Chapter 57

"What did you think, Little Shrimpy?" Floyd asked me with a happy smile.

We had just finished watching the movie about the mermaid princess who learned to live on land for the sake of true love. Rook went on about how beautiful the story was, and Epel agreed that he would like to find a love like that. Floyd watched me excitedly for my reaction.

"It was a wonderful story," I said. "Leaving behind your entire world for something totally new is something I can relate to."

"Oh, you're from a different world than this one, aren't you, Ona?" Epel said.

I nodded. "That's right."

"What would you do if you were in the princess' position, Shrimpy?" Floyd asked me curiously. "Would you stay here if you found your true love?"

I hesitated. It was something that had crossed my mind before. In fact, I thought about staying for reasons other than true love. "Well, I wouldn't stay just for true love, but it could be the deciding factor. It would be something I would have to talk about with him. Maybe he would decide to join me in my world. Why should I be the one to make the huge sacrifice?"

"That's fair enough," said Epel. "The princess was attracted to land for reasons other than the prince."

"But isn't the idea of abandoning everything for the sake of true love romantic?" said Rook.

"So, what's your answer?" said Floyd.

"I suppose my answer is yes," I said. "My dad did kind of give up his world for my mom's world. I know she would have done the same thing for him, but it just worked out better for him to join her on her island. So, yes, I would be willing to do the same for my true love. I wouldn't give him up just so I could go home. We would work something out." I smiled, feeling happy with this conclusion.

Floyd grinned. "Good! I hope you do find true love here, because I don't want you to leave."

His response made me happy. I was glad that I was so important to him. If I did have to choose between two worlds without true love as a factor, the decision would be extremely difficult. I did not look forward to it. "What about you, Floyd? Are you looking for true love?"

Floyd shrugged. "I'm not looking for it, but I wouldn't mind if it found me." His expression suddenly grew more serious as he looked at me. "I used to think it was impossible for me to find love, and I didn't want anything to do with it. But I didn't think I could find a true friend either. You proved me wrong, Little Shrimpy. And if you can accept me for who I am, then I know others can too. And maybe one of them will be my true love."

My heart melted a bit at his words. I was so happy to hear that I had made such a profound impact on him. It was good to see him taking lessons he learned from our relationship and being willing to apply them to others. It gave me faith that, even if I did have to leave him, he would be alright. I smiled warmly at him. "If you want true love, I'm sure you'll find it."

Floyd grinned at me. "Thanks! I don't mind if I don't find it, though. I don't need it. As long as I have Jade and friends like you and Azul, I'll be fine!"

I nodded with a smile. "That's a healthy attitude to have."

"What of your brother?" Rook said. "Does Jade dream of true love?"

Floyd smiled. "He would never admit it, but I think he longs for a relationship like that."

"Really?" I said.

Floyd looked at me and nodded. "Jade doesn't get close to people very easily, but when he does, he gives them his full attention. I know he would love to have someone he could share everything with in a very deep love. I think finding true love would make him quite happy and fulfill his needs. And I can see him being very devoted romantic to his partner, can't you?"

I thought about Jade and smiled, getting a warm feeling. Floyd was absolutely right. Jade was already extremely caring towards his family and friends. I could see that being more intense with a romantic partner. "Yeah, I can see that." The image of Jade being close to a random girl and suddenly felt uncomfortable. I frowned as I pushed the thoughts away.

"Are you okay, Little Shrimpy?"

"Huh?" My attention snapped back to Floyd. "I'm fine."

Floyd gave me a sympathetic look. "Are you missing Jade again?"

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Yeah, aren't you?"

"Sure, but we'll get back to him soon. How about we watch another movie to pass the time?"

"That sounds good to me," said Epel.

"Okay," I agreed. As long as I had something to occupy my mind, I would be fine.

"Hi, Rook Hunt. Epel Felmier. Floyd Leech. Ona," Ortho said when he appeared in the room hours later. He spoke calmly with none of his energy or enthusiasm from earlier. "Is there anything you need?"

"Your kindness if most touching, Ortho," said Rook. "We are all faring quite well."

"We've finished the tests for Vil, Grim, and all the others. Everything went smoothly with no major issues. They're all pretty tired though, so they're recovering in their rooms right now. Grim has an especially large battery of tests. Now he's sprawled out on his back, snoring away. You'll be able to see them tomorrow morning, when you leave the island."

"Oh, that I could see Vil looking hale and hearty sooner, but if he's fatigued, then so it must be."

"I hope we can see each other soon," I said.

"Oh, and I made sure to pass along the skincare products to Vil," said Ortho.

"Truly?" said Rook. "Merci! I'm most grateful for your friendship and generosity."

"If anything, we should be grateful to you. Thanks to you and your friends coming here, I think I finally understand my purpose. I must do my best so I can say, 'I did what I could.' So zero doesn't stay zero."

I frowned. Something about the way he said that made me uneasy. "Ortho... You should do what you can but not at any cost. You know that, right? The ends don't justify the means?"

Ortho stared at me blankly. "What do you mean?"

"He'll be fine," Floyd said.

I looked at him. "But that's the kind of thinking that contributed to the others overblotting - which is precisely the kind of information he needs to hear."

"But he can't overblot."

I held in a sigh. "That's not the point."

"Monsieur Marionette..." Rook said, diverting everyone's attention to him. "I hope your endeavors lead you to a bright and shining future."

"Thank you," said Ortho. "I should be going now... Bye." Then he left.

Epel looked around at everyone. "Is it just me, or was Ortho acting differently from this morning?"

"Definitely," I said.

For awhile, we had nothing to do but play games on the tablets we found in the rooms. Then, suddenly, everything went dark. "What in the world? The power just went out..."

"My tablet's dead too."

"The intercom isn't responding either, so we can't reach HQ," said Rook. "And the door lock isn't budging."

"So, we're trapped in here?" Epel said with wide eyes.

"Let me try," Floyd said. He proceeded to ram into the door with his shoulder to no effect. He grit his teeth in frustration. "I was just warming up."

"...Shh. I hear something outside," Rook said, pressing his ear against the door. He listened for a minute before turning back to us. "From what I can gather... The residents here are just as surprised by the power outage as we are. All the staff are heading to HQ."

"What should we do?" said Epel. "Would it be better to wait until Ortho comes to get us?"

"No way!" Floyd sad adamantly. "We have to look after ourselves."

"Hmm... Just a moment, if you please," said Rook. Come, see if you can flee from me. Arrow Afar." A map with lights appeared in front of Rook. "...Vil's group has left their rooms. They're moving through HQ right now."

Epel's eyes widened. "Wait, what? But you didn't get to see them earlier. How did you cast your signature spell?"

Rook smirked. "Heh heh... Truth be told, I cast it on one of the products in Vil's care package."

"Bwha?! Y'mean it don't just work on people? You can cast it on THINGS too?!"

"That's pretty wicked, Seagull," said Floyd.

Rook chuckled. "Heh he he. My prey is hardly limited to humans. I thought they might scan it to identify its exact effect, but it seems they did not. The spell isn't aggressive and contains no toxicity. It appears to have no point and no effect at first glance. You see, cosmetics are commonly imbued with cantrip-level spells. For example, there's a store that sells enchanted nail polishes made by this one makeup artist who's also a mage. I imagine that to Idia and Ortho, my signature 'cantrip' was no different from that kind of thing, so they let it be."

"Whoa, that's amazin'!" Epel said. Then he added in a low voice, "Gotta say, though, that spell's even scarier than I thought... If he put his mark on someone, they wouldn't even know it was there, would they?" I nodded in agreement. That was some crazy surveillance stuff. I was glad he was a friend.

"There's been an unexpected power outage, in a place with the very best technology... And Vil's on the move, even though all his tests are over and he's supposed to be waiting in his room... I would wager there's some trouble at HQ."

"I hope Grim's okay... " I murmured.

Floyd placed a hand on my shoulder. "He's tough. He can handle himself."

"Ortho said this was a training facility for Styx personnel," Rook said, moving closer to the door. "In which case..."

"Rook?" said Epel. "Why are you feeling around the door frame?"

"Here we are! An emergency door release. Simply give it a pull and..." Rook pulled something on the door, and it opened.

"Wow! The door opened right up!"

"They wouldn't need to limit people's movements in a training facility. It's not like there are research subjects running around. Hence, I surmised there would be a way to open the inside in case of an emergency... and it appears I was right. Let's head over to HQ as well. I do hope I'm wrong, but I have a terrible sinking feeling about this. Epel, Floyd, Ona - follow me and stay close."

"Yes, sir!" Floyd and Epel said while I nodded. We headed out into the hallway. We walked for a while until finally raching HQ.

"Tarnation..." Epel said. "I thought this buildin' looked big before, but it's a whole 'nother story up close.

"It was almost a letdown how easily we made it here," said Rook. "No one so much as questioned our presence. How do we get inside, though?"

"HEEELP!" someone shouted. "SOMEONE, ANYONE!" We all spun around to see soldiers attacking a staff member.

"Those armored soldiers are attackin' an islander!" Epel exclaimed.

"Aren't they on the same side?" said Floyd.

"I'm not certain," said Rook. "But regardless, we must save him!"

"Stay behind me, Shrimpy," Floyd said as he, Rook, and Epel whipped out their pens. I nodded and took a step back. They tried to fight off the soldiers, but their spells did not seem to have much of an effect, just like back at school. I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Output at maximum," said one of the soldiers. "Termination mode engaged."

"Eliminate target," said the second. "Eliminate target. ELIMINATE TARGET."

"What are they doing?" said Rook. "These Charons aren't acting at all like the ones from the other day! Epel, Floyd, Ona, we must retreat for now!" He turned to the Styx staff member. "Monsieur, can you stand?"

"I think so..." said the staff member.

"I'll secure our path! Epel, Floyd, back me up. Ona, lend the man your shoulder!"

I nodded. "Of course." I helped the man stand and then let him lean on my shoulder. I watched the others face off against the soldiers again. Now there was more than just two.

"Aah!" Epel cried. "There's another six - no, seven... They just keep coming!"

"Aieee!" the staff member shouted in terror.

"Eliminate!" the soldiers shouted. "Eliminate! ELIMINATE! ELIMINATE!"

"Are they tryin' to vaporize us with those beams?!" Epel said in alarm.

"We're not having any effect!" Floyd said, frustrated.

"I don't think my barriers can withstand their onslaught," said Rook. "Everyone, run! Faster than an antelope!"

"Come on, Little Shrimpy!" Floyd exclaimed. He started to pull my arm but let go as I was weighed down by the Styx staff member.

"My knees..." the staff member complained. "They're shaking so bad I can't move..."

"You got this!" I encouraged him. I looked back anxiously. If we didn't hurry up, we would be done for.

"Ona and the staffer are falling behind!" Epel shouted.

"Rgh!" Rook groaned. "I don't know if I can take this, but I'll try to shield them with a full-power barrier..."

"Ona!" Floyd exclaimed. He ran back towards me with his pen raised. I saw anger in his eyes and... was that fear? He was going to be too late.

"Technomantic beam recharged," said a soldier. "Target locked. Firing in three, two, one..."

"Epel's building magic rapidly..." Rook said. "I know what this is!"

"I can't go on!" I cried. I braced for impact. Was this really it? Was this how it ended? There was so much I still wanted to do. I wanted to see...

"ONA!" Floyd shouted.

"...Fire!" the soldier said.

"I DON'T THINK SO!" Epel screamed at the top of his lungs. Then everything went black.

I had another dream. It took place in some sort of coliseum. The villain finally caught that hero, and he took his powers in exchange for saving the life of the girl. It seemed the hero had wanted to be like everyone else anyway. I found that interesting.

"...Ona!" I heard someone say. It sounded like Epel. "Ona!"

"ONA!" Floyd exclaimed.

I opened my eyes and looked around. "What?"

"Wonderful, you're awake," Rook said.

Slowly, everything came back to me. "Huh? I'm alive?"

"Shrimpy!" Floyd cried. He flung his arms around me and hugged me tightly. I was still a little disoriented, but I managed to hug him back.

"Behold." Rook motioned towards the soldiers, who appeared to be encased in something that looked like glass.

"Are those cases made of glass?!"

"Heh heh heh. You looked shocked, Ona. This is all Epel's handiwork, you know."

"I thought we were done for, and I just kind of... flew into action..." Epel said.

"It was amazing!" Floyd exclaimed. He still had me tightly in his grip. "He totally saved the day! But don't do anything like that again, Ona. I've never been more scared in my life!"

"Really?" I said.

Floyd pulled back a little so he could look into my eyes. "Of course! I thought you were going to die, and I couldn't do anything. Do you know how that feels? You're my best friend. You're family. I love you!"

The confession surprised me at first, but then I remembered how he used the term 'love' in a very general sense, kind of like how I used 'ohana.' I smiled. I could feel comfortable using it that way. "I love you too, Floyd. You're my ohana. I'm sorry for worrying you." I embraced him again, which he gladly returned. It was nice to know that I was not the only one who felt helpless sometimes. I was glad he cared. I felt the tension leave his body as I hugged him.

"Good. Next time, I will protect you for sure!"

I grinned as I pulled back from him. "I'm sure you will, Floyd." I turned to Epel. "So, did you do what I think you did?"

Epel smiled. "Eheheh! That's right! It's my signature spell!"

"Bravo, my dear pommette!" Rook said loudly. "Allow me to offer an embrace of gratitude and approbation!" He flung his arms around Epel in a hug that was tighter than one of Floyd's.

"HRRK! Rook! Can't breathe!"

"Ah, my apologies. I was so caught up in the moment I forgot my strength." Rook let Epel go.

"Now it's my turn!" Floyd said happily. He engulfed Epel in a hug nearly as tight. "Way to go, Guppy! Thanks for saving Ona!"

"Ah! No problem, Floyd!"

Floyd grinned before letting him go. "It was quite impressive."

"Whew... Heh heh. Thank you. I don't have a full grasp of it yet... But from what I can tell, when I encase someone in the force field, it temporarily stops them from doing anything. I don't know if it's because I saw how they attacked Ace and Deuce at Ramshackle or what... But I just had this powerful urge to protect you all. Heh heh."

"It can serve as both a shield for allies and a cage for foes," Rook said. "I would say the barrier's might is an embodiment of Epel's willpower. It's strong and more beautiful than any gem. No army could even put the slightest dent in your resolve. Truly, your signature spell is a work of beauty. I'm honored to have witnessed its manifestation firsthand. Oh, how overjoyed Vil will be when he learns of this! I can see it now."

"It's still difficult to gauge the right coordinates for summoning it. Capturing all the Charons took a lot of trial and error."

Rook laughed. "Hahaha! Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it soon enough. Nobody masters a spell the moment they learn it."

"Urgh..." the Styx staff member groaned.

"Ah, you're awake as well, Monsieur. How are you feeling?"

The man looked around. "I'm guessing you all saved me? I can't thank you enough. Those Charons must have been on autopilot."

"You mean, like, nobody's in them?" said Epel.

"That's right. Normally it'd be unthinkable that they would attack when unmanned. But I suspect something's gone wrong with the Cerberus System. That's what manages the island's security. It could be extremely dangerous inside HQ right now."

"Gracious..." Rook said.

"You all should go back the way you came, get to an emergency escape terminal in the outer periphery, and flee the island. I have no idea if the terminals are even running right now... But regardless, it'd definitely be safer on the periphery than here."

"Your warning is most appreciated, Monsieur. However... That means it is all the more imperative for us to get inside this building."

The man's eyes widened in horror. "You can't go in there! It's too dangerous!"

Rook appeared solemn. "We're well aware. But our dear friends are inside. We couldn't possibly abandon them while we save ourselves. Worry not. Night Raven College has trained us in emergency preparedness."

"Oh, I see... All right then. In that case, you should take this." The man handed Rook a card.

"An ID card?"

"That's right. The regular IDs don't have high enough clearance to get into the central block where the control room is. This card can get you in there, though. I'm guessing HQ's in total chaos. I don't know how much use it will be in there... But you all can use magic. It's better for you to take the card."

"But don't you need it to escape?" Epel said.

"Oh, I'll be fine. I was born and raised on this island. I'll manage."

"Then I thank you for your consideration," said Rook.

"No, thank YOU. Be careful in there, okay?"

Rook turned to the rest of us. "...Shall we be off then? Let us fly to our queen's side!"

"I'm ready!" Floyd said. "Let's go!"

"Yes," I said. "Let's find out friends."

Rook led the way through a maze of a building. It took a long time, but we finally got to the right room. I was relieved to find all of our friends there, but they were facing off against a group of Charons. Epel quickly got in front.

"Your eyes will close, your breath will still..." he said. "Crimson Slumber! GOT 'EM! By golly, I absolutely nailed the targetin' this time!" I let out a breath of relief when the Charons were frozen in glass.

"I'd recognize that accent anywhere..." Vil said.

Epel led the way over to him. "Vil! We finally found you!"

Vil appeared relieved to see us. "Epel!"

"My dear Roi du Poison!" Rook said. "How I've missed you!"

"Hello!" said Floyd.

"Glad to see you guys safe and sound," I said with a slight smile.

"Rook!" Vil said. "And Ona and Floyd as well. I'm glad to see you're uninjured.

"Floyd?!" Azul exclaimed. "What is going?"

"We're here to save you," Floyd said happily. "You're welcome."

Azul sighed and shook his head. "And you dragged Ona here with you?"

"It was more the other way around," I said.

"Rook, Epel, Floyd... and Ona?" Leona said. "What are you guys doing HERE of all places?!"

"My dear friend was in dire peril, so I flew to his aid!" Rook said.

"This building's practically a labyrinth," Jamil said. "How'd you manage to find us?"

"Let us save that for later," Rook said.

"My spell's gonna wear off soon," said Epel. "They're comin'!"

"Get behind me, Ona," Floyd said as he pushed me behind him.

"Right," I said. I stayed out of the way as my friends took down the soldiers. With all of them combined, it was not too difficult. Afterwards, we all took a break and reconvened with each other. Floyd and I approached Azul.

"Ona," Azul said in astonishment. "Floyd. I can't believe you came here. Where's Jade?"

"He's watching over Octavinelle," Floyd said. "He would be here if he could."

"Apparently, they discusses everything through twin telepathy," I said, making Floyd laugh.

Azul shook his head. "I don't understand. Why would you two come here to save me?"

"We had to do something!"

"Yeah, you're ohana," Floyd said.

Azul furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What?"

"Ohana means family, and family means..." Floyd glanced at me.

"...nobody gets left behind," I finished.

Floyd nodded. "Or forgotten."

Azul appeared touched by our words. "Family?"

I smiled at him. "Yeah, family. And we're glad you're alright." I moved forward and hugged him. He seemed surprised, but he hugged me back.

"Me too!" Floyd said before joining the hug. Azul chuckled lightly and allowed the three way hug.

"Thank you," Azul said softly. "Both of you." I noticed a small smile on his face when I pulled back. I smiled back, happy that he was no longer denying his fondness for him or desire for affection.

"You're welcome," I said.

"Hey," said a new voice. I turned to see Jamil watching us. He had a frown on his face, and he did not look too pleased.

I smiled at him. "Hey, Jamil. I'm glad you're alright." I moved toward him, but he crossed his arms, telling me he did not want the hug he saw coming.

"What do you think you're doing here?"

"I said I'm here to rescue all of you."

Jamil did not look impressed. "And what exactly was your plan? None of us were any use back at school, and you had to know you would be more outnumbered here. And you have no magic. How did you think you'd be of any use?"

"You don't sound very grateful, Sea Snake," Floyd said with a low growl.

"It's alright, Floyd," I said. I gently touched his arm to help him calm down. "I can handle him." Maybe Jamil was just worried about me and this was his way of expressing concern.

"Fine." Floyd still sounded angry, but he made no advances towards Jamil. I noticed Azul seemed a bit surprised by this.

I turned back to Jamil. "You're missing the whole point. It doesn't matter what I could do. I had to try something. I couldn't just abandon you guys."

Jamil narrowed his eyes at me. "You are way too concerned about others. You need to learn to look after yourself."

"Showing concern for others is how she looks after herself," Azul said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He glanced at Floyd. "After all, she did not come here alone."

"Yeah!" Floyd said. "I wouldn't let anything happen to her!"

Jamil looked at me with an expression I could not read, but it was not a good one. "That's not going to work on me, you know."

I looked at him in confusion. "What are you talking about, Jamil?"

"I'm not going to let you be nice to me and then follow you around doing whatever you say."

"Hey!" Floyd snapped. "That's not what's going on here!"

I frowned as I watched Jamil with concern. "Are you alright? I don't understand what you're doing. We've been getting along so well lately. I thought we were friends. You were being so nice to me..."

Jamil sighed. "Of course I was nice to you. You were feeling down. What was I suppose to do?"

This just made me more confused than ever. Was he implying that being nice to me was the proper thing to do? That did not make sense. "You weren't faking it. Even if I somehow missed it, Jade would have noticed and warned me."

"I'm not saying I was faking it. I am perfectly able to be your friend when you need me, but let me make myself clear. I do not need you." He stared at me with a dead serious expression.

My mouth fell open in shock. "Wh-what? You're saying you don't want me to be your friend?"

"That's pretty harsh even for you, Sea Snake," Floyd said with obvious disdain in his voice.

"Yes, quite," Azul said.

Jamil ignored them and focused on me. "That is correct. I don't need you, Ona. You shouldn't have come here for me. Stop trying to interfere with my life."

I could not help but feel hurt at his words. "I'm not trying to interfere. I'm just trying to help you. I care about you."

Jamil glared at me. "Well, don't. I never asked you to care about me. I don't want your friendship. Just leave me alone."

I stumbled back as if struck. I had no words left to say. He looked deadly seriously. It really seemed like he wanted nothing to do with me. "I..." I swallowed hard. "Alright. I'm sorry for bothering you."

"That was uncalled for," Floyd snarled. He looked like he wanted to squeeze Jamil, but he settled for wrapping his arms around me, pulling me into his chest. I gratefully hugged him back.

Jamil turned his cold gaze on him. "This is none of your business."

"It is too my business! You told Jade you thought he and I were going to hurt Ona, but the only one who has hurt her is you."

Something shifted on Jamil's face, but he quickly hid it behind a scowl. "It's her own fault."

"You should be ashamed of yourself," Azul said in a dark tone. He moved to stand in between Jamil and me. I caught sight of his face and was surprised to see his angry expression. "Floyd is right. You may think that he, Jade, and I are no good schemers, but we would never do what you just did."

"You know nothing!"

"I know a priceless gift when I see one. You're not as smart as I thought you were if you're going to throw away something invaluable given to you for free." Azul turned his back on Jamil. He placed a hand on my shoulder, his face softening. "It's going to be alright, Ona."

"Yeah," Floyd said. "We're here."

I removed one arm from Floyd so I could hug Azul as well. "Thanks, guys." I did feel a little better because they were right. Everything would be fine if I had my true friends by my side... even if I still hurt.