Chapter 8
Life is strange sometimes. You seem to start at one point and go on a complete journey that takes you all over the place, only to end up back where you started. And all this time you're not aware of what's going on. You try to take control but sometimes it's too much. And then you realize that it's best to let some things go. In the end you ride the storm. You cross an ocean of time; you've seen a million places and seen a million faces. And when it's over, you are back to where you started. That's when you realize that it's not the destination; it's the journey that really matters in life. And the sad part is, many people don't realize that until they are at the end of their journey. They look back at their memories and yearn for more. This is exactly what Ellipsis had come to realize as soon as the escape pod landed back on the space station. She knew she was at the end of her journey. As she looked back on her life she wished just one more day with her friends. But that's the tricky thing about life, it is never as it seems. You can be on top of the world one moment, and flat on your face the next. And as you lay there on the ground, writhing in pain as the universe stares at you, smile. Because sometimes that's all you have.
As the doorway opened and the thick air of the space station filled the escape pod, everyone felt a sense of doom. To Ellipsis, Io and Jane this felt familiar but it was much stronger than before. Tanya had never felt anything like this before; she had after all spent the last fifty years near the Guardian of the Photonic Sphere. The docking bay was dark and quiet. Whatever lights that were left on after they left were now out. Jane went back inside the escape pod and pulled out several flashlights. When the flashlights turned on the scene before them was something out of a nightmare.
The walls were covered in a red slimy paste. The floor seemed hairy and alive. Movements from behind the light's reach could be seen as well as little yellow eyes. Voices echoed gently across the air. On closer inspection of the walls, horrific faces could be seen within them. Jane, for a moment, appeared sick at the sight. Jane and Io walked out of the escape pod together. Io still had her robotic arm torn apart but still managed to strap a flashlight to it. Tanya walked out with her rifle at the ready and Ellipsis still had her sword in her hand and the Dagger of Rah tucked neatly behind her back.
"Tiny creatures live here now, some with very sharp teeth." Tanya said as she picked up what appeared to be a human bone off the ground. "This place is a nightmare." Tanya said as she stood and dropped the bone on the ground. All this time, Ellipsis was not surprised by the scene. She had seen this before.
"This was my home." Ellipsis said as she looked around. Memories suddenly flashed before Ellipsis of the castle she lived in for twenty years. The image made her flesh crawl. As they made their way through the docking bay and into the main lobby of the space station, what was once a wild jungle filled with different colors now looked like the inside of a monster. The floor was red and wet. The walls were painted with faces of strangers, all captured in a moment of true desperation and horror. Bones lay scattered across the floor. And puddles of boiling blood were scene in the corners of the room. The air smelled of foul rotting flesh. The group gathered near the large hole in the ground. They could still feel the heat from the explosion. The remnants of the monster stilled remained there untouched.
Ellipsis stood there for a moment in silence, remembering Ridley's last words. For a brief moment she saw him again, with his smile, running off into the blackness. And he was gone. Regret began to weigh heavy on Ellipsis's shoulders.
"It's been fun kid. See ya around." Ellipsis said under her breath. She still had the queen of heart in her pocket. Ellipses, holding back her tears, took a deep breath and face the group.
"What's the plan?" Ellipsis said with confidence. The group looked at one another with confusion.
"Well…" Jane started "We thought you would have a plan." Jane said as she looked at Ellipsis. Ellipsis only looked back at Jane and gave her a shrug. The group stood by in silence for a moment before being alerted to their surroundings.
Creepy, eerie sounds filled the air and wrapped itself around the group. From the walls, little yellow eyes could be seen. From the hallways to the north and west, footsteps could be heard. And an aura of darkness and fear could be felt as it gripped around the group. The group backed up to one another and soon they were surrounded by small black imps wielding long spears. Io stood with her broken robotic arm in a defensive position, ready to block anything that would attack her. Ellipsis held out her sword. Tanya readied her rifle and Jane stood in the back with the flashlight shining in the creature's faces. Their piercing silver blue eyes gazed at the group. They grinned, revealing green and yellow teeth. Maniacal laughter could be heard all around them. The group braced themselves for a battle but the group of imps remained still. Suddenly, way off in the distance, clapping could be heard.
"I applaud your efforts. Returning back here was a bold move indeed but none the less all too predictable. For even the eye of the Black Mirror saw your plan and so did I." A voice called out. It sounded raspy, dry and weak. The group looked around quickly to decipher where the voice had come from but their attention was drawn back to the horde that surrounded them with spears and swords. Suddenly there was movement from within the crowd. Imps stepped aside as a figure dresses in black armor stepped forward. He stood about six feet tall wearing a helmet that had several spikes protruding from it made from human bones. His face revelled a cold exterior and an icy heart.
"Drop your weapons, the high king wishes to speak to you in person." The man said. Almost as soon as the man said it, Io grit her teeth and prepared to fight. Io had one thing and one thing only on her mind in that moment, Jane. Jane on the other hand was more concerned what Io was going to do. In the times they have spent together she noticed that Io had a way with words, in that there were no words; only throwing punches and getting into trouble. Jane could feel Io's tension and feared the worse. Her fears were set aside though for a brief moment as the sound of metal making contact with the floor rang throughout the lobby. Jane turned only to see Ellipsis kick her sword off to the side and into the horde. The imps swarmed around it and giggling to themselves as they held the sword up away from Ellipsis.
Ellipsis only stared at them and raised her hands in the air in silence. Soon it was Tanya to lay her rifle down on the ground as well as her pack of ammo. A bead of sweat trickled down Io's back. She felt fear take hold of her. She started to tremble with hesitation. But then her fear was set aside as Jane reached out and took hold of her hand. It wasn't obviously written on her face as much as Io's but Jane was terrified as well. Io relaxed her arms. The man then turned his head towards the imps.
"Chains…" He said. The imps scampered forward with chains and manacles. Giggling to themselves, they clamped the manacles one by one. Io gave them a fierce look as they approached her with the chains. She didn't let go of Jane's hand. The group was dragged off, their weapons confiscated and their hands wrapped in black iron manacles.
They were dragged through a musty hallway and up a flight of stairs that looked, smelt and felt to be made from human flesh and human bones. Blue torches were lit all around them, giving off a cold and depressing feeling and all this time Io didn't let go off Jane's hand and Ellipsis remained silent. Tanya on the other hand remained calmed but calculated everyone's move. Like a chess player she was at least five steps ahead of everyone else.
The man led the group into a large room. The ceiling extended into blackness and a large table of food laid before them. Blue flames lit the candles that stretched around the room and on the table. At the very end of the table, seated in a red and gold chair onto of a red and gold carpet sat the king. He looked old. His hair was thinned and white. His eyes looked sagged and his skin looked shriveled. He appeared to be resting as his eyes were closed and yet so far away even the group could see he was slouching. The group was brought in and lined up against the wall. One imp on each end held the chain that connected the group. The man that led the group made his way over to the king and gentle rested his hand on the king's shoulder.
"My lord, I have brought the prisoners as requested." The man said. The king seemed to move his head slightly. His eyes slowly crept open, revealing a cold blue eyes. Eyes that have appeared to have seen the beginning and the end of time itself. Cold, lonely, tired eyes. The king glanced at the group, his eyes stopped on Ellipsis. A wicked smile cracked across his face.
"Excellent." The king said as he slowly stood up. Ellipsis knew right away from that wicked smile who the king was. She had a feeling that it would come down to this. The king made his way over to examine each person individually. First in the row was Jane. The king's cold glare made her shiver with fright.
"My dear" The king started. "You'd be wise to be afraid of me." With that the king moved on to Io. He laughed a bit at the sight of her damaged robotic arm.
"You may have a warriors heart, but you're too stubborn for your own good." The king said as he moved on to the next person. In that moment, if Jane wasn't holding onto Io's hand, Io would have punched the king right in the face. Tanya was next. All she did was stare at the king as he stared back at her. No words. Just silence. And finally, at the end of the line was Ellipsis. Who out of everyone, the king looked at and smiled.
"Release this one" The king ordered. The man looked at the king with confusion. The king looked back. "I said, release this one. I wish to talk to her." The king said as he turned around and walked back to his seat. The man was hesitate at first but eventually made his way over to unlocking Ellipsis's manacles.
"Sit down child. I wish to talk to you." The king said as he seated himself. Ellipsis made her way over to the nearest chair and sat down.
"I have seen a great deal of many things. I have seen the beginning and the end. The Black Mirror has a great deal of power of time and everything it touches. I have seen your past child. I have seen the struggles you endure and in doing so I have had struggles myself." The king said with a sigh.
"We have both seen a lot of things Joffrey. But for people like us, there is no happy ending." Ellipsis said with a sorrow smile. Joffrey looked at Ellipsis with an astound his face.
"Words I would expect from someone who has lived as long as I have." Joffrey said with a smile. The smile soon faded from his face as he slouched down.
"It feels like it's been an eternity since I last saw you. Time flows in a very strange way. You can start at one point, go all around the world and still end up back where you started. Tell me, Ellipsis. How do you do it? I know you've used the Black Mirror before. That is how you knew where my troops were. But as I used the Black Mirror I see myself age before my very eyes. Years of my life gone in an instant; while you remain youthful and untouched by time." Joffrey said. At first Ellipsis was shocked to be asked such a thing especially from Joffrey. The very same man who tortured her and turned her into a monster was now asking her about time and immortality. Ellipsis remained silent.
"At first I used the Black Mirror to gain victory here. Reclaim my title and honor. But that wasn't enough, I felt so empty. So I used it to go back in time and change a few things. Things I regretted, things I wished I had done differently. We all have those moments in our lives that we wish to change. I saw this moment coming. I saw your friends arrive long before they did. But one thing I could never see through the eye of the Black Mirror was you. Tell me, how do you do it." Joffrey said. He soon lifted his head and sat back. Ellipsis could see that time has not exactly been friendly with Joffrey. He seemed more tired than usual. This didn't seem like the man who she fought with a while back. The very same man she spat on. Ellipsis sat there in the chair and slowly sank into her thoughts. She didn't know too much about the Black Mirror, only that she used it once to change her past. She had no answers for Joffrey.
"I see…" Joffrey said as he stood up. In a quick motion he pulled out a sword from under the table. Ellipsis's eyes widen. Now here was the man she knew. Joffrey walked over to her, sword pointing directly at her.
"I have sacrificed too much now to let it all slip away from someone like you who seems to defy the laws of time." Joffrey said as he held the sword firmly in his hand. The blade was a few feet away from Ellipsis's nose. Joffrey reached behind him and from his pouch he pulled out a familiar object. It dangled from a chain and swung back and forth as if it was a pendulum in a clock. It was the Black Mirror.
"I let you get away from me once, never again." Joffrey said as he raised his sword.
With all of his might Joffrey swung the blade down at Ellipsis only for it to be blocked by a bright shining white light. Just as Joffrey brought down his sword Ellipsis pulled out the Dagger of Rah and blocked his attack. The surrounding imps shrieked out in terror as the light burned bright in the room. In that moment of panic and discourse Tanya took the opportunity and kicked one of the imps away from the chains they were holding. Soon panic broke out on both sides. Io let go of Jane's hand and proceeded to punch the imps that were holding her side of the chains while Tanya was busy unhooking hers.
Across the room near the table Joffrey reeled back with shock. The Dagger of Rah gave off a warm feeling. Creatures of the Umbral Sphere can only perceive the Dagger of Rah as a bright white light at first. But it wasn't long before the light faded and revealed the dagger to Joffrey. Fear and anger swelled in his eyes as he gripped his sword with two hands and charged after Ellipsis. Ellipsis dodged out of the way as Joffrey's sword came down and embedded into the wooden chair. Ellipsis took this moment to try to swipe at the Black Mirror but instead cut into Joffrey's left thigh. Black blood dripped on the floor as Joffrey let out a roar of pain. In his anger and frustration he was able to pull the sword out quickly and swing at Ellipsis but with an awkward step with the leg that was hit caused him to miss her once again.
Meanwhile while Joffrey and Ellipsis were fighting it out near the table, Tanya had successfully unhooked herself and started fighting off the Imps. Io was doing the same on the other side. Jane noticed that most the imps were heading out of the doorway and with a quick observation in the heat of the moment realized where they were in the space station. After Jane's chains were removed, courtesy of Tanya, she moved over to the side of the room and found the emergency switch to close the doors and seal them in the room.
The sound of the doors closing surprised Joffrey but that was a mistake, as Ellipsis took the moment to slash at the Black Mirror once again but instead of hitting it, she slashed at Joffrey's right arm.
"You vile witch!" Joffrey yelled out as he turned around and swung his blade at Ellipsis. Ellipsis unfortunately did not duck but instead tried to sidestep his attack. The searing pain in her shoulder indicated to her that that was a wrong move. She gripped her shoulder in pain. Joffrey was standing before her with a mocking grin on his face. Ellipsis, in her moment of agony, tried to swing at Joffrey but ultimately missed and she stumbled forward ,hunched over, nearly falling on the ground. With her back turned Joffrey took a swing at Ellipsis and made contact. Blood splattered on the floor as Joffrey slashed horizontal at Ellipsis. Ellipsis let out a roar of pain.
"I'll fucking kill you!" Ellipsis yelled out. Blinded with fury and hatred she lunged forward but missed. Joffrey took the opportunity to do some more damage to Ellipsis's back but she expected it this time and successfully blocked his attack. Both weapons now locked together as both Joffrey and Ellipsis struggled to gain the advantage. Blood and sweat dripped to the floor as the two danced around each other with hatred in their eyes. With a final push Ellipsis pushed forward and slide the dagger down Joffrey's blade, cutting into his arm. Joffrey gripped his arm and took a few steps back. He tried to lunge forward but missed. As he moved forward with his lunge Ellipsis, now ignoring the Black Mirror, slashed into Joffrey's chest. Joffrey leaned forward in pain but used that to his advantage as his spun around with his sword and cut Ellipsis's right hand.
Ellipsis took a few steps back as Joffrey readjusted himself, still holding his chest for a moment. The two both moved forward at each other. The sound of metal striking against one another ranged throughout the room. Meanwhile, Io and Tanya were busy fighting off the remaining imps in the room. Knocking them out cold. During the struggle, one of the imp managed to detach Io's broken robotic arm and use it against her. The imps were not well armed, many had little knives but nothing else. The ones that did have the weapons on them fled when they saw the Dagger of Rah. Io took a good slug to the face with her own robotic arm while Tanya was wrestling another imp. Jane had issues of her own as a few imps approached her and tried to tackle her. She managed to move out of the way and kick one out of the way. Jane made her way over to the table and grabbed one of the candles and slash at the remain imps.
Just on the other side of the table Joffrey and Ellipsis were still going at it and locking their weapons once again. Unfortunately for Ellipsis, Joffrey gained the advantage this time and slashed down her chest. There comes a time when the human body can no longer handle the pain and must shut itself down. Moments like these where Ellipsis took some much shock and damage at once that she slumped to the ground, dropping the dagger to the floor. She wasn't dead, that was obvious from her breathing and struggling to get up. She could feel her heat race, and the blood coming from her wounds. She was unable to do anything as Joffrey smiled at her and walked over.
"This is the end highlander." Joffrey said as he stood by her body. The Black Mirror dangled before her. Ellipsis had one chance. To once again cheat death and time. With all of her might she reached out and touched the Black Mirror. Everything around her froze. There was a faint blue tint over everything in the room. Ellipsis was still lying on the ground her finger now grasp around the Black Mirror. Just then, when it seemed like the world had became still and quiet; Ellipsis heard a voice.
"Well this is certainly a weird way of being born." The voice said. Ellipsis then heard footsteps and turned her head to see a shadowy blue figure stand before her. There was a faint red glow coming from the middle of the face, soon followed by smoke.
"Guess you would be my birth mom technically. Ah oh well. Can't pick em all. Here, let me help ya up." The voice said as it reached out with their hands and carefully lifted Ellipsis up. Ellipsis still couldn't make out any distinct features of the person before her, her vision was a little hazy from the shock and the lack of blood. She didn't know if she was hallucinating at this point or not. But her grip still remained firm on the Black Mirror.
"Well this is where I take my leave. Tootles." And with that the figure disappeared. Ellipsis stood there alone for a moment before realizing where she was. Blood dripped down her arm and through her hand and onto the Black Mirror.
She felt cold and weak. She pulled the Black Mirror out of Joffrey's hand. She has this one chance. She tried to think of a time to go back to. But she was feeling very light headed and only can recall in that moment that last few seconds leading up to her touching the Black Mirror. The pain swelled up inside her and it was unbearable. She couldn't think of anything else. She heard the sounds of the metal smacking against each other from within the Black Mirror. Soon the room around her vibrated. Everything slowly reversed itself. Joffrey walked back over a few feet away. Tanya and the others were just now looking in the direction of Ellipsis and Joffrey. The bright blue flames whooshed across the air as Jane fought against two imps. Io had just recovered her arm and then lost it again. Suddenly the room stopped vibrating. The blue tint was gone and Joffrey let how a call of horror as he realized Ellipsis was holding the Black Mirror in one hand and the Dagger of Rah in the other. Joffrey dropped his sword and raised his hand.
"What do you think you're doing?" Joffrey said with fear in voice. By this point Io had gotten her arm back and used it to beat the imp to death. Two imps got caught by the blue flames and screamed in pain and Tanya just finished throwing an imp onto the table. Ellipsis took a breath. She was tired.
"Fuck off…" Ellipsis said in an apathetic tone. And with those final words Ellipsis dropped the Black Mirror on the ground and thrust the Dagger of Rah straight into the heart of it.
There are lots of things that happen when two artifacts of ultimate power collide with one another. Even more things happen if the artifacts in question happen to be total opposites of each, for instance one light and one dark. The amount of energy that would be released if the two artifacts had collided would be enormous. The rippling effect would not only happen in one plane of existence but in all. There is also an unknown factor into this equation. Not every time two artifacts of great power that collide together are gonna have the same effect, there is always an unforeseen consequences. As Ellipsis plunged the Dagger of Rah into the Black Mirror, shattering the once invulnerable mirror, she was unaware of the consequences that were about to happen.
A bright white light shot out of the Black Mirror. The cracks within the mirror stretched across the face of the mirror and started to glow with a bright white light. The air around them turned into a gentle breeze from the air vents to gust of wind that blew everything around them. The blast of energy that followed was so powerful it knocked Ellipsis back. Joffrey rushed over in a state of panic but didn't realized what was about to happen. As the light from the mirror turned from a bright white light to a dark purple an evil laugh could be heard from within the mirror. A laugh and then soon a cry. Voice surrounded the area. Some familiar and some not. The dark purple light started to to get darker and heavier as the cracks in the mirror grew larger. The area around them started to quake. Suddenly it appeared as if the whole room was flipped upside down and the floor and the ceiling and even the walls appeared to be moving towards the Black Mirror. The blood from the floor seemed to fly towards the Black Mirror as it started to turn inward itself. Suddenly the gust of wind became a large burst of wind that started to swirl around the Black Mirror\. The dark heavy purple light started to mix with the wind, creating a purple tornado. But instead of blowing things around the tornado started to suck.
Everything was obviously now being pulled towards the Black Mirror. Everything except Ellipsis, Io, Jane and Tanya. The food on the table flew across the room, the table and chairs and then the rug and the candles soon followed. Then there was a loud bang from the door. The door suddenly burst open and the imps and the monsters started to fly through the air and into the Black Mirror. Joffrey gripped the floor as best as he could but was too weak to hold on and eventually he found himself tossed into the unknown abyss of the Black Mirror. The scene was so chaotic with little shrieks of screams along with calls of distress and things flying through the air that no one really payed too much attention to what was going on.
When it was all over and the screaming stopped and the air was calm. The room Jane, Io, Tanya and Ellipsis was in looked like a mini storage space for large space ship parts. The room was clean with no signs of blood, except for Ellipsis, or imps running around or even Joffrey doe that matter. The table, the food and the blue candles were all gone. The door was still damaged and what came next no one really expected.
It was headlights. Headlights from a vehicle that rolled on wheels. The lights were getting bigger and shinning brighter. A roar of an engine was heard as through the doorway came a bus screeching across the empty surface. Jane and Io were both shock and had their backs up to the now clean wall. Tanya looked at the bus with shock and awe. The engine then turned off and the doors opened. A cheerful voice came from within the bus.
"Okie dokie folks. End of the line, everybody off!" From within the bus hopped off was Nyssia, wearing that cheerful yet unsettling smile. Her orange pigtails danced as she jump to the ground and spun around. She stopped short in front of Jane and Io and froze. Her head jerked back and forth repeatedly. Her smile had faded and was replaced with bewilderment. Her mouth hung open a bit and she started to point at Jane, then Io. Then Jane and Io again and she turned and started muttering some incoherent language to herself as she pointed at the bus. Samantha was the next one to step off the bus. She didn't noticed the other Jane and Io and moved over to Nyssia who was still babbling to herself.
"Nyssia, I know you're going to disagree" Samantha said as she folded her arms. "But can you please call your stops next time?" Samantha said as she adjusted her glasses and stared at Nyssia. Nyssia didn't stop her made up gibberish and was now facing the bus and counting her fingers, stopping at two and starting over. At this point Samantha noticed the other Jane and Io and froze. Her facial expression moved from scowling to shock.
"She's not going to call her stops not now or ever. You're simply wasting your breath sis." Ridley said as he stepped off the bus. Suddenly a shriek came from both other Jane and other Io as they looked upon Ridley who was still a Draconian. Ridley gazed upon the other Jane and Io who looked at him with fright.
"Oh boy…." Ridley said as he put his hands in his pockets. "Hey Io, Jane; you clowns better come see this." Ridley said as he moved away from the doors. Soon Jane stepped off the bus and was immediately taken back by surprise.
"Oh my goodness." Jane said.
"My word…" The other Jane said as they both stared at one another with curiosity and fascination in their eyes.
"Guys, Blu is missing!" Io said as she perked her head through the bus window. She suddenly recognized the other Jane and the other Io. The two Janes moved closer to one another and studied their features.
"Incredible." They both said simultaneously. Io moved her way out of the bus and stood there in shock. The other Io was surprised as well but was focused on the two Janes.
"Two….Janey's." The other Io spoke with red in her face.
"We may seem like complete copies but we are most definitely different." The other Jane said.
"Agreed, though we share physical traits such as the hair and the eyes and bone structure, our minds are completely different. Therefore making us two completely different people." Jane said.
"Astute observation Doctor Parker." Other Jane said.
"Why thank you Doctor Parker." Jane said.
Samantha pressed her finger against the sides of her head.
"Someone messed up with the timeline didn't they?" Samantha said in quiet frustration. Ridley gave a small chuckle to himself as he leaned up against the bus.
"Obviously." Ridley said as he pulled out a cigarette and started to light it.
Io suddenly burst out, "Guys, Blu is missing!" Io shouted out at everyone. Everyone turned to Io. The other Jane and other Io looked slightly confused while everyone else looked concern.
"Ellipsis is missing?" Samantha asked as she moved back to the bus to look inside. Realizing that Ellipsis wasn't on the bus Samantha grabbed the crystal from its container and hopped off the bus. Nyssia meanwhile was still babbling to herself at the doubles. Tanya remained silent in this event and watched. She saw Nyssia and she wondered if she would recognize her. Nyssia however, didn't look in her general direction. She was more concerned with counting her fingers.
"Holy hot crayons you guys are sisters!" Nyssia blared out. Everyone looked towards Nyssia. Many looked upon her words with confusion. Tanya on the other hand gave a smile. No one bothered to correct Nyssia on her conclusion, there was no need to.
On the other side of the room, Ellipsis struggled to pick herself up. Blood was still dripping from her wounds. She thought she heard the familiar voices of her friends. She raised her hand in distress. Her vision was blurry and her body ached with pain. She let out a groan as she struggled to hoist herself up but was unsuccessful. And something happened. A hand reached out to help her. Several hands lifted her up. She was still in a state of daze. There were voices all around her. Both sad and happy. Then came a warm feeling all around her cold body. Her vision slowly returned and she realized that she was surrounded by her friends at last. Her wounds seemed to have healed thank to Samantha's magic.
Ellipsis only smiled as she embraced her old friends after what seemed like a million years. A tear swelled up in her right eye. She was happy. But as the old saying goes. All good things must come to an end. And as Ellipsis and her friends walked towards the bus with feelings of victory, Ellipsis collapses to the ground.
Everyone turned in shock and horror and tried to once again lift Ellipsis up. Perhaps it was the shock of being reunited with her friends that got her weak. But as they got a closer look at her they noticed a few things. One by one the strains in her hair turned gray and then white. Her skin became wrinkled and her face aged. Everyone panicked at the sight. Samantha tried to heal Ellipsis once again using the crystal but it didn't have an affect. Ellipsis started to hunch over in pain as her backbones started to ache. Everyone around her placed her on the ground.
"Oh shit what do we do?" Samantha said as she placed her hands on her head and started to tear up. No one had an answer. The shine in Ellipsis's eyes soon turned dull. Her hair started to thin. In her final moments Ellipsis reached out with her frail hand and took a hold of Samantha's.
"Hey blondie, no need to cry" Ellipsis said in a weak voice. "At least you guys are here. At least...I go with my friends by my side." Everyone fell silent. Some started to cry. Others tried to stay strong but couldn't help the tears swelling in their eyes. Nyssia broke down.
"No...No! Tanya please! Don't leave me!" Nyssia shouted out as she dropped to her knees to embrace Ellipsis only to be pulled away by Tanya herself. Everyone knew this was the end for Ellipsis. With a final breath, Ellipsis's body gave a slight twitch and the light in her eyes faded away. She was gone. Her body continued to age rapidly until it was dust and the wind from the air ducts blew the dust away and into the air. All that remained were her bloody torn clothes.
For a brief moment everyone stood in a state of disbelief. Their friend had just vanished right before them and there was nothing they could have done. Nyssia was now hugging Tanya while still crying. Samantha collapsed on her knees with Ridley right beside her. The other Jane and the other Io were embracing each other as they both weeped. In a split moment of grief Samantha picked up the crystal and threw it at a wall, shattering it into a million peices. As the pieces fell to the ground they too turned to dust and was carried off by the wind. Io let out a roar and dropped to her knees, only to punch the ground until her knuckles bled. Jane stood in silence.
It wasn't long before a voice called out to the group from behind them.
"The end is never truly the end, unless you wish it to be." The voice said. The group turned around and were approached by a tall thin woman with long white hair that touched the floor as she walked. "We are all from many walks of life, and though life gives us great joy it can also leave us feeling departed and sad. My condolences goes out to each and everyone of you." The woman said as a blue rose formed from her hand. The group all faced the woman with sorrow in their eyes, they remained quiet as if expecting a miracle to happen.
"I am Zayola" the woman said as she took a bow. There soon was a cry coming from the distance. A baby's cry. Zayola turned and slowly made her way towards the direction of the cry. As she walked flowers grew from the floor where her feet touched and soon withered away as she moved from them. Zayola paused her movement and turned towards Ridley who was looking at her with a little smile.
"I see you're doing well Ridley." Zayola said. Ridley said nothing other than tip his hat to her as she continued her walk towards the cry. Far off on the other side, next to a pool of blood laid before Zayola a young baby, no more than 6 months old, crying.
"Nature has a funny way of balancing things. With Death comes Life." Zayola said as she picked up the baby. Zayola made her way back towards the group with the child wrapped in her arms.
"Worry not my dear. You're friend did not pass in vain. She has done a great deal amount of good than any of you will ever know. The bridge between this world and the next is severed. The gateway is closed, now and forever. And though this is the end of one story, it most certainly is not the end of yours." Zayola said as she started to walk away from the group. Out of the darkness a small red fox scattered itself towards Zayola and climbed up on her shoulders.
"Felix, so good to see you again." Zayola said with a smile. The group watched as Zayola and Felix disappeared into the darkness of the room. All that remained was a blue rose resting gently on the floor. Ridley walked over and picked up the blue rose, held it to his nose, and smelled it before placing it gently in his pocket.
Days had passed since Ellipsis faded away in front of everybody and the group had slowly started to move on. Though their hearts were filled with much grief over the loss, they still were able to cheer one another up with stories. Stories of old from Io, Jane, Ridley, Samantha and Nyssia to stories of new from the other Jane, the other Io and Tanya. The entire space station was empty but there was no trace of demonic activities. The research papers on the Black Mirror were completely destroyed. As time wore on the group became closer and closer friends than when they initially met. The two Janes spent most of their time reading over books and playing strategic board games with one another. The two Ios would often challenge one another to a sparring match to see who was the strongest one. Needless to the say the original Io with her new added werewolf strength and the advantage of having two arms put up a challenging fight for the other Io. It wasn't long before the other Io was given a new robotic arm from the spare parts around the space station.
Nyssia took some time to calm down after the shock of watching Ellipsis's death but she was able to cope with the help of Tanya, who was more than willing to help her old friend. Together they reminisce of their past adventures and though they come from separate timelines, their stories seemed to line up quiet uncanningly. Ridley spent most of his time hanging around the bus drinking. Samantha spent her time researching the equipment on the space station. With the population of the space station drastically reduced, there was not enough personnel to keep the station running properly. Often times power would go out in certain areas and the flux of oxygen was drastically shift from one area to another. The group decided to meet together one last time before departing their ways.
They met in the hangar where the escape pod that flew Ellipsis, the other Jane and Io and Tanya, rested. The other Jane was there bright and early, gathering supplies. The night before, the other Jane and Io decide that they were going to leave the space station together and live on Earth. They both agreed it was a fitting place to spend their retirement. As other Jane was finishing up rounding supplies she heard the roar of the engine from busbus coming down to the hangar. The bus pulled up near the escape pod. The doors opened and Ridley stepped off. He greeted other Jane with a wave and a smile. It wasn't long before the two Ios showed up with fresh bruises. They had apparently had one last fight before their departure. Tanya and Nyssia was next to arrive and finally Samantha and Jane.
"So Doc, you never said where you were going." Ridley finally asked. He figured it be better to ask when everyone was present and accounted for. The other Jane looked back at him with a smile as the other Io walked up beside her smiling.
"Well, we decided that Earth was the best place for us to live, considering the state of this place." The other Jane said. Ridley chuckled to himself.
"Yeah, well good luck with that kid." Ridley said as he pulled out a bottle of whiskey from his coat. The other Jane and the other Io looked at him inquisitively.
"And what about you space pirate?" The other Jane asked. Ridley almost choked on the whiskey he was drinking. Spitting it all over the floor with a few laughs in between. Of all the names that he has been called, 'Space Pirate' sounded the best. After he readjusted himself, all he did was look at the other Jane and the other Io and give them a shrug. Luckily for him, Samantha had a better answer than just silence.
"We figured that since we have a whole new universe opened up to us, that exploring it seemed the best option." Samantha said as she picked up a crate and carefully moved it inside the bus.
"Hell yeah!" Io shouted as she slapped Ridley on the back.
"Hey Red, ya coming?" Io asked towards Nyssia, who was strangely standing next to Tanya in silence. Nyssia hesitated for a moment. The initial shock she took a few days ago seemed to configure something in her brain and now things seemed a bit more clearer.
"Uh, Io...I'm sorry" Nyssia said in a melancholy tone. "I want to stay with Tanya." Nyssia declared.
"Well, it seems our little family has gotten a little smaller." Jane said as she stood there in shock.
"Are you sure?" Ridley asked. He knew the answer before he asked it. Nyssia nodded in agreement with a smile.
"Don't worry about her, I'll take good care of her on Earth." Tanya said as she placed her hand on Nyssia's shoulder.
"Yes, I do believe you will." Jane said.
The groups loaded up their respective vehicles with supplies and fuel. Before they left they all met together one last time in between the two vehicles and wished one another the best of luck on their next adventures. There were some tears in and some laughs. But one thing they each knew, this was not the end of their adventures and there were plenty more to come. As the escape pod flew off, heading towards Earth, Ridley sat in the driver's seat of the bus and gave one last look at the surrounding area.
"It's been fun kid. See ya around." Ridley said under his breath. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out the queen of hearts and a blue rose and placed them on the control panel. Ridley knew this wasn't the end. After all, as Zayola pointed out, though this story is now over, their story is most certainly not.