The Magical Bond Between Two Hearts
Chapter 25: Breaking the Curse
The ten minutes that went by to make the campfire was very tensely silent for everyone. It was more so as they sat down when the fire was made. For a long time, everyone sat in the still night air.
The thought of these shadow twins pursuing them worried Ralph quite a bit. But not only that. He suspected that Shane knew a lot more than he was telling them. It was very strange that him and the cloaked figure would suddenly appear as soon as Lucy had disappeared from them. His hand went to one of his overall pockets to feel the small ring that she had with her. A pain of sadness and worry swept over him, though he said nothing as there was no one speaking up.
He took a moment to glance over to where the girl was, Lily. She was close by but seemed to be keeping her distance from everyone. The giant found this odd, considering that she was a complete stranger. He could not see much of her face as her back was turned to the fire.
"You…mentioned a shadow's curse earlier."
Ralph slowly turned as the silence was broken with an inquiry from Sorceress. The lady looked like she was going to strike him down but was restraining herself.
"I did." Shane replied not shifting or moving from his spot.
She slowly turned to the giant with the same expression. He began to feel a little nervous, even though she was someone he knew from Bad Anon. There was something still scary behind her seemingly friendly face.
"Talk then. You know something we don't, and I think we deserve to find out what it is." she continued turning back to the masked man.
The man gave out a long sigh, clasping his hands together. Getting a better look at him in the light, Ralph noticed small dark scars and spots plaguing his skin. Just like with Lucy. So it was true, he has it too but…
He looked down at the kid sitting next to him, who wasn't asleep but looked to be tired. Yet she seemed as interested as Sorceress was. Tobi had fallen asleep next to the girl, quietly chirping away as he slept.
"The Shadow's Curse is a dangerous lingering spell used only by those that can control some form of darkness. It allows them to place it on someone, and it will spread fast or slow based on how it is casted." Shane paused seeming to glance at each of them, "There is no cure for it as far as anyone knows. Once it takes over your whole being, you turn into one of them."
There was another pause of silence as the fire crackled softly in the night. It was clear to Ralph that he did not trust this Shane person one bit. Especially considering he is one of them. But…wouldn't that make Lily one too?
"So…a curse that is not curable? I doubt that." Sorceress sighed as she glanced behind her, "There ought to be some way to at least stop the curse."
"It…can be slowed down, but only for so long." the man replied with a groan.
"How long?"
Shane looked up at the giant, glaring at him.
"What?"
"How long can it be slowed down?" Ralph asked again now leaning towards the shadow.
In return he only glared back at the giant, or at least that's what he thought he was doing behind the mask he wore on his eyes.
"Not for a very long time. The longest I know is weeks." he replied after a few seconds.
Ralph scoffed shaking his head. He knew that was not true at all.
"What, you know something I don't?" Shane spat at him, making Ralph frown at him again. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the kid and the blue haired woman glance back at him with curious and suspicious looking stares.
"Lucy has the same curse. And she told me she kept it back for years. Ever since she was exiled."
This time Shane leaned back as his expression changed into utter shock.
"Wait, she had it too?" Vanellope asked tugging his arm, "Why didn't ya say anything?"
Ralph sighed, "Look, I didn't want to worry anyone else. That's all."
"Guys…" Sorceress cut through the conversation, again looking behind her.
Ralph and the others turned to see what she was so concentrated on. His eyes widened at the sight of many white wings fluttering around where they sat.
Despite how silent and beautiful the scene was, Lucy still felt unhappy. Keeping as far away from the group as possible, she sat with her knees hugged to her chest and shivered every once in a while. Once in a while she looked down to her arms and legs, which were now almost covered in black. She would have stayed in this position if not for something fluttering by her face. At first she only ignored it, blaming the rays of the moon being bright. That was when it fluttered by again, a white butterfly.
A soft gasp escaped her lips as she recognized it, not too long ago she saw it on top of the Diet Cola Mountain when first meeting Eris and Arren. But it wasn't just that…
There seemed to be hundreds of them surrounding her.
She quickly placed the hood back on her head and looked around her. Each one of them seemed to shine like the rays of the moon above. The more she watched them flutter, the more she realized that they seemed to stay near her.
Where did all these butterflies come from? She wondered both awestruck and nervous.
Her ears picked up on shuffling of feet behind her. It seems like they noticed it too. She turned her attention back to the butterflies, who continued to flutter around the girl. As if they were trying to tell her something. But what?
Lucy was hesitant, but slowly reached a hand from inside her cloak out to one of the insects. Only a second later one of them landed on the palm of her outstretched hand.
"I've never seen something like it."
The girl flinched as she turned to see the woman was floating right beside her. Almost on instinct she stepped back a few steps, a look of fear in her eyes. Yet the woman gave her a warm smile.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that." Sorceress chuckled softly turning towards the girl.
Lucy in return made sure the hood was over her face enough, before hiding her arms away from the blue haired woman. She was silent, just staring at her only making Lucy feel a little uncomfortable.
"Your friend told us about the curse you and he has." she started, "How…bad is it for you Lily?"
The girl frowned, knowing fully well she could not communicate with the others except for Shane. She hesitated to move or do anything to answer.
"Leave the girl alone lady." she heard Shane argue.
Sorceress's eyes turned as she was glaring back in a scary way. Lucy almost flinched but frowned.
"I don't need you scolding me, I'm only asking her if she's okay." she spat back at him.
She's scary. But…she really cares if I'm okay or not? Lucy thought blinking in surprise. Well…it couldn't hurt right?
The girl hesitantly stepped closer to the strange lady, making her turn her attention back. Taking a long sigh and hoping that this wouldn't give her away too much, she slowly showed her arms to Sorceress, taking care not to show her saddened expression. The look on the lady's face turned from confusion into a slight mix of sadness and horror. She then reached her own hands out, hesitant to touch her arms.
"I'm sorry. It…must be painful for you." Sorceress whispered after a long pause.
Lucy nodded her head once slowly, her arms still outstretched. After some thought she stepped forward once more, gesturing for the lady to examine her arms. She gave her a weak smile as the butterflies still roamed around the girl.
"You don't mind?" she asked her, to which the girl shook her head and gestured for her again.
The lady slowly placed her hands on top of Lucy's darkened ones. She narrowed her eyes as if she were examining them. Lucy stayed this way for a while, not moving or making a sound. Soon enough Sorceress had let go of her hands and gave her a weak smile.
The insects now seemed to be fluttering away into the night sky, it's light disappearing. Lucy watched them go with a knowing sadness. Suddenly she felt something on her head, turning to see the lady was patting her head.
"Would you like to sit by the fire? It'll warm you up from this cold night."
The girl hesitated to answer, glancing at the others for the first time. The kid had fallen asleep while Ralph and Shane were both a bit awed at the scene before them. She turned back to Sorceress, unsure if she should be near them to begin with.
She gave a slow nod after much consideration.
This made the woman smile as she leads the girl over to the fire. As she was lead to the group, the girl could feel a small amount of magic coming from Sorceress, which made her curious. Passing by the giant Lucy was careful to avoid eye contact, and pulled the hood over her face tightly. A sudden gasp caused her to flinch as her arm was let go.
"What's wrong?" she heard Ralph asking in a worried tone.
Sorceress took a step back from the girl wide eyed. Lucy frowned wondering why she was acting this way.
"Fire…there was so much everywhere," she muttered narrowing her eyes at the girl now.
She didn't understand at first since the only fire came from the campfire ahead of her. But after a moment she realized something.
A memory of hers, a very bad memory.
She took a step back in shock from the group, her eyes darting to each of them. Shane looked like he was about to intervene but stopped when he glanced towards her. A small chill came over the girl.
The whole night sky grew darker as she realized why the insects had flown away when they did. The girl slowly turned to find all she could see was darkness. It seemed to float in the air for a moment before lunging and surrounding Lucy with one swoop. She heard a cry coming from Shane, but could not tell what he said.
Stay calm. Don't panic
"Well, wasn't hard to find you all here was it brother?"
"Yes, that fire was a dead giveaway."
The voices of the twins echoed from around her, yet she kept still despite wanting to run.
"Impressive, she still has the nerve to stand her ground."
The darkness around her slowly began to decrease as she could make out the scene clearer. The girl of the twins was standing in between her and the rest of the group. Yet there was still a circle of darkness surrounding her.
"Leave her alone, she's not part of this!" she heard Shane call to the girl.
"Oh but she is, as well as the rest of you." The shadow girl paused turning her attention to Lucy, "How strange is it that this one named Lily shows up the exact same time that Lucy had disappeared."
"Yes, very strange indeed."
Lucy flinched when the other twin phased in front of her, looming over the small cloaked figure. She gasped as a second later she found herself forced backwards, clashing into the ground a few feet away. One thing she did not notice about this clearing was the fact that there was a steep decline at the edge, leading deeper into the already darkened forest. Where she landed came close to her tumbling down the same decline.
The girl shook, a sharp pain coursing through her body from the impact. For a moment the world fell silent and dark as she tried to get up. Soon muffled sounds started to come to her ears, followed by the clashing of what sounded like swords. As Lucy stood to her feet, the realization that she was defenseless washed over her.
Her sword was still stuck in the ground where she left it, deep in the darkness which now surrounded the clearing she was at the edge of.
What do I do? I don't know what's going on…are they all in danger?
A sharp scream broke through the darkness, a little girl's. No…
I can't sit back. I have to do something!
A heavy breath escaped Lucy's lips as she took one step forward.
Use this
Before the girl could comprehend anything, a small flash of white flew in front of her. The next thing she knew, a bow had appeared in her open palm. Lucy grew confused at this, but did not dwell on the logic of it. She quickly drew back the string to her cheekbone, an arrow magically forming into the empty notch. She sucked in a deep breath…
Before releasing it into the dark shadows.
There was a strange silence in the air, the blackness still present around the girl. A horrified scream filled the calm night as the darkness seemed to retreat in a flash of light. It seemed similar to her magic, yet different somehow.
As the scene became clearer Lucy gasped, seeing the arrow she had shot had gone into the male twin's arm. The others seem to not know how to react, their faces in shock. The twin sister however turned to the hooded figure with rage in her eyes.
Move!
In the corner of her eye she could see the sword she left stuck in the ground. But as she turned again to face the sister, she came at her with full force in each step. She was barely able to dodge her, a part of her cloak having ripped in the process. Lucy ran to the sword, taking the hilt and pulling it out of the ground quickly.
CLANG!
The sound of two weapons colliding filled the air with intensity.
"How DARE you attack my brother!" the sister screamed as she pushed Lucy back again towards the end of the clearing. The girl stumbled, her grip still on the sword, until the force of the twin's fist clashed into her face, causing her to fall down and skidding right to the edge of the cliff.
The girl felt really dizzy as she again tried to stand. Her hands were again empty, leaving her defenseless and in pain. In her discombobulated state, Lucy started to panic as the sister again was charging at her, and on top of that a huge drop lay behind her.
There's no way I can react to dodge her. What do I do?
The turmoil of revealing her face to all was a risky move. She wouldn't even know how her friends would react to seeing her. Or how angry they could be. But she had no choice.
Lucy gasped as the sword from the sister struck through the cloak she wore. With a shaky breath she maneuvered her body from out of it, and in turn throwing it over the enemy's face. Before the twin could react, the girl slammed her own fist to her face, with a tremendous force of her magic.
Her own glowing magic.
"SISTER!"
Lucy watched as the shadowy girl tumbled to the ground towards her brother.
Everything seemed to fall still for her, as the girl stood there with wide eyes. The silence felt comforting, but at the same time made her afraid of what would happen. Sure enough a tiny voice cracked through the quiet intensity.
"Girlie?"
That was the only thing Lucy heard as a thunderous crack came afterwards. The ground beneath her disappeared in an instant, her body moving downwards towards a dark place below.
Everything happened in a quick blur. These strange shadowy siblings showing up, attacking the hooded girl. What made Sorceress confused about this whole situation was when she looked at her face. Brown unkempt hair, a small fragile looking body that had black marks across them…
And the golden eyes.
She remembered someone mentioning them. A certain girl had big golden eyes. She didn't have time to wrap her mind around it as the girl fell suddenly down the edge. The woman was quick to get on her feet. Shane had been beaten down during the confrontation with the brother. And looking to the shadow at this moment, he was really mad.
"Get out of here and find Lily!" she shouted to the others as she flew at rapid speed towards the twins. One of them she noticed was down, the cloak that was thrown by the girl around her face, as she attempted to remove it.
Sorceress took this as an opportunity to take down the brother, as sparks of lightning magic formed in both her hands. She mumbled something under her breath before colliding with him. Sparks slammed into the boy as he convulsed. He soon regained his composure and attempted to slash at the woman. She moved away from each of his attacks, pressing more lightning attacks into the brother.
"You think your mere magic can hurt us?" he chided attempting another slash at her.
Sorceress was able to dodge it just in time before circling around him. Before she could move to attack again she was hit from behind, causing her to stumble to the side. The sister had gotten up, who somehow looked even angrier than her sibling.
This isn't what I hoped.
"She seems to think so, brother. Seeing the other girl in action." the shadowed girl replied to her brother.
"Why do you take such interest in Lily?" the blue haired lady growled.
They both laughed after glancing at each other with confused amusement.
"You and your friends seem to be oblivious. Why don't you ask Shane about this." the boy chided with a wide smile.
"After all, he does work for our master. He knows much about the girl as we do." the girl sneered.
"Though, the child seemed to catch on pretty quick."
Sorceress paused in her advance. She remembered Vanellope squeaking out something before the girl fell. Oh no, what if she didn't survive the fall.
As if on answer, the group heard a small noise. It sounded as if someone was struggling to pull themselves up. The lady looked towards the drop, and to her surprise, the face of the same girl popped up from the edge and climbed onto the stable ground. She had a look of fear in her big, golden eyes, her body shaking. But Sorceress found that the girl stood in confidence.
Wait, is this the girl that he was talking about? What was her name…?
"Ah…you survived that fall." the male sibling clapped as he continued to grin, "Nice to see you again, Lucy."
The woman frowned, turning towards the tiny girl that stood on the edge once more. She did not move, her eyes glued to the two shadows in front of her. A quick moment she glanced at Sorceress with saddened eyes before turning back to the enemies.
"Come on then. Are you too scared to fight us?" the sister asked directly to both.
No time then to waste.
Sorceress recited the words of a powerful magic spell, and flew towards the pair. If this hit it would…
She found herself sent flying back towards the ground as the twins still stood in place. The grins seemed to only mock her as she attempted to get to her feet. The pair were quickly getting close, as she realized she wouldn't move in time.
Out of nowhere a flash of something flew in front of her with great speed. She could only stare in shock as the girl, Lucy, stood in the way.
"So now you want to fight. To protect your new friend?" the boy taunted as this didn't stop him from moving forward.
She still did not say anything or move, however Sorceress could tell that her face seemed to be in pain as a glow formed around her body. She moved her hands up in front of her, palms outstretched.
"You're a fool, little girl!" he shouted as he moved with sword in hand.
"BROTHER, STOP!"
He did not halt, the grin getting wider on his lips as he moved to deal the finishing blow. Yet Lucy stood still, her eyes fixed on the shadow. He swiped his sword, sending shadowy slashes flying towards her. They whipped by her, but not before taking some torn pieces of clothing with it. The twin brother knew this would be it.
In the middle of his dash he suddenly stopped moving altogether. Sorceress frowned at this, before realizing that he was glowing.
That he was hit with two powerful orbs of light.
The boy seemed to tense at the blow before glancing back. Then…he disappeared. Sorceress's face turned grim, she knew the rules of venturing outside your own game. Lucy's expression had changed as well, a look of guilt spreading across her face. She could have sworn that she saw the black spots on her body grow larger.
"You…YOU!"
"Watch out!"
She was able to grab the girl before being pushing by an unbelievable force of energy. So much so that she wasn't able to stop them from falling off the edge of the steep hill, into the darkness below. It was a long fall, however she kept Lucy from taking any damage. In turn she obtained many bruises in the process.
When they had ceased to tumble, landing on level ground, Sorceress let go of the girl. Or rather she was pushed away from the small lady. She trembled as she silently stood to her feet.
"Wait."
Lucy didn't turn to face her, but stayed put.
"I didn't know…that you were her." The magical lady paused, "Thank you for helping me."
The girl said nothing, still trembling as she held her arms tightly to her chest.
"Come on, we should make sure the others are okay."
Sorceress stood and went to place a hand on her shoulder. Only to find the girl shying and pushing her hand away roughly.
"It's alright, we…"
That was when Lucy turned towards her, making her stop. Her face, arms, legs…were all covered in inky blackness. She shook her head, again clutching her arms tightly. They stared at each other, one in pain, while the other trying to understand what was happening to her.
Without any more words, the girl slowly turned from her and ran further into the darkness.
"WAIT, LUCY!"
Lucy in her already tattered clothes, kept running on, and not paying attention to the cries of the blue haired lady behind her. She had used too much of her magic already. The curse was slowly starting to spread again. It was only a matter of time before it consumed her. She didn't want them to suffer because of it. So Lucy ran, as she did many times before.
As she was lost in her frantic thoughts, she did not see the good sized rock in front of her. With a gasp she tumbled once more, the sudden steepness of the land pushing her faster down. When she finally stopped, it felt as if the girl was on level ground once more. Lucy shook as both the pain of the fall and the shadow's curse coursed through her body. Her vision blurred for a few moments as she tried to move, but every time attempted to pull herself up, it was only met with the shock of the tumble.
Everything…hurts so much. She paused and closed her eyes, the darkness enveloping her mind; At least everyone is safe…
Lucy took in a shaky breath as she lay on the ground, unaware of where she was, and not wanting to know. The world seemed to be quiet, save for the lapping of water.
Wait…water?
The girl opened her eyes, finding her vision had returned. They widened as she saw what could only assume was a lake. Puzzled she lifted her head a little, finding that the pain was subsiding a little. Sure enough, there was the lake, exactly as she had found it the first time. The trees surrounding her had the same petals floating down from the familiar candy trees. How did I end up in this place again? Does…that mean we're close to getting back?
Lucy moved her hands to push her upper body from the ground. Looking around, she realized that it was definitely the same place she had ran to the first time she came to Sugar Rush. For the first time, a smile formed on her face. She soon forgot the curse, now cracked and darkened, spreading through her body.
But then it all came back.
Her smile faded as she stared down to the lapping water beneath her feet. It was faint, but she could see her own face in the reflection. Yet it was blurry…
She gasped softly, realizing that tears were flowing down her cheeks. She tried to wipe them, but her arms failed to move, propping up her body. She shook her head, sniffling as she tried to control her tears, yet they still continued to fall.
There's no way out of this mess.
Lucy choked back a sob as she continued to stare at her reflection. After a while, she opened her mouth, desperately trying to say something. Anything.
A soft sound escaped her lips. She gasped, trying again to say something. All that came was another soft, melodic 'ah'. Another smile formed, but quickly faded. Thank goodness I can still sing.
With nothing else to do, nowhere to go at this point, Lucy attempted to talk. Each time the sounds that came were melodic. After a while, she didn't mind, and resorted to only singing. Once in a while she shivered as a breeze swept through the lakeside. Her soft sounds of song soon became louder overtime, not caring if anyone hears her.
Round where the orchids bloom
And as the sun begins to fade
So will come the foreseen doom
Of darkness that's to reign
And in this time a warrior
Of light will come to rise
They'll be the people's courier
Of hope for golden skies.
She repeated these lines over, singing softly. It felt nice to have some sort of voice. Even now in her last moments before she loses herself.
A loud crunch from behind interrupted her peaceful melody. In one quick instant, the pain of the spreading curse came back to her. She turned fearfully, wondering if it was the remaining twin coming to destroy her.
Instead she only stared in surprise. The figure just seemed as shocked as she was. Lucy's breathing grew quicker as her legs finally began to move, pushing her back from the tall figure. NononoNONO! she shook her head rapidly, continuing to back away. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to believe he was standing there.
Why? Why did Ralph have to find her?
For the giant wrecker, things seemed to happen in a blur. One moment he was watching as the girl fell, the next he was carrying both the kid and Shane away from the battle. When he made sure they were safe, stowed away in a candy tree (much to the dismay of the president), he hurried back to help. Only to find that no one was there.
After looking for them in the clearing he peered down the cliff side, fearing the worst had happened. That was when he heard a familiar cry, and slid down the steep hill. When Ralph reached the bottom he found Sorceress, calling out into the darkness with a desperate voice.
"Ralph?" she paused when he tapped her shoulder gently. She looked back to the darkness, "She ran when I offered to find you. I don't know what was going on with her but…she was in pain and-"
"I'll find her," he replied and took off before she could say anything more.
The wrecker desperately searched, with little vision in the growing darkness. At one point he felt the ground grow steeper, before leveling out again.
That was when he heard it: a small melodic voice.
He stopped as something came into view. The sound of water, along with the singing made him curious. What Ralph saw next made his code start to pulse.
Is that really…?
A crackling sound from the twigs at his feet made the small figure turn towards him. Golden eyes stared at him with fear and pain.
Ralph was silent as she quickly scooted backwards towards the water, trembling slightly. The dark spots on her body were covering her more and more. The curse was taking a hold of her, he knew it.
He had to do something. But what could he do?
"Lucy."
Ralph took a step forward, only to cause the girl to shake her head and move away once more. The wrecker had no idea what to say, how to comfort her when she was so scared of being near him. He was used to characters backing away because of who he was, but this was hard even for a bad guy like himself.
"I'm…so glad you're alright."
Lucy's face for a moment turned into confusion, before pain seemed to swallow her again. The dark marks were increasing rapidly now.
How do I help her?
He paused in his movement towards her, his face turning grim. This in turn made Lucy stop as well, her confused look coming back once more before fading into pain. She let out a small gasp as her trembling increased.
Ralph could feel his heart stop watching her writhe in pain. Before he knew it, the giant closed the gap in between them, wrapping his arms around the trembling girl. In his grasp she tried to push away, struggling to create space between them. But he wouldn't let go.
"I know you're scared. I am too."
She paused, her body going semi limp.
"I can't just…stand by and watch you turn into one of those things. I…"
The words were caught in his throat as he tried to fight back tears. Frustration bubbled inside him, for as strong as he was, he suddenly felt helpless.
Ralph squeezed her a little tighter, trying to fight back the tears. She stayed limp in his grasp, her strength felt all but gone. The giant grew concerned, glancing down at her. Only to see that her eyes had dulled, the bright color and innocence faded away in an instant.
He couldn't fight back, as some tears fell down his cheeks.
"Lucy."
He gently ducked down his head and placed it against hers in defeat. The giant didn't want to believe that she was fading away, turning into a shadow before his eyes. There must be something I could do…anything…
Amidst the few tears and the growing sorrow that swept over him, an idea he did not expect found its way into his mind.
With his head already close to Lucy's he planted a small kiss on her lips.
He had never done something like this, after all someone like him never got the girl. It was crazy, even for him, but in this moment where hope had faded, Ralph could find no other way.
He shut his eyes tight, kissing her for a second more before pulling his head away.
It was faint…but he felt small hands clutching onto his cream colored shirt. A short moment later…the sound of muffled cries.
His eyes shot open, holding back his own gasp. Swirling around the pair were two, bright colors. A luminescent gold and a burning red shade. He followed the colors, looking up to see they intertwined. He squinted as the brightness intensified, but finally made out what it was. A strong, fiery orange color shone down on them, the reds and yellows sparking around. It engulfed the pair, the bonding colors growing brighter until….
It faded away.
Ralph was left staring up at where the colors had been, wondering what in user's name had just happened.
Wait…
His brown eyes turned down to the girl, still in his gentle grasp. Lucy stared at him with wide, golden eyes, an awed look across her face. She pointed upwards, where the swirling colors used to be, then gave him a curious look.
"I…don't know?" he answered with the same quizzical expression.
He noticed her arm had returned to the same peach color, as well as the rest of her skin. He sighed, relief sweeping over him as his head drooped down. He heard Lucy squeak, her hands fidgeting and patting him in fear.
"I'm glad you're still here." Ralph said noticing her panic.
She stared at him with her innocent eyes, before wrapping her small arms around him.
Unknown to them however, the swirl of magic still engulfed the two. Bonding the two hearts struggling to stay together.
"I'm…sorry. I should have kept you by my side…"
Lucy pulled away, her face contorted into a frown. She shook her head, pointing to herself.
The air suddenly seemed to change, as a growing intensity became apparent. Ralph noticed this change, immediately glancing around to see if he could spot anything out of the ordinary. It was brief, but something dark and unstable flew past his field of vision. He kept his arms around Lucy, who was staring out at the darkness with wide eyes.
They weren't alone.
Oh my goodness! Dreadfully sorry that this chapter took so long. This was a really tough one to get right, hence why it took me months to get this chapter out. D:
I'm not even sure if there's anyone still reading this (aside from some friends I know) but if you are still here, I really want to thank you for being patient with me. My creativity came to a standstill for a while because of irl events. It's harder to write these days, but I'm still determined to finish this monster of a story no matter how long it takes.
I still think it needs work to me, but for now it's as good as it can get. There's still more drama to come, trust me.
See you all in the next chapter!
Edit 7/4/18: Added a little to the end here, since it seemed to lack a bit of punch.