Chapter 40: Brothers
|Aeternus HQ - Meeting Room|15:00 pm|
Archibald, Nina and Carlos were sitting in the meeting room, by themselves. Nihane's whereabouts were unknown, Pierre was monitoring the energy readings, and Josephine was in her room.
"Well, this is just great. After all this time, we still don't know who had the power to use that Traesto spell!" Carlos said. "We can't tell when the next Divine Spark is going to appear, either! How much longer is this going to take?"
"Actually, I heard Pierre say there was slight changes in Nova Albion. He doesn't know where, though. Nihane probably knows, but he's busy…" Nina said. "So, it's up to us to find it!"
"Indeed it is. If the fourth divine spark happens soon, then it shouldn't be much longer until Legarte and Saragel's Divine Sparks emerge. Once that happens, we'll see if Nihane's promises come true!" Archibald said.
Just then, Nihane entered the room. Everyone immediately looked up - if he was here, there was something important to discuss.
"Well, you must have already completed your duties if there's nothing else to do but hypothesise!" Nihane said, smug as ever. "I'll give you something interesting to discuss. This morning, I went to Inanis. The first time since the Kanaloa Divine Spark."
"No way! Did something change?" Carlos asked.
"Nihane, you're not hurt, are you?!" Nina said, worried.
"Please. As if any of the Shadows there could harm me. I discovered two things. The Cathedral, in the same location as it was in the original city! Not only that, a castle lying where Tachibana University would be!" Nihane said, with an evil glint in his eyes. "Inanis is slowly growing! It will truly flourish as the Eternal Road opens!"
|'Inanis'|15:02 pm|
"You guys!" Serena shouted. "You're Persona users too?!"
"That's what we were going to ask!" Matthew said. "Less chatting! We have to take this freak down!"
"R-Right." Blaine said. "Tlaloc! Zionga!" This time, Zionga did slightly more damage - Blaine had acquired a skill that increased the damage of his electric spells, Elec Boost.
The Snake rose up, and tried to bite Blaine. Before it sound sink it's metaphysical teeth into Blaine's non-metaphysical flesh, Setanta's Lancer attack struck the foul reptile, and it hissed violently.
"I never did care for reptiles." Nathan said, dismissively.
"Come on...Magna!" Zao said, but the Snake dodged Rashnu's feeble earth spell. "Aww, come on!"
"Allow me to show you a true Earth ability. I hope you like it! Terra Idol!" Maká swung her staff high, and a large statue made of rock appeared from the ground, resembling a goddess figure. The snake stared at it, and slithered towards it. Then, the statue burst with a terrifying bang of energy. The Snake fell over again, and now seemed less aggressive than before. In fact, it seemed afraid...
"Awesome!" Serena said. "Take this!" With her whip, she fiercely struck the Snake, and Matthew joined in with his twin knives.
"Okay, I can do this! Storm Claw!" Matthew called out. Acolnahuacatl's claws began imbued with wind, and he slashed the Shadow five times. Something else seemed to have been drawn into the claws - the Shadow attempted to move, but something stopped it. Paralysed, perhaps. Amara shuddered - it didn't look particularly healthy. But that was the way she wanted her Shadows to be.
"This is easier than it looks! Ruby Ignition!" Amara called, but Hathor's shiny red flames were completely absorbed the Shadow. "...Really?" The energy from this attack enabled it to recover slightly, and it rose up, and blasted the team with Malaques.
"Oh, goddamit!" Blaine said, falling to his knees. "Why does water always do this to me?!"
"Quit whining!" Serena said. "Hang on, I'll get Artemis to heal -"
"Why don't you let me do it? My Persona can heal a bit!" Tara said. Maká used a healing spell - Mediarama - and as expected, everyone was restored. Blaine stood up, and stared down the Snake.
"No one messes with me and gets away with it! Tlaloc, get him!" Blaine yelled.
"Let me join in!" Matthew said. "Acolnahuacatl, help him!"
Tlaloc and Acolnahuacatl looked at each other, and nodded, Both Personas were charged with electricity, and the two of them attacked the Snake, one at a time. Heavy swings of Tlaloc's hammer were followed with swift slashes of Acolnahuacatl's claws, and after a bloody barrage of attacks, they assaulted the Snake together, finally defeating it.
"That was incredible..." Blaine said.
"Yeah! Blaine, that was great!" Serena said. "Oh! I mean, Kane!"
"Oh come on. You really think I wouldn't recognise the guy I grew up with?" Matthew said, exuberant. "Blaine...it's gotta be you, I can see it! You really are a badass motherfucker, you know that?"
"Matthew!" Tara shouted. "Watch your language! You have to at least act professional if you want to preserve law and order!"
"Sorry, Tara. Professionalism it is...man, I'm always getting lectured. Hehe." Matthew said, scratching his head and blushing. "Blaine...you're still alive!"
"Yup." Blaine said, grinning. "Your Persona is one hyperactive beast! Just like you, dude. Good work."
"How did you know where to find us?" Serena asked. "And what the heck is this place? Where's New Motus City?"
Tara and Matthew looked at each other, just as perplexed as the others. Amara gulped. This place...it was just one empty expanse. She had never seen such an environment before.
"Matthew came over to me and started freaking out. He was all "Blaine's alive! Blaine's alive!". And then he told me that he knew that the others with him were lying too. He's in the police, so he can spot a lie pretty easily." Tara said. "Then we asked around, and heard that the group had left the village in this direction. So we got to the barrier covering this place, and we noticed you weren't around. I wanted to check Lucille Hill, but Matthew insisted we try the invisible entrance."
"Yeah. This place is freaky as hell. We've never gone very far - the further you go in, the stronger the Shadows get." Matthew said. "We don't get what's going on, but...this here is New Motus City. Or rather, what's left of it..."
"Huh? No it isn't! In this dimension, the city's swarming with Shadows, everyone hides indoors, there's the Ornatu Legion, the Ater Vox…all that's here are those weird buildings over there!" Zao said.
"This dimension?" Tara asked, confused.
"We've got a lot to discuss. Let's go somewhere safer." Nathan said.
|Outside 'Inanis'|15:20 pm|
"So how did you two get your Personas?" Amara asked.
Tara looked up at the sky, smirking to herself. "Now that was a crazy experience. Two years ago, in about May, Matthew was going on about trying to get inside the city. I couldn't just let him do that in case he hurt himself, so I joined him - without consent." She looked back at everyone else, and continued. "We got here, and the barrier was the same as it always was. I wanted to get inside and see if I could get to my family's house, and Matthew wanted to see his big brother. But...then we found the invisible gateway."
"I was trying to push the barrier to see if any of it was loose. Then I tripped and fell straight through. Tara and I got inside, and...all we saw was that creepy white space. Well, that's not strictly true - we did see what looked like ancient ruins in the distance. We don't know what those are, and like I said, we've never been far enough to check." Matthew said.
"Then the monsters appeared. They just...appeared out of nowhere, and we thought we were goners. I think we were both crying then. Then Philemon, a strange voice, speak to me. That was when Maká and Acolnahuacatl appeared. Then we realised we could fight these monsters. We could save our lives, and the lives of anyone else stuck inside that place."
"That was the plan. But we couldn't find anyone else. So we thought some disaster killed everyone in the city. Dan, Tara's parents, everyone. I wanted to find out what happened, but we couldn't find anything! For two years, all we've been able to do is practice fighting those weird things, without really being able to explore further. Today...everything's changed. It's not just the two of us anymore! Now it's your turn. What happened to the city ten years ago? Where's my brother?" Matthew pleaded.
"Oh boy. This is going to take a while." Amara said. "We're not actually from this world. We're from a dimension where the city never got attacked by those monsters - Shadows - and everything is normal. That's why we lied."
"No way! That...huh? Wait. Maybe it is true. When you think about all the insane things that have happened today alone, it's not...impossible." Matthew said, in thought. "Tell me more."
"I appreciate it's difficult to believe. I swear to you both that we're being honest." Nathan said. "Me, Amara, Serena and later Blaine were thrown into this world via a portal device called the Neo Dimensional Door by a strange man wearing a cloak to mask his appearance. We wound up inside a facility that was located in Farawell - of this world's New Motus City. The three of us, later four, decided we would take it upon ourselves to return to the other version of our city and continue to investigate the Shadows. Yet today we appeared outside the city, and...discovered that other realm behind the barrier. I assure you, the city exists, but wherever it is, it's not where it once was."
"He's right. We're fighting alongside other Persona users too! We'll take you to see them, right now!" Zao said, smiling. "Then we'll explain everything!"
"You better! If you're hiding something from us, I won't rest until I find out what." Matthew said.
"Calm yourself, Matthew. I think we can trust these guys!" Tara said, smiling at Nathan.
The seven of them went to the NDD, and to Amara's surprise, the code for the Secret Base worked. So, this was meant to happen. Why can't they show up and explain themselves?
"Alright, this is what Nathan talked about. An NDD. We can teleport to other ones with this thing!" Blaine said. "Cool, huh?"
"This is so cool! I can't believe I never saw this before!" Matthew said. "Wait, before we go...what are your real names? They have to be better than those fake ones you told me."
"I'm Amara Furah. I'm an artist, the best!" Amara said. "Or rather...I will be, someday!"
"I'm Serena Agnethe! High school student and future fantasy novelist!" Serena said.
"My name is Nathan Albion. I work for the Albion Corporation, under my father and the owner of the company." Nathan said.
"And I'm Zao Yuria, the fisherman who caught the greatest catch of them all!" Zao said, putting his arm around Amara.
"I was right, your real names are better." Matthew said.
"Do you really think so, Matthew? What sort of name is Zao?" Tara asked. Zao pouted at her, and she sighed. "Forget I said anything. It's...not so unusual. Right? Let's just go!"
|Secret Base|15:34|
It had been such a delight to observe the lush scenery beyond the city borders. Seeing the charming village of Clairdol had been a real treat. Now being back in the rebel' base, it was jarring to see the bare lightbulb and the drab walls of the secret base. Kyle was on his computer, and Seraphina was reading A Game of Thrones with keen interest. Priscilla was eating a veal and pepper sandwich, whilst Aimee was exiting the bathroom.
"Hey there, guys." Kyle said. "What's new?"
"Quite a lot, kid! Check it out!" Blaine said. "We've got two new guys, all the way from Clairdol Village!"
"Clairdol Village? How blatantly absurd! There is no path from the city to the village anymore!" Seraphina said.
"It's true! Ten years ago, me and Matthew here were outside the city when the barriers showed up and we couldn't get in anymore!" Tara said. "I'm Tara Miller, and this is Matthew Kingsley!"
"Nice to meet you! Good to see so many cute women here!" Matthew said, winking.
Priscilla laughed. "You better behave yourself, young man! I am Priscilla Lancaster, this is Seraphina, and our leader here is Aimee Davenport. Oh, and this is Kyle McHale.!"
"Welcome to the base. Dan's coming back soon, so just wait around." Kyle said.
"Dan?" Matthew asked, and then he turned to Blaine. "Is it THAT Dan-"
Right on cue, Dan appeared from the NDD.
"Sorry I'm late, guys, there were a lot of Shadows in Takanawa I had to take out." Dan said. "I need a drink -"
At that moment, Dan saw Matthew in front of him. Matthew gasped, and Dan's eyes widened.
"Dan?" Matthew said. "Is that really you?!"
"M-M-Matthew..." Dan looked at Matthew, up and down. Perhaps he was trying to make sure he wasn't hallucinating...Amara couldn't tell what he was thinking. Dan kept looking at Matthew, scrunitizing his appearance. This was blowing his mind. His little brother, now an adult, right in front of him? To him, this was impossible. "...How? You were in the house back then...when...Kanaloa was..."
"I...ran away from home." Matthew said, tears coming to his eyes. "I'm sorry! I know I shouldn't have left, honestly! It's just...you were yelling at me, and I couldn't take it anymore! I wanted to teach you a lesson...and then everything went crazy! I couldn't reach you until now... I'm really sorry!"
Dan, after a moment, walked forward towards his younger brother. Matthew flinched, clearly expecting a beating or some other kind of punishment. To his surprised, Dan hugged him tighter than Amara had ever thought possible. Dan started sobbing quietly, and his lips curled into the warmest smile he had ever shown anyone.
"Dan...aren't you mad?" Matthew said. He was trying his hardest to hide it, but tears were falling from his eyes. His voice was a tearful whimper, afraid and yet filled with joy.
"Mad? If you hadn't run off, you'd be dead... You don't know how much I missed you, Matthew. I still love ya, baby bro." Dan said. Matthew smiled, and let out a tearful squeal. They stayed in that position for what felt like an eternity.
"Okay, okay! You can let go now! I'm not going anywhere, not now!" Matthew said, still tearful.
"You damn better not! Come on, tell me what happened! What are you doing here?" Dan said, holding both of Matthew's hands.
"Actually, it's partially because of us that Matthew and Tara are here." Nathan said. "So we'll start from the beginning."
And thus the team told Matthew and Tara everything from the start of their journey - winding up in the other world, fighting the Holy Cross, the Ornatu Legion. When it came to the Commander, Matthew looked hurt...but he didn't say anything. After all, his friend had destroyed his hometown and ruined his brother's life. Yet when they talked about the Cathedral incident, Matthew looked even more depressed. The Other Blaine was likely dead, and Matthew would never get to see him.
Finally, they got done with the Karen and Roger scenario. Matthew and Tara were decidedly less interested in that saga, however, and so they wrapped it up quickly. It had taken nearly an hour to discuss everything. Each time they had to revisit the past, Amara hated it. How many more times did she have to relive the worst parts of her journey?
"This...is horrible." Tara said. "These Shadows...why do they even exist?!"
"Tara, I wish I knew the answer to that. All I know is that they're connected to human thought. I want to get rid of every single one of them!" Nathan said. "So it's up to us to do it. We'll stop Aeternus and the Ater Vox, and get rid of the Shadows!"
"Count me in. This is a lot more important than trying to become a cop in that old village! From now on, I'm helping out you guys!" Matthew said.
"Just what I wanted to hear!" Dan said, grinning. "You and me will be the greatest fighting team the city's ever seen! Oh, and this guy, too!" he said, pointing at Blaine. "The Kinglsey-Spencer Trio of Badass Ass Kicking! Yeah?"
"...Not the most imaginative of team names, I think." Priscilla said, shaking her head.
"I want - no, must fight too! I had to spend ten years outside the city, not knowing a thing, and I need to know why. I insist! You can't persuade me to turn back! Not as long as I can use Maká!" Tara said. "Besides, you can't just leave the healing to a teenage girl!"
"Two teenage girls, to be fair. But the more the merrier. Welcome aboard, Matthew and Tara." Aimee said. Just then, her phone rang. "Hold on, it's Roger."
"Aimee! I've been trying to get through. Interference wouldn't let me connect. Something's weird in town. There's tons of Ornatu Legion guys walking around Nova Albion! Me and Karen are trying to hide from them, but there's too damn many! And they're not there to kill Shadows, either!" Roger said. "We can't get to the NDD...there's too many of them!"
"What?! Hold on! We'll be there soon!" Aimee said, hanging up. "Karen and Roger are stuck in Nova Albion. Ornatu Legion have been stationed there, and we need to get there to retrieve our comrades. It might be connected to the Divine Sparks..."
"The same thing that destroyed Kanaloa?!" Matthew said. "Then I have to go and stop it! I'll show you what I can do!"
"Your Persona better be good!" Dan said. "Nova Albion it is! We're off!"
|Nova Albion - Richmond Avenue|16:42 pm|
Karen and Roger were hiding behind an old book store, trying to avoid being caught by the Ornatu Legion members patrolling the area.
"They don't know about the second base, do they?" Karen asked. "If they find it-"
"Don't worry about that. Just stick with me!" Roger said. "I recognised some of them. They were under our command!"
"If it's another Divine Spark, we could be in trouble. It's barely been any time since the last one..." Karen said.
"I know. But it'll be fine. We'll find a way to stop it all someday." Roger said. "Try and stay calm, alright?"
"I'll try...oh no!" Karen said. Two Ornatu Legion members ran up to Roger and Karen - luckily, they weren't in the League or the Vanguard.
"What are you doing loitering here?!" a girl with green hair said. "There might be more Shadows than usual!"
"Oh yeah? What's going on?" Roger asked.
"All the Ater Vox told us was to patrol the area and look for anything suspicious. And you two fit the bill, lurking around here." a boy with red hair said. "You're part of that terrorist group, aren't you?"
"We're not terrorists. You're the dogs that can't do anything but follow orders! You get in our way, we'll crush you!" Roger said.
"Um...yes! You heard him!" Karen said, glaring at her enemies. She took out her sword, ready to attack. "Word of warning. Our power's real."
"Doesn't matter! We'll take you on!" the red haired boy said. "Go, Black Frost!" His Persona was like a Jack Frost, but larger, with dark purple and red colours, and an evil grin.
"Unicorn, come to me!" the green haired girl said. Her Persona was indeed a Unicorn, a rather standard looking one.
"Kanaloa, Aques!" With one water spell, the redhead boy fell instantly.
"Bufula, now!" Aeshma's ice blast defeated the green haired girl just as fast.
"Idiots." Roger said. "They're too weak to do anything. It's only us who can change this city!"
"I feel bad for hurting them, though. Please, let them go!" Karen said.
"Relax, I'm not going to kill those kids. I've got enough blood on my hands..." Roger said.
"What?" Karen asked.
"We'll talk about it later! Hurry up and go, before any more of them spot us!" Roger said, and they ran off towards the old library…
|Nova Albion - Amber Road|16:45 pm|
"This is Nova Albion?" Matthew said, looking around. "Looks nice...they had it good. Must be nice to be rich." Nathan scratched his haid, with an awkward laugh. The team had just passed the Amber Road Tennis Court, which was as run down as most of the area.
"Money doesn't make a difference now, not with Shadows prowling everywhere!" Dan said. "You'd better not get scared!"
"I've fought Shadows before, you know. I can handle this." Matthew said.
"Um, where exactly in Nova Albion are those two?" Zao said. "Oh wait, we've got Nostradamus here to tell us!"
"Sir Zao, if you refer to me by that ridiculous moniker ever again, I'll use your bones in herbal remedies." Seraphina said. There was no hint of emotion in her voice, so Amara couldn't tell if she was joking or not.
"Okay, okay! Sorry! Do you know where they are or not?"
"Hecate tells me they're in Richmond Avenue. About twenty minutes from here, so we better hurry." Seraphina said.
"Whoa, she's a psychic?!" Tara said. "Personas are more amazing than I thought."
"Indeed. Albeit, mine can only heal others..." Aimee said. "The spectrum of Persona abilities is vast."
|Richmond Avenue|17:00 pm|
"They're not here!" Amara said. There were lots of Ornatu Legion soldiers walking around…and they all noticed the rebels. "Oh crap."
"It's them! We'll never beat them like this! Run!" one of them said. The immediately dropped their duties and fled, screaming.
"Ha! Cowards!" Tara said, giving them the middle finger. And she tells Matthew off for swearing?
"So that was the Ornatu Legion. Why did they just run off?" Matthew asked.
"Ornatu Legion have 'fake' Personas. They're a lot weaker than us." Dan said. "You could take them out in your sleep…wait, maybe we could do that!"
"Don't be silly! Now then, who are we looking for?" Tara asked.
"Roger Martin and Karen Marshall. They must be nearby!" Amara said. "Seraphina, hurry and check!"
"The library!" Seraphina said.
"Oh! Appleyard!" Nathan said. "Everyone follow me. I know this place like the back of my hand."
|Appleyard Library|17:12 pm|
Appleyard was one of the biggest public libraries in the city, although there was one in Takanawa that was slightly larger. Yet, this library had a focus on classic literature, and was rather old-fashioned. Nathan had come here many times during his childhood to read books Priscilla recommended to him, since he initially found books boring.
"It's still the same, but there's no librarian." Nathan said. "Oh, there they are!"
"Good timing. We had to fight tons of Ornatu Legion members to get here!" Karen said. "They were so violent, too!"
"Yeah, but they were worthless. Not even worth killing." Roger said, shrugging. "Anyway, from the sounds of things, the next Divine Spark is in Nova Albion. Wait, who are those two?"
"I'm Tara Miller, and this is Matthew Kingsley. New members. Long story...we'll tell you later." Tara said.
"Hey, I've been wondering. How do we even stop the Spark things?" Zao said. "I mean, we don't really understand how they work. Nihane says stuff like two forces awaken in the land of whatever, and then all that Shadow power comes and destroys the place!"
"I've been thinking about that. Apparently, a lot of people were murdered in the cathedral. It's not clear how many, but it must have been a lot…they had to completely rebuild it, because of the corpses." Kyle said, shuddering. "Then there's the University, which was built on the site of some old castle…similar story with that. Lots of people got killed there, too."
"That's horrible!" Aimee said. "So, we have to find a place like that in Nova Albion before they do? Could this library be it?"
"Unlikely. The worst that's ever happened here is me getting a splinter from one of the old desks. That one there, actually!" Nathan pointed at the closest desk. "It was quite painful!"
"I can't imagine anything at a library being comparable to mass murders...where should we go next?" Amara next. "Oh! Tara, your house! Your parents might - no, will still be there! We should go find it!"
"Alright. I have to be prepared for the worst." Tara said. "In the other world, my parents are fine, right Nathan?"
"Yeah. I've never really seen them, though." Nathan said.
"Thank god." Tara breathed a sigh of relief.
|Miller Mansion|17:27 pm|
"Wow! It's bigger than Nathan and Priscilla's place!" Blaine said. "Albion folk have it easy, huh?"
"I...suppose we do." Nathan said, sheepishly. "Nevertheless, this home looks to be intact. That's promising, is it not?"
Tara nodded, unsure of herself. "Yeah. I guess it seems fine."
Inside, it did not look fine at all. The carpet was ripped, with what looked like cigarette burns all over it. The walls were dirty, a chandelier was broken into pieces that had scattered all over the floor, and the mirror was in a similar state.
"Oh no..." Tara said, scared. "Shadows?"
As if to answer her question, a Shadow emerged out of nowhere. A couple of dancers, the male holding a sword, and a love heart above them.
"You lowlife freak! Die, now!" Tara shouted, and she slashed the Shadow. Maká's Magnara finished it off.
Just then, another Shadow appeared, a strange lion like head on a rotating wheel. Matthew stepped forward.
"I'll take this one. Go, Acolnahuacatl!" Matthew's Persona leapt out of him, and ravaged the Shadow, killing it quickly. "How was that?" he said, looking eagerly at Dan.
"Good work! Guess it runs in the family." Dan said, proud. The team went through to room on the right, weapons ready.
|Miller Mansion - Lounge|17:30 pm|
Every bit of furniture was torn apart, in particular a TV which had been completely cannibalized.
"Damn. They took out all the parts I could have used!" Kyle said, sighing.
"Did Shadows really do all of this? I didn't realise how violent they were..." Matthew said, giving Dan a look of pity.
"Wait! There's someone behind that sofa!" Nathan said. Everyone went over, and gasped in shock. It was a tramp, wearing tattered woolly clothes.
"What's he doing here?!" Tara asked.
The tramp didn't seem to even hear them. He was clearly drunk, or perhaps even high. He couldn't do anything but mumble, and he had a long ragged beard. It wasn't until they looked closer that they could see that he was long dead.
Aimee's scream echoed throughout the room. "No! How could this happen?!"
"The Shadows must have got him." Kyle said. "No one without a Persona stands a chance against them. Poor man."
"Could there be more people like him around?!" Tara said. "I'm going to look upstairs! Someone please come with me!"
"I will. Nathan, would you please join us?" Priscilla said.
"I shall. The rest of you, keep an eye out for Shadows. They might still be around." Nathan said, running upstairs with Priscilla and Tara.
"Whoa!" Blaine said, having just opened a closet. "There's one in here too - argh!"
"Him too?!" Aimee said, horrified. Another victim. This place wasn't safe - Tara's parents must have perished long ago, and all the homeless people who had taken up shelter here were dead too. "Didn't anyone survive?!"
"Oh crap!" Serena cried, as more Shadows appeared. They came in a wide variety of types, from the basic 'Maya' type to strange balls with large tongues. They were going after the helpless vagrant, but Kyle's Hephaestus put a stop to that. It took quite a while to beat all of them, and by the time they were finished, the room was even more torn apart.
"This is terrible. Why didn't Aeternus try to offer support for these people?!" Matthew said. "They really are as evil as you guys said!"
"I could have ended up like them if things had turned out differently." Dan said, looking at Kyle. "Listen, it's up to us now. We don't have a choice but to deal with stuff like this...but one day, the city will be back to normal. Just try and deal with it until then, okay?"
"I'll be alright. I'm with my big brother, so I'll be just fine!" Matthew said, smiling.
|Tara's Room|17:35 pm|
"Wait a second. It's not been touched at all!" Tara said, surprised. The room was still in a pleasant condition. There were a few pictures of Jamaica on the wall, as well as various books filled with sheet music on a shelf. "Look...there's my old violin! It got worn out, but I kept it here!" Tara said. "It's still there...after this long..."
"Look at this, Tara." Priscilla said, pointing at something sticking out from under the bed. "It's a letter!"
"Why is that there? I never wrote many letters. I don't recall keeping any." Tara said. "Let me have a look..." She grabbed the letter, and read it out loud:
There is nothing left for us. The Shadows will kill us all. We tried to get away from them when we heard this place was empty, but the Shadows came in. The Ornatu Legion came, and protected us. And one of them stole my heart. He gave me a precious daughter.
Then they took him away. Aeternus said he had to return to his duty. He didn't want to go, but he loved protecting us citizens. But there was no one left to protect us. He said someone would be here, but nothing ever happened.
There's only a few of us left. I have to leave soon, but I have a feeling I'll die before I escape. There is only one month left until my daughter is born, and her father is lost to those villains who claim to be our salvation.
So before I leave, I want Sophia to know I'm sorry. We didn't understand what her parents were like, nor did we want to. We put that poor little girl through hell to make us feel better. Perhaps this is our punishment. Karma, after all.
It doesn't matter if anyone reads this. Nothing will change. I will never see my love again, and my daughter will grow up in a dying city.
"That poor woman..." Nathan said, shaken.
"There's no signature on this. But who's Sophia?" Tara said. "I've never met anyone with that name."
"Me neither. Let's leave it for now and go back to the others!" Priscilla said.
"Alright." Tara said, putting the letter in her pocket.
|Outside Miller Mansion|17:45 pm|
"We looked around, but no one was still alive." Amara said, shuddering. "I..."
"Now I realise how bad this world is. I can't believe I used to think it was all a game." Serena said, sadly. "Kyle..."
"Don't apologise. If I was in your place, I might have thought the same thing." Kyle said. "Seraphina, any updates on the Ornatu Legion?"
"They're withdrawing for now. Yet, I suspect they will come back. The Ater Vox will stop at nothing to unleash the Divine Sparks." Seraphina said.
"Alright, then here's my plan! We use happy thoughts to stop those sparks!" Zao said. "Hear me out! Nihane says two forces awaken in each of those weird lands, right? So if we break the balance between those forces with positive thinking, they won't create the Divine Spark!"
"That might actually work..." Amara said. "Zao, you're a genius!"
"Since we don't have any other means to stop them, it's worth trying. It's hard to stay positive when you see places like these, though." Roger said.
"Tara, what are you going to do now?" Nathan said.
"I want to go back to my village. I promise I'll come back." Tara said, looking rather glum.
"I should go, too! The Millers would be angry if I left without telling them!" Matthew said. "Dan, want to come with me? I'll show you around, you'll love it!"
"You really think I'd let you out of my sight again?" Dan said. "I need to thank those two for putting up with you anyway!"
"Hey, I behaved myself! Most of the time!" Matthew said. The team walked off, but Karen and Roger hesitated for a while.
"It's a miracle he got to grow up in that village instead of here." Roger said. "No child should have to stay in this godforsaken city."
"Yeah. One day, it'll be safe. Won't it?" Karen said, looking into Roger's eyes.
"It will. We have to try everything we can." Roger said. The two of them held hands, as they followed the rest of the team to the NDD. Amara's group decided it was time to get back home, after all that had happened today.
|Farawell|17:53 pm|
"I say...that was different." Nathan said. "Now we're fighting alongside Tara and Matthew!"
"Yeah." Blaine said, looking anxious. "Now I have to hide it from Dan that I'm still hanging out with his dead brother. If he found out, he'd kill me!"
"It can't be easy, having to hide so much from your best friend. But if he did find out, he would understand. Right? Because you and him are so tight?" Amara said.
"You don't get it at all. Dan can't get past his brother being gone. I...barely did it. I grew up with the two of them. Matthew was a two year old when I first met him. He was adorable...heck, seeing him alive today brought back things I tried to forget about. I just...have to deal with this myself. Seeing Dan and Matthew together again...it just reminded me that it can't happen ever again here. And Dan doesn't need any more reminders about that. I hear him crying sometimes at night." Blaine said. "I'm going home...you guys have a good night."
Everyone went home, and Amara decided to enjoy the rest of the day at home. Now there were even more questions, regarding the location of the city in the other world and what the place beyond the barrier was. But, she got to see Dan reunite with his brother. They were lucky. Her father's other self was dead, and so was her other self. Perhaps they were together in death.
Tomorrow, Amara resolved to visit her father - with Zao. She had to make up for the time her other self didn't get with her father. And it was time to introduce him to her boyfriend…he was part of her life now.