You are now Angelica. You're standing around in a dream bubble waiting for something to happen or someone to show up. Almost as if on cue, Cherry appears.
"Hey," you say to your friend, "What's up?"
"There's something I need to tell you." She says in a grim tone.
"What's up? Is someone hurt? Are Sam and Elise fighting again? Should I kick their asses?"
"No, it's nothing like that. I found my dad."
"That's great how is he? I hope he's—"
"He's dead."
"Oh, I'm...I'm sorry to hear that."
"That's not all, it turns out that our session is the product of a scratch."
"So, we're all our parent's parent's?"
"Yes."
"Oh god that's weird to think about!"
"To make it even worse, the session that created ours is another version of the session we're headed to."
"That's bad news? Cherry, that's possibly the best news that could accompany those statements!
"No, it's not, the session we're going to is full of assholes who look like our dead parents."
"I have a question for you then. If these guys are assholes, then how can they be genetically the same as our parents? Did you forget that our parents were pretty nice people?"
"These people have grown up in a different time, on a different Earth. They're different people."
"Exactly! That's the conclusion I wanted you to draw! They're different people. They're not supposed to be our parents, and we're not supposed to be theirs."
"But from the ones I've met they are terrible people!"
"Is that a good judge of character? A few are mean, so they all suck ass?"
"Well, no, but—"
"No 'buts', these are people you should give another chance."
"No! Screw those guys!"
"What did they do to piss you off anyway?"
"I offered them help, and in return I was to get a free pass to search for my dad and a clone of a dog."
"A clone of a dog?"
"They were really cute dogs!"
"Ok."
"Instead, after I healed one of their friends, the younger version of my dad broke the catalyst I used to get to their session and sent me back to the dream bubbles."
"What was the catalyst?"
"The bracelet Will gave me."
"Yeah, that's kinda a dick move, but think about it from his perspective. Some strange girl completes her side of the deal and then, as part of the deal, she's going to stick around your session and possibly ruin entire plans, or even betray you when she finds her dad is dead."
"You're saying he might have known my dad was dead?"
"I'm saying maybe he didn't want you to have to find out, or maybe even he was on orders from your dad."
"No, he couldn't have spoken to my dad, the closest thing in the dream bubbles is Grimm."
"Grimm?"
"More dickish version of my dad who scratched his session, then killed all his friends."
"You said that our parents we're the ones who scratched their session."
"Yeah, but you said that they aren't truly our parents."
"Good point. Why the name Grimm?"
"It's what he chooses to go by."
"Anyway, back to the asshole situation. Either way you look at it, one of the people who you despise cared enough to not want you to have to face your dad's death. If it's Grimm, then that's more reasonable to declare you kid-dad a dick. If it wasn't Grimm's orders then you're even farther off then you were before to call him a dick. Would a dick try to prevent the unnecessary sadness of a total stranger?"
"Fine, I get your point."
"Besides, you're gonna need to get along with the young version if you want to join their session once we get there."
"How did you know that was the plan?"
"Oh please! You led us this far and we haven't all died. I have at least some faith in our fearless leader!"
"That's the third part of the deal with Brandon I made. He agreed to let us join their newly created universe. That's part I hope he keeps true to."
"I'm sure he can't be that big of a douche."
"Alright, you've made your point, I'll try to give them another chance."
"Good, now have you seen a ghost in a breath god-tier?"
"Why?"
"I tried to talk to them and they fled into another bubble, I want to find out why."
"Might be the pre-scratch version of your dad."
"Could be. That only makes me want to talk to them even more!"
"Well good luck finding your dead family!" With that she walked off.
You decide that since you've lost the trail you decide to sit down and read from your book.
You open up to a random page and read to yourself, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you." -Deuteronomy 31:6
"Ha. Sure, whatever, dumb old book."
"You don't much care for it either, huh?" A voice says from over your shoulder. You turn around to face the ghost in blue.
"So I guess I've finally found you." You say to the one who you can determine is definitely your dead father.
"Hey, I asked you a question."
"Oh. No, I guess I don't much believe in things like this anymore."
"Yeah, I kinda stopped believing in it as well. Still had to go to church though."
"You? Not believe in this thing?" You ask as you wave the book to show emphasis.
"Well, in my original world I just didn't much care for it. In your world however I practically breathed the word of Christ."
"I guess the world really does change a person."
"So when did you stop believing?"
"When I died. When I realized that that world was long gone and that I wouldn't have our benevolent creator watching over my shoulder anymore. That was when I realized that if I'm to become a god I can't rely on another one for all my guidance."
"Admit it. You still wanna believe that Earth's creator is watching over you."
"I guess some part of me does, some part of me wants to believe that I have a better fate than dream bubbles. Some place where I can live happily after I die."
"That's the point of immortality though, to not die."
"I guess, but who's to say I won't some day face a heroic or just death?"
"I guess it would be up to you by that point."
"Yeah, it would be."
"You know what I think of that book of yours? I think that it doesn't matter if you believe it. It doesn't matter whether what happened in that book did or didn't happen, all that matters is that you get a good message out of it."
"What message did you get out of it?"
"I learned that it's okay to believe in something greater than yourself, but it's not ok to expect the exact same belief of others. People will believe what they believe and if you wanna believe what that book says then good for you, but just because others won't then that doesn't make them evil."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks, dad."
"It's nothing, however let's drop the heavy talk for now. I have some stuff to tell you."
"Like what?"
"Stuff about where you're going."
"Cool!"
"First things first, they may seem hostile at first but that's just their way of saying hi."
"Noted!"
"Secondly, don't give their Void player any knowledge about any spells or incantations that create fire or lightning."
"Why?"
"Because some people just wanna watch the world burn. Lastly, don't go picking fights with them, they may not look it but they are much more powerful than your team."
"How much more powerful?"
"Sam and Cherry working together could barely take out their weakest member. Their strongest member could kill all of you before you could draw your weapons."
"Who's their strongest members?"
"The space player, Mark. His power comes from his class, he's weak now but by the time you guys get there he would be able to create entire solar systems with the snap of his fingers."
"Got it! They're not evil people, don't give the Void player anything that can start a fire, and don't pick a fight with anyone."
"Good. Now, I need to get going. Sadly this will be the last time we will be able to speak. I wish you good luck." With that he dissapeared into another bubble and you were left alone with that old book of yours.
END OF CHAPTER 29