Isaac's eyes opened, Isaac finding himself back at the cabin. He was in the living room, seeing Sally sitting on the couch.
"Sally? Sally, I'm… somehow here?" Isaac questioned, not remembering walking back.
Soon, Mary walked out of the kitchen, holding two large mugs of beer. She sat down next to Sally, handing her one.
"Thanks." Sally said, before taking a gulp from it. Mary nodded, before drinking herself.
"Listen, those two are going to be fine. There are worse things than a few bounty hunters." Mary comforted. Sally shook her head, before taking another gulp.
"It's not bounty hunters I'm worried about. It's Alicia! Isaac said he didn't think her a threat! But I know her! She's ruthless! She will take any advantage she can to win! And I don't think Isaac realized that before leaving." Sally explained.
Suddenly, Isaac had a flash of the fight, seeing the gun in Alicia's hand explode! Isaac returned to the present moment, reaching behind his head. His hand quickly retracted, feeling a small piece of metal embedded in his head! He attempted to remove it, but he couldn't get a good grip on it! As he tried, he felt himself fade, looking upon his hands. His hands were beginning to become transparent to him, feeling himself becoming lighter.
"Oh no…" Isaac softly said, beginning to realize what had happened.
Isaac saw flashes of his life. Flashes of his life before he had met Sally. He saw the home he had lived in as a child. He witnessed the birth of his sister. He saw the blaze that had claimed both his parents! As he witnessed the events of his life, he felt as if his body was hurtling through a cannon!
He saw the camp he and his sister had lived at for years. The change of the trade route. And their arrival at the Kingdom of Acorn. He saw them spending the holidays with the Sonic Team. The relocation to Central City and assuming new identities. The brutal fight with the Order of Honorius' 'Archangel'! Isaac attempted to access his Angelic Form, some way to stop this! But the more he tried, the more he realized he had no abilities here!
He saw him find the head of Hermes, and then his time in the simulation crafted by Regina Ferrum. He saw his journey across the seas to Spagonia, and the trek to the top of Mount Olympus. The fight with Zeus, the brutality of their fight, it was as if he could feel the entirety of the fight once more!
He saw the birth of his daughter, the attempt to capture Lily by Tanthia's predatory psychic cult. Soon, he saw the last few days he had lived, the trick played by Alicia, and he and Sally's subsequent appearance in Moebius. Suddenly, he felt the shrapnel lodge into his head, experiencing the last sensation he had felt after stopping Alicia from killing Deimos!
"This is it… I'm dead." Isaac said, before feeling a white light engulfing him. He covered his eyes, before slowly uncovering them, letting his eye adjust to the light.
He saw himself in a tunnel, old stone masonry making up the walls. He looked behind his shoulder, seeing it was pitch black behind him. He looked back at the light, seeing it as his only exit.
"Alright… looks like I have to walk." Isaac said to himself.
Isaac began walking, inching closer and closer to the end of the tunnel. As he walked, he felt himself beginning to smile, feeling as if all feelings of dread was dissipating. When he reached the end of the tunnel, seeing the faintest silhouette of a gate, he felt a hand on his shoulder, before violently pulling him back, feeling as if he was being pulled at Mach 23! He suddenly gasped for air, sitting up in the snow! Deimos was kneeling beside him, taking in a breath of relief.
"Oh, thank God! I thought I lost you there!" Deimos exclaimed, helping Isaac up on his feet.
Isaac was breathing erratically, looking over himself! He didn't notice anything out of place on himself before his hand reached behind his head. He felt the slightest bump where the piece of shrapnel was, it having been removed and the wound healed.
"What happened? I… did I die?" Isaac asked. Deimos gulped, before conjuring a fire in the clearing.
"Don't worry about it." Deimos responded. Isaac studied his surroundings, before seeing the decapitated corpse of Alicia. He saw a bloodied burlap bag tied to Deimos' belt.
"Did you kill her?" Isaac asked. Deimos nodded, before gesturing to the fire.
"Let's go. This'll take us back to the house." Deimos said. Isaac shook his head.
"What did you do to me?" Isaac asked.
"I removed the shrapnel from your head. You healed. You woke up. That's all." Deimos answered.
"BULLSHIT!" Isaac yelled, surprising Deimos! Isaac was furious, knowing he was being lied to!
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME?!" Isaac yelled. Deimos gulped, knowing Isaac wasn't going to relent.
"Fine! After I killed Alicia, I… I used a piece of her soul." Deimos confessed.
"What?" Isaac questioned, believing he misheard.
"You were dead, Isaac. I was able to pick out the shrapnel in your head, but I needed a catalyst to heal and revive you." Deimos began to explain.
"Alicia was dead, but her soul was still present. I managed to extract it from her, and I performed a ritual to take one of the four pieces of her soul to retrieve the entirety of yours from passing over." Deimos finished. Isaac's head was spinning, difficult for him to grasp what exactly happened!
"Wait! You said four pieces?" Isaac asked. Deimos nodded.
"The soul is made up of four pieces. Mind, form, direction, and luck. I took one of them, don't know which, and I used it to grab yours and put it back into your body." Deimos said.
"If… if you did that, what happens to her soul?" Isaac asked. Deimos shrugged.
"Don't really know. If I took her mind, she won't know who she was. If I took her form, she would have no form. If I took her luck… well, I don't really know what that would do. But if I took her direction… well, that's all she wrote." Deimos answered.
"What do you mean?" Isaac asked.
"It means, if her soul has no direction, she can't go anywhere. She can't go to heaven, and she can't go to hell. If her soul doesn't know where to go, she goes nowhere." Deimos answered.
Isaac pondered on this, but he couldn't grasp the concept! The soul never going where it's supposed to be! He thought on this for a while before he decided to walk towards the fire. As he approached it, Isaac stopped, turning back to Deimos.
"Who did you do this on before?" Isaac questioned. Deimos sighed, getting tired of the questions.
"If you really have to know, I first used the ritual on a dog I had when I was traveling with old Jack. I killed the man that killed my dog, and I used a piece of his soul to bring back my dog." Deimos revealed. Isaac gulped, not expecting that to be his answer.
"Was it worth it?" Isaac asked. Deimos slight nodded.
"That dog was my best friend, Isaac. After that, had him for seven more years. So yeah, I'd say that it was worth it." Deimos answered.
Isaac turned back to the fire, ready to walk through. But before, he could a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Isaac turned his head, seeing Deimos was the source.
"Now, I have to tell you this. Don't tell Sally what happened! She won't understand!" Deimos instructed. Isaac nodded, before walking through the fire.
After a few moments, Isaac walked through the hearth of the house, stepping into the living room. Mary and Sally saw Isaac step through, Sally quickly walking over to him and embracing him. Isaac embraced her, still feeling like a stranger in his own skin.
"What happened out there?" Sally asked. Isaac felt his throat dry out, not knowing how to respond. Deimos suddenly walked out from the hearth, carrying the burlap sack in his hand.
"To put it short: I'm getting paid real soon." Deimos said, before handing the bag to Mary.
Mary walked towards the kitchen with the bag, before the cellar door could be heard, footsteps going downstairs. Isaac soon took the Warp Ring out of his pocket, charging it.
"Alicia's dead, then. Did you kill her?" Sally asked Isaac. Isaac shook his head.
"No. It was all Deimos. Listen, I just want us to go home. I have enough power to charge the ring, so how about we just go home and get some actual sleep?" Isaac suggested.
Sally nodded, wanting to go back home as well. Soon, the ring was charged, Isaac letting it go, the ring expanding and revealing their home dimension. Before Isaac could go through, Sally's hand stopped him.
"Isaac… did something happen while you two were going after Alicia?" Sally asked. Isaac subtly looked back at Deimos, who made a 'shush' motion.
"No… nothing happened." Isaac lied, before walking through the ring.
Isaac stepped through, finding the ring was just outside of Castle Acorn. Sally soon followed, noticing where they appeared.
"Saves us the trip back from the forest. Man, the others are probably worried sick about us." Sally said, before taking Isaac's hand. They walked back inside the castle, passing the Common Room. Isaac stopped them, seeing the others were still in there, listening to old records.
"Sheesh, we've been gone for a day-and-a-half, and you guys didn't leave the Common Room?" Sally asked. The others turned their attention to them, confused by the statement.
"Day-and-a-half? You guys were only gone for, well, about three hours." Horace said, looking at his watch. Vylania rose from her seat, offering Camilla back to Sally, who was eager to take her back.
"You guys all right? Maybe being away from your daughter made those three hours seem like a long time." Vylania suggested, before returning to her seat next to Xorelaz.
"I… yeah, we're all right." Sally responded.
"Speak for yourself." Isaac curtly said, before walking away. Sally looked back at him, not knowing where that had come from.
"Is he okay? He didn't sound like he was in a good mood." Xorelaz asked. Sally sighed, now knowing something happened during their hunt for Alicia.
"I'm going to find out. Listen, you guys relax. Enjoy your vacations. Remember, if you guys need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Sally said, before walking after him.
Isaac was walking quick, heading towards the incarceration cells. He walked downstairs, before walking towards the iron doors, two guards positioned in front.
"Open the doors. I need immediate access." Isaac ordered. The guards complied, opening the doors. Isaac walked through, passing by rows of large, permanent holding cells. As he walked, he heard prisoners yelling and shouting at him before Isaac stopped at a particular cell. Inside was Fiona, wearing an orange jumpsuit, and she was not amused by his appearance.
"So, the fucking Demon-spawn finally shows up! You know, I still have issues, from when you collapsed my lung! And that little fucking sister of yours! I still owe her for stabbing me!" Fiona yelled. Isaac didn't say anything.
"What? Can't talk?" Fiona taunted.
"Alicia's dead." Isaac said. Fiona was silent at first, but soon began laughing.
"So? I didn't care about her! Why would I care that you killed her?" Fiona questioned, still laughing. Isaac's face twitched, before his hand suddenly lunged through the bars, his hand gripping her forehead!
"Try this!" Isaac hissed, feeling a new power!
Fiona's eyes rolled back into her head, seeing the flashes of Alicia's demise that Isaac witnessed! She saw the gun in Alicia's hand explode, Alicia screaming, clutching at the stump! But soon, she saw what Isaac saw, flashes of his life flashing before him, and the subsequent tunnel he had traveled through. And then saw herself standing in the clearing with him and Deimos.
"You were dead, Isaac. I was able to pick out the shrapnel in your head, but I needed a catalyst to heal and revive you." Deimos began to explain.
"Alicia was dead, but her soul was still present. I managed to extract it from her, and I performed a ritual to take one of the four pieces of her soul to retrieve the entirety of yours from passing over." Deimos finished.
"Wait! You said four pieces?" Isaac asked. Deimos nodded.
"The soul is made up of four pieces. Mind, form, direction, and luck. I took one of them, don't know which, and I used it to grab yours and put it back into your body." Deimos said.
"If… if you did that, what happens to her soul?" Isaac asked. Deimos shrugged.
"Don't really know. If I took her mind, she won't know who she was. If I took her form, she would have no form. If I took her luck… well, I don't really know what that would do. But if I took her direction… well, that's all she wrote." Deimos answered.
"What do you mean?" Isaac asked.
"It means, if her soul has no direction, she can't go anywhere. She can't go to heaven, and she can't go to hell. If her soul doesn't know where to go, she goes nowhere." Deimos answered.
Fiona returned back to the present, Isaac's hand away from her. She was horrified by what she saw and heard, afraid of Isaac more than ever!
"You… you died." Fiona stated, horrified. The demon part of Isaac leaked through, grinning a truly wicked grin.
"And if I had my way, I would finish what I had started." The Demon threatened, Fiona quickly backing away to the other end of the cell.
Isaac turned away to leave, seeing Sally was standing there, the Demon in his eyes retreating, leaving Isaac alone. Isaac saw Sally had a look of terror in her eyes, horrified by the truth she had heard! Isaac died… and he was brought back, like… like some kind of undead!
"Sally, I-" Isaac began to say, walking towards her. Sally suddenly backed away, holding Camilla close to her!
"Sally?" Isaac questioned.
Sally quickly turned away, walking as fast as she could! Isaac felt the breath knocked out of him, feeling as if everything he did has betrayed him! She quickly left through the door, it slamming shut driving another knife through Isaac's heart. Isaac stifled a sob from his chest, before looking back at Fiona. She had the faintest traces of a grin, before the demon partially morphed itself onto Isaac's face, snarling at her with rows of sharp teeth! Fiona's grin turned into terror once more, before reactively shielding herself!
Isaac quickly left the incarceration cells, going the shortest route towards the wine room. He practically burst through the doors, a bartender jumping a bit at his sudden appearance. Isaac abruptly sat down at the counter.
"I need the strongest of whatever you got!" Isaac said, almost sounding desperate. The bartender quickly pouring him a shot of 100-proof rum, before Isaac not only took the shot, but took the bottle from the bartender, quickly gulping it down like water! Isaac gasped after a few seconds, setting the bottle down on the counter.
"Rough day?" The bartender asked. Isaac didn't answer, only taking another large glug from the bottle.
Isaac sat at the counter, drinking, occasionally taking glances around the room. He saw as if time was speeding around him, guards coming in, drinking, playing darts, and eventually leaving. Soon, after finding he had drank down three bottles of rum, he felt a hand on his right shoulder, causing him to turn on his stool. Sally was sitting next to him, a remorseful look in her eyes.
"Hey, Sal." Isaac quietly said, before offering her what was left in one of the bottles. Sally took it, taking a swig, before coughing. She handed it back to Isaac, who drank down the last of it in one gulp.
"What happened back with Deimos?" Sally asked, wanting to know what exactly happened. Isaac grabbed one of the bottles on the counter, before seeing they were all empty. He tossed it behind him, the bottle shattering on the floor.
"He told me not to tell you. Said you wouldn't understand." Isaac said, his words slurring.
"Maybe I won't… But I want to try." Sally said, her hand rested on his. Isaac took in a deep breath, before letting it go.
"I… I was killed by a stray piece of shrapnel. Lodged right here." Isaac confessed, placing Sally's hand on the scar where the shrapnel had lodged in his head. Sally was feeling it, not believing what she felt, but knew that it must have occurred.
"But… you're here!" Sally said, the only thing she could say in her shock.
"Yeah… It was Deimos' doing. He… after he killed Alicia, he… he used a part of her soul to bring mine back." Isaac explained.
Sally felt out of breath, quickly becoming lightheaded. Isaac saw this, quickly getting out of his seat and holding onto her. Sally took a few deep breathes, before feeling better.
"So… are you… technically dead?" Sally asked, not really knowing how to phrase a question like that.
"I don't think so. I can feel my heart beating. I'm not cold. I feel alive… at least, I think I do." Isaac admitted.
"You think?" Sally questioned, not liking how he put it.
"It's… sometimes, I feel like time around me is speeding up at intervals I can barely keep track of. And, when I was walking through the incarceration block, it seemed like everything around me was slow, as if everything was at half speed and I was unaffected by it. I don't know if it's going to get worse, or… When it happened, I felt like a stranger in my own skin! I just don't know how to cope or if I'm going to be able to cope." Isaac explained.
Sally took no hesitance to hug him, hugging him as tightly as she could. Isaac was holding onto her, feeling himself break down. He closed his eyes, a few moments passing to him before he opened his eyes. He saw himself looking up at the canopy on their bed, before turning over, seeing Sally next to him, asleep. Isaac blinked a few times, before seeing he had changed into a set of silk pajamas.
"Was it because I was drunk, or was it because I got resurrected?" Isaac questioned.