked. "It'll be busy as usual, so we can probably avoid getting caught. I can just say you're my older cousin!"
"A youthful looking older cousin. Okay, guess I'll see ya later. Trust me, I know more about this stuff than you think." Blaine said, and he hung up. Serena packed up her things, and stared out the window at the yew tree that her sister planted long ago. The sister she never could surpass, always in her shadow, even after death. Without even saying goodbye, she left the house with her things.
|Cocoa Harbour|16:43 pm|
Serena arrived early, so she had to wait a while before Blaine arrived. Wondering if he'd take his motorcycle, she looked out the window, anticipating the roaring engine of his Black Lightning. Then, as she often did, she started daydreaming. In her mind, she had a vision of a gang of heroes, riding up to an evil stronghold on giant beasts of machines, the sounds of the engines echoing throughout the land.
"Ah!" She yelped as she felt someone tap her shoulder. Blaine was standing there, struggling to contain his laughter. "I thought you were taking your motorbike!"
"Nah, it's outta gas. Man, the look on your face is priceless!"
"Stop it! I was just thinking how cool it'd be if you drove up on that thing, with your sunglasses. You know, like one of those cop shows."
"Well, maybe next time. So, let's check out what you've done so far." Blaine said, grabbing Serena's sheet of paper. "You...just wrote the title. Really?"
"I know. This class is just really boring..." Serena said, annoyed. "So, here's what I'm supposed to do."
It took quite a long time, but Serena and Blaine finally put together the essay - on the numerous political reforms in the city around 1850-80, and their affect on the city's international relationships. Serena mostly just worked with what Blaine told her, and she couldn't believe how much he knew - even the obscure last minute change to the Farawell Agreement of Trust.
"Wow, you're good at this. No one else in class knew about that..." Serena said, sighing.
"I was the only one in my class paying any attention!" Blaine said, looking out towards the sea. "You know what happened to my old school? Got knocked down to make way for an apartment block. Which got burned down the next month. Fun times...I worked for months building that damn thing."
"Really? Damn. Kanaloa sounds really bad. How do you manage?" Serena asked. "Sounds like people get beaten up there every single day. And they can't get good work, either."
"Hey, it's not so bad. But you just kinda have to keep going. If you're not strong enough, you'll just get your ass handed to you every time. So I got in fights a lot...couldn't wait for Dan to step in and save the day." Blaine said, clenching his fists. "Trust me, I had more wins than losses back in the day. So yeah, I wasn't exactly the head boy."
"At least now you're fighting monsters, instead of people!" Serena said. "Hey, after last night, I've been wondering about the other us. We've seen Amara and Nathan, but not us. You think we will?"
"…Definitely." Blaine said, looking at Serena's notebook (which was covered in doodles of random monsters and rather embellished weapons). "If their other selves can use Personas, then so can ours. After all, we're all kicking ass over there."
"I know, right?" Serena said, cheerful. "You know, when I first met you, I was kinda scared. But you're kinda cool. Kinda."
"Cooler than Nathan, right? Awesome." Blaine said, as the two of them laughed out loud. It was strange - the two of them felt close, despite having known each other less than a week. Perhaps fighting the Shadows made it easier to bond. "Well, did your 'older cousin' help you today?"
"Yeah, I think he did, a lot! Way more helpful than the parents." Serena said. Blaine noticed Serena's smile falter when she said this, and looked at her, concerned. "Oh...well, I don't really get along with them. I had an older sister, and they never shut up about her. Nina was her name."
"So they want you to be like her?" Blaine asked.
"Yeah! Or at least, they did. But when I turned seventeen, everything changed. We never talk anymore, and that was four months ago." Serena said, anger rising in her voice. "Nina was a smart cookie. She was in Aeternus, you know."
"You think she was there when the explosion happened?" Blaine asked. Serena gasped - that had been exactly what she was thinking.
"I think so. They didn't find her body, but she was definitely headed to the convention centre!" Serena said. "For about a year, she was acting really strange, like we were mud on her shoes. My parents didn't care, they loved their successful big sister and kept telling me to follow her example. But one day she moved out without saying anything. And when I last saw her, she…said…"
"Hey, you don't have to tell me. You're already crying." Blaine said, gently.
"I am?" Serena said, and as she wiped away a tear, she gasped. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get so upset over my family."
"Don't worry about it! I've had a lot of family problems myself. It sucks. But you'll be okay. " Blaine said, and his face showed total sincerity. Serena looked up, stunned. Maybe Blaine really was like a cousin…
"Thanks for today! I really have to go home now. See you, Cousin Blaine!" Serena said, finishing her drink.
"Later, Cousin!" Blaine said, watching as Serena left the coffee shop. To think, she had revealed something so private to him…Blaine felt pretty good about himself. Up until now, he never thought he could make a difference. He never really had the chance to excel at high school, what with his mother, fights with the other kids…times were tough. Serena still had both her parents, but she couldn't stand to be in the same house as them. Was there something he could do? It was too late for him, but if he could help Serena, then that would be enough…
|Nova Albion, Augustus Square|19:26 pm|
When Nathan arrived at the square with Priscilla, he half expected to see the broken street lights and cracks in the ground from the battle before. Yet, it was just the way it usually was, and people were walking around as normal. Feeling both relief, yet guilt…he looked up, around at the buildings.
"Nathan, what's wrong?" Priscilla asked. "You're still thinking about that person who looked a lot like you, right?"
"Um, yeah." Nathan said. "I haven't seen him since then, and Father knew nothing about it!" The truth was, Nathan had never asked his father about it. He was already well aware who the mystery man was. "He can't have been from around here, judging by his clothes. He looked like a vandal from Kanaloa. Worthless good-for-nothings."
"Hey, that's not very nice!" Priscilla said, and she gave Nathan one of her trademark pinches. If he ever started to get really wound up - usually over Kanaloa - she would pinch him in the arm. She wasn't a particularly strong woman, but it still hurt like hell, and this always made Nathan shut up.
"Okay, okay!" Nathan said. "So, are Tara and Adrian coming soon?"
"Yes, they should be here any minute! I'm looking forward to seeing her play!" Priscilla said, happily. "Remember when we first met her, and she had out-performed the teacher in her first class?"
"Yeah, she was amazing. Still is!" Nathan said.
Soon, a young black woman, with long black hair in a curly ponytail, and vivid hazel eyes came into the area. Wearing a classy red dress, she looked every inch the violinist for the most prestigious orchestra in town. She was Tara Miller, one of Nathan and Priscilla's dearest friends. Alongside her was a young man, who she towered over, with brown hair in a bowl cut and grey eyes. He was dressed smartly too, his red dinner jacket complete with a red tie. Adrian Gale, Tara's boyfriend of many years.
"Tara! Adrian!" Priscilla said, running over. "Good to see you guys!" Priscilla and Tara hugged, whilst Adrian and Nathan shook hands.
"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Tara said. "I'm sorry I haven't been in touch, but I had to practice every day for the orchestra. It has to be perfect, and I keep finding new things to focus on."
"She's not kidding. I had to listen to her play every night. And if I didn't give her a detailed review, she said she'd tell everyone my childhood nickname." Adrian said, smiling.
"Well, you're the upcoming record producer! You're supposed to be an expert on music!" Tara said. Nathan and Priscilla laughed, used to seeing them tease each other. "So, how are things at your father's company?"
"Same as ever. Yet there's talk of him retiring this year. He hasn't said a word to me, though." Nathan said, apprehensive. The idea of him taking over the company was actually terrifying. To think he could be charge of his family's corporation. If he made one wrong move, he could destroy his family's reputation as well as the business...
Adrian just shrugged. "Well, you can worry about that later! Just take it as it comes."
"What about that new singer you're working with?" Priscilla asked.
"Oh, her? She's okay, but after one hit she'll be finished." Adrian said, shrugging again. "I mean…it'd be nice to find someone who I didn't have to auto-tune to make a million, you know?"
"It's your first record since you got the job, you know. You should be more excited!" Nathan said. Adrian tended to be lazy about most things, which explained why he didn't get as high grades as the other three did.
The four of them once attended university abroad, Nathan and Priscilla studying business whilst Tara and Adrian studied music. They met during a debate over the budget for the school, where they soon hit it off and became lifelong friends. Although Nathan didn't know it at the time, Tara and Adrian both lived in the city as well - which made them decide to remain in touch even after they returned home.
"I guess. I'm just waiting for someone special to come along." Adrian said, then he noticed Tara's mocking glare. "I meant special at singing! You're the only one for me, you know. Hehe."
"Oh, you dork. You're so adorable when you're worried!" Tara said, her face beaming. "After all the weeks of practice, I'm looking forward to tonight. Let's go, shall we?"
"Yes!" Nathan said, as the four of them headed towards the famous Gautier Restaurant.
All of the city's most famous residents had been there at least once, and it had received glowing reviews every year. To Nathan's surprise…he saw four familiar people dining at the table outside. Alastair, Bianca, Kazuya and Richard! He tried not to stare, but he couldn't help himself. He could hear their conversation, but it was simply about Alastair getting turned down when he asked a woman out. The woman he described sounded a lot like Amara, too.
"Nathan, what's wrong? Do you know those people?" Priscilla asked. "You've been a little weird lately…"
"Don't fret about it! He's probably just been working too hard. Come on, Mister, forget about the office for one night! Just have fun!" Adrian said, jovial. "You know, like when you were young?"
"I'm only twenty eight, you know!" Nathan said, with a forced grin. Seeing the Holy Cross's normal selves made him think back to his other self. He was all alone, with Priscilla missing, and there was no telling what had become of Tara and Adrian. Nathan actually shed a tear, at the thought of Priscilla being killed by a Shadow. He soon regained his composure as the four were sat down at a table, however.
Today was just a normal day, after all.