.
Chapter 4: My Uncle, the Dictator
A/N:
Content Warning: The start of this chapter contains a History class over the causes of death in the Pacworld Wars, such as gun violence, and there is the mention of genocide throughout this chapter. It's nothing graphic, but if this bothers you then viewer discretion is advised.
Pac was absentmindedly tapping the point of his pen against the blank page of his textbook, bored and tired.
The day had dragged on like any normal school day, which was really saying something for the team of ghost-fighters.
It came as somewhat of a relief – normally their classes would be interrupted by a ghost attack, and they'd have to catch up on schoolwork in their own free time. On top of their duty of protecting the city, the pressures of keeping up with their schoolwork constantly kept them on their toes, and plenty of all-nighters were spent on making sure they didn't fall behind.
While the rest of the class probably wouldn't mind a break from school, the heroes of Pacopolis couldn't be more grateful for each full day of classes.
They were all now sitting in their last class for the day, which happened to be History. Miss Globular was writing notes on the board, outlining the impacts and collateral damages caused by the Pacworld War in extensive detail.
"Be sure to write all of these down, students. You will be quizzed on this by next Monday. And it will most definitely be included in your exam," she instructed as she drew notes around a loose diagram of the country, highlighting the territories that Betrayus had conquered at the time.
With a soft sigh, Pac scribbled down note after note into his textbook, not bothering to write them all out more concisely.
History was Pac's favourite subject, if only because he had a knack for it. Admittedly, it was also because he knew a bit more about the Pacworld Wars than the rest of his peers, and not just from the battles he fought on the daily against Betrayus's ghostly legion. Or the time he and his friends were literally blasted into the past.
He often found himself slaving away at reading all sorts of books about History outside of their school's syllabus, partly for interest's sake, and partly for wanting to learn more about the environment that his family had fought in during the war.
For someone so well-versed in History, one would've thought that Pac would feel more enthusiastic about the class right now, especially since it was the very topic he was most knowledgeable about.
But today, he really couldn't bring himself to enjoy the lesson. His mind kept wandering away to anything but the class at hand.
And he wished with all of his heart that it didn't involve the dreams that haunted him at night.
It had been easy to brush them off as nothing but nightmares, at first. They came and went throughout certain times of the year, and they weren't always influenced by the same thing.
Sure, most of them were about his parents, but some had stemmed from him battling ghosts and monsters on the daily, and other, more mundane things. Some were as silly as him getting eaten by a giant sandwich, and some were as frightening as the one time he dreamed of Betrayus finally getting his body back and destroying Pacopolis. No matter what, his nightmares never followed the same pattern.
All except for this one.
An endless void of darkness, the screams of his loved ones in distress, the menacing laughter, the suffocation… it was all the same. Over and over again, every time he's had a nightmare for the past month, it's always been the same. Did it mean something…?
Pac clenched his pencil and forced his eyes shut, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. It's just a dream, he berated himself. A stupid dream that's getting the better of me.
When he opened his eyes, the barely written page of his textbook stared back at him. He knew that he should be paying attention to the lesson, but the constant distraction from his thoughts kept him from following along with Ms Globular's class, and now he's lost his place with his notes.
He sighed softly and tiredly through his nose. A full day of uninterrupted classes or not, it was nearly impossible to concentrate on school when his mind was so preoccupied with bad dreams and invading ghosts.
Lack of sleep wasn't doing him wonders, either.
Instead, he silently admitted defeat and put down his pencil. He propped up an arm and rested his head against his hand, looking ahead at the board to listen to his teacher's lesson. If writing down notes wasn't going to do him any good, then he might as well fight off his mental distractions by listening to the lesson instead. He'll catch up on his missing notes with Cylindria later.
Thankfully, listening to the lesson proved to be much more successful at keeping his attention.
"Now, class, as I mentioned before, the coming of the war marked the beginning of a phase in our history of volatile gun violence, particularly with the use of newly developed artillery and its devastating consequences," Ms Globular explained, taking a few steps away from the board to face her students. Her voice was formal, but underneath it was a layer of melancholy, as this particular topic was a sad and mournful one.
Clasping her hands in front of her, she continued, "As you all know, hundreds of thousands of lives were lost during the war, and most of them were the result of new weaponry invented by Betrayus's forces. Many laws about the manufacturing of firearms were changed after the war, and new ones were elected to prevent the collateral damage from repeating itself on Pac-kind. Can anyone tell me what kind of changes came into effect?"
Pac knew this answer. Knowing that it was as good a distraction as any, he raised his hand and Ms Globular gestured for him to go ahead.
"During the war, Betrayus invented machines and guns that used lethal ammunition, like enhanced bullets and lasers. It could kill anyone in a single shot. When the war ended, the Resistance had ordered for all those weapons to be destroyed, and new laws banned them from ever being made or used again," Pac explained.
That was all there was to the question, really, but he did know a little bit more about the aftermath of those changes, so he figured there was no harm in adding a bit more to his answer.
"And another new law was that any weapons used today are strictly made to only stun its target and not kill. They are modified and plasma-powered, like our PSC's, so if it hits a Pacworlder, then the only harm that's done is that the target is immobilised, with maybe just a few bruises. Some weapons still use laser-powered artillery though, but those are only to be used by law enforcement in case of emergencies, like ghosts or alien invasions-" Pac trailed off when he realised that he was going on a tangent.
He looked around sheepishly, knowing that his classmates sometimes found his nerdy History rambles a bit too much, but Ms Globular was beaming at him.
"Perfect, Pac!" she praised, looking genuinely impressed and proud of his knowledge on the matter.
Pac smiled, feeling a little lighter compared to how he felt minutes ago.
Out of the corner of his eye, to his left, he spotted Spiral giving him a thumbs-up and a victorious smile. Pac enthusiastically returned it. At least one thing was going well for him today
Ms Globular turned to the rest of the class, "Pac could not have said it any better. While it is unfortunate, the ammunition of a PWW weapon was indeed deadly enough to claim hundreds of lives. It is one of the many reasons why Betrayus's conquest was so terrible."
She paused momentarily to type something on her computer and an image was pulled up onto the screen board, displaying a diagram of a Pacworlder's anatomy along with extra notes and other diagrams of weapons and firearms from the war.
Facing the class again, she continued, "Betrayus knew that working with the standard weaponry at the time before the war would not have been enough to strengthen his armies. Other than his alliance with ghosts from the Nether Realm, he needed something else to weaken the defences of the Resistance and cut off their numbers, and so he had his best scientists create these new weapons that could get the job done."
Returning to her spot at the front of the class, Ms Globular asked, "Can anyone tell me why this is so? Perhaps someone who's been paying attention in Biology?"
Pac didn't need to look to know that this time, Cylindria was the one to raise her hand. Other than Math, she was an ace in Biology.
When she was given the go-ahead, his pigtailed friend lowered her hand and answered, "Our skin is naturally resilient against any attack that uses blunt force, so the regular close-combat and short-ranged weapons wouldn't have done too much damage back then."
She pointed to the anatomy diagram on the board before continuing, "It's also uncommon for Pacworlders to get broken bones because of our skeletal structure and genetic make-up, but somehow Betrayus got past that and the weapons he created in the war were so dangerous that the first Pacworld War has the highest recorded number of deaths from gunshot wounds and shattered bones."
Satisfied with the answer, Ms Globular smiled. "Excellent, Cylindria!"
Pac felt happy for his friend, but naturally, her response held a sad truth that brought a melancholic atmosphere to the class.
They all knew that terrible crimes were committed in the war, and they knew that Betrayus didn't hold back in his conquest for power. But it didn't change the fact that the class still felt mournful over learning about the less-than-favourable details of the war.
For most of the class, their parents and grandparents had fought in that war, and only some were still alive to tell the tale.
Sensing the change in mood, Ms Globular closed the topic and started off with another. "With that being said, you don't have to study this for your exam, but it would be wise to take notes in preparation for your quiz. And as for your History exam, be sure to cover The Great Revolt and the Battle of Roundonia in your studies."
Ms Globular glanced up at the clock on the wall. It read 13:57, meaning the bell was about to ring to announce the end of school. So, she powered down her computer and screen board before addressing the class for the final time that day, "Keep yourselves busy until the bell goes, and don't forget about your quiz for Monday!"
Instantly, the class erupted in chatter as they discarded their textbooks into their backpacks and got ready to head out into the weekend. It was Friday, and none could be more thankful for the start of the weekend than the team of ghost-fighters.
As Pac packed away his books, he briefly glanced over to his teammates. Spiral sat next to him on his left and was packing away his books with an eagerness that Pac would've chuckled at – Spiral was always the first to be ready for launching into the weekend after a long week of school.
Cylindria, on the other hand, took her time to gather her notes and compiled them neatly into her books before packing them away. There was a hint of a relieved smile on her face.
She must be happy that we had no interruptions today, Pac thought. He knew that his booksmart friend took her studies very seriously, probably the most out of all of them, and she never looked forward to catching up with a missed class because of a ghost invasion.
Pac turned his gaze to the front of the class, where Elliptica was seated at one of the front row seats closest to the door. Because she had enrolled at Maze High relatively late in the year, she didn't have the luxury of choosing her seat like the rest of them and was given the only open seat at the front of the class. It didn't bother them, though. They would all spend the rest of their day together anyway.
As Pac looked over in her direction, he noticed something odd, though.
Elliptica wasn't packing away her books like the rest of them were. Instead, she looked tense, and her hands were simply folded on top of her textbook. A faint frown creased her brow, and she was staring off into space.
She looked uncomfortable.
As a matter of fact, she looked like she had just swallowed something unpleasant. Pac paused in his packing to stare at her, worry starting to gnaw at his gut when she didn't turn around to smile at them like she usually did whenever class ended.
Is she okay? Pac wondered to himself. He finished packing up, but couldn't help but keep looking in her direction, hoping to see her snap out of it and revert back to her cheerful self. But she didn't.
Instead, she slowly looked up to stare tensely at the board. It was still powering off after Ms Globular ended their class, but some images and notes were still on display, particularly the diagram of Pacworlder anatomy and some images of the firearms that Betrayus had ordered for the war-
Oh.
It hit him, then. He blinked once, twice, as that one crucial detail registered in his head. Slowly, he looked from Elliptica to the images on the board. Dread settled in Pac's stomach when he made the connection.
Betrayus is her uncle. Sure, he's far from being a good uncle and he's very much a ghost right now, but he's still one of her relatives.
A relative who had so much hatred in his heart that he started a war, laid siege to the country and went to extreme lengths to make sure that any form of resistance against him was eliminated – including that of inventing weaponry that was specifically designed to kill Pacworlders.
Pac winced inwardly. He can't imagine how she must be feeling right now.
It's one thing to fight against your uncle's ghostly forces on the daily, but it's another thing to sit through a History class listening to all of the other bad things a member of your family has done in the war.
Pac watched from afar as Elliptica seemed to finally snap out of her trance, and she hurriedly started packing away her books when she realised that the class had ended. He could only hope that she feels a little better now that the class was over.
Besides, Pac thought, I think we all could use a break right now.
He looked back over to Spiral and Cylindria, who were engaged in light conversation. They looked as normal as ever, but Pac could faintly pick up signs of fatigue in their body language. Betrayus may have toned it down with ghost attacks recently, but that didn't give them an incentive to take it easy and slack off on schoolwork.
With their end-year exams just around the corner, they had to work overtime to stay up to date with their schoolwork as much as possible – they were about to enter their final year as high school students, and it was tough to find a balance between keeping up with their studies and saving the city. A weekend is just what they need right now.
At that moment the bell rang, its shrill ring announcing the end of school.
Pac watched as Spiral stood up from his desk and stretched out his arms above his head. "Boy, a trip to Pac-It-In Burgers sure sounds like the perfect way to start off the weekend," the red teen said.
Honestly, a nap sounds better right about now, Pac wondered to himself, not daring to say it out loud. There was little doubt in his mind that his friends had started picking up on his tired state, and choosing sleep over food would be too suspicious. Whether or not they knew that he'd been having nightmares again, he didn't know, but he wasn't about to make it look obvious. He didn't want them to worry about him.
And so, he mustered up a bright smile. "What could be better than food after a long day, right?"
"Hey, where's Elli going?"
Forgetting momentarily about food, Pac and Spiral looked to the door that Cylindria pointed to, just in time to see their lavender friend slip out of the classroom before any other student did. She didn't even look back.
A pit of dread opened up in Pac's stomach again, remembering how Elliptica had looked so tense and uncomfortable after the lesson. Maybe it had affected her much more than he thought…
"Did something happen?" Spiral asked, confused and starting to worry as well.
Pac felt the eyes of his friends bore into him as if he had an answer. Which he kind of did, but maybe not in the way in which they were thinking.
In their minds, Pac and Elliptica were still on good terms, but anything sour could happen between them after what had happened just six months ago…
He shoved that thought away, and after a quick glance at the classroom door, he turned to his friends with a reassuring smile. "Hey, how about we all meet at Pac-It-In Burgers in an hour? I'll go talk to Elli. We'll meet you there."
"Sure thing, dude."
Spiral seemed the most assured out of all of them, while Cylindria still looked worried as she eyed the door her friend had disappeared out of. Nevertheless, the three of them finished packing and were soon ready to leave.
Pac bid them goodbye and made his way towards the exit, careful not to bump into any students in his haste to catch up with Elliptica.
She had to get out of there.
She had to get out of that class.
She thought that she could stomach it. She thought that she was stronger, that she knew better, and that it wouldn't be a surprise to her at all.
But still, it was too much.
The moment the bell rang, Elliptica gathered her things and took off into the hallway, not bothering to spare a second glance at the class she just left behind. Students were piling into the corridors, chattering up a storm in their excitement to start the weekend. She couldn't bring herself to share their excitement.
As she walked through the hallway, she smiled faintly at the passing students, perfectly masking the fact that she was feeling sick to her stomach.
After all, it's not every day you get to sit through a class about how your uncle, your blood relative, had absolutely no issue creating weaponry that led to millions of gruesome deaths.
It wasn't as if she was unprepared to hear about all the bad things her uncle had done. At the very start of the class, Ms Globular was considerate enough to give them all a warning that their lesson would be discussing the deaths and calamities of the war, including the making of weaponry that was specially designed to kill people.
Ms Globular gave them an opportunity to skip out, seeing as it would've been a heavy topic for those who couldn't stomach it – especially those who had lost families in the war. Elliptica could've sworn she saw her teacher's eyes linger on her for a moment, as if silently asking her if she would be okay during this class, for the obvious reason that was Elliptica's relation to Betrayus.
But she stayed put.
She must face it sooner or later, she told herself, and prove that she was not a coward who avoided the ugly truths of her uncle's crimes. She faced up against his ghost attacks countless of times in the past year, so she figured that there shouldn't be that many of her uncle's war crimes that she didn't know about.
She was wrong. She was so wrong. It was more unsettling than she had thought. Some of his crimes came as no surprise to her, but some of them were ones that she never even knew about – heinous crimes that nobody cared to tell her about. Not even her own mother.
And now, a part of her was deeply regretting the decision to stay and attend that class. All she could think of was the pit of shame she felt when she saw the images and diagrams of those weapons on the board. Weapons made not just to defend and destroy, but to maim and kill. Weapons that her uncle specifically ordered.
As she followed the stream of students, Elliptica bit her lower lip and tried to reason with herself that the war was long over – no more innocent lives are lost over her uncle's regime, and no more people are being gruesomely killed by monster weaponry, among other things. At best, the only bad thing that can happen to them nowadays is getting slimed by Betrayus's ghosts. Somehow, that thought didn't make her feel much better, either.
"Elli, wait up!"
Snapping out of her thoughts, Elliptica halted in her tracks and turned around at the person's call. An odd mix of relief and guilt washed over her upon seeing the familiar yellow face. She had completely forgotten about her friends in her haste to get out of the class.
Elliptica tried her best to forget about her inner burdens and mustered up a faint smile as her yellow friend caught up to her. "Hi, Pac."
Pac came and fell into step beside her. He got a growth spurt within the last year, and he was now roughly the same height as her, so their eye levels were even.
His smile was much brighter than hers. "Hey! Where are you off to so soon?"
"Oh, um… nowhere in particular?" She offered a sheepish smile, trying not to look like she had just high-tailed out of their classroom. "Actually, I was just heading back to my dorm."
Pac seemed to catch onto her slight nervousness and the hesitance in her tone, and he rubbed the back of his neck, awkwardly. "Well, we're meeting Spiral and Cyli at Pac-It-In Burgers later. Are you joining us?"
Elliptica thought about it for a few seconds. Normally, she would've jumped at the chance to join her friends in whatever activity they were up to – they did almost everything together. But now? A part of her almost felt inclined to shut herself up in her dorm for the rest of the day, too ashamed to face the world while knowing that she was related to the man who caused Pacworld so much grief and horror.
After pondering over it, she hesitantly answered. "I don't know… I'm a little tired after today, but I suppose some lunch should help, right?" She tried to sound convincing, despite her uncertainty.
It wasn't a complete lie; she was feeling tired after the long day of school. But she also couldn't deny that it was partly just a cover-up for how she really felt at that moment. The last thing she wanted to do was bother Pac with her troubles.
And yet, as if seeing through her façade, Pac's expression went from an awkward smile to a furrowed look of concern and understanding. For a moment he simply stared at her as he contemplated something. He sighed and then surprised Elliptica when he started off with an apology.
"I'm sorry you had to sit through that class, Ell. You probably didn't want to hear about all the bad things Betrayus has done in the war…"
So, he knew then. Or at least he clearly guessed as much. Elliptica averted her eyes and stared down at the moving tiles as they trekked through the hall. She felt dumb for thinking that nobody would notice how uncomfortable she looked by the end of that class, or how quickly she left.
There was no use in trying to hide it now, so she sighed softly in defeat and looked over at Pac again. "It's not that he did all those things that's bothering me. I mean, of course it bothers me that he did all those things, but… it's the fact that nobody told me about them."
Pac's brows furrowed and he tilted his head in slight confusion. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, I knew that he was evil from the start and that he aggressively pursued power. I knew that he was a ruthless dictator because almost everyone in Pacworld says he was, and I knew that he made an alliance with the ghosts of the Netherworld to help him in the war," she paused as if struggling with her feelings, until she spoke much softer than before.
"But I didn't know he was so evil that he wanted to do more than just start a revolt against Pacopolis…" she trailed off.
By now, they had reached a point in the corridor where students were heading in different directions to continue their day, eventually leaving the hallway empty except for the two of them.
Their footsteps were slow and quiet as Elliptica continued, "I didn't know that the reason he started a war was not justbecause he wanted to overthrow the state, but because he wanted the entire world to bow down to him. I didn't know that he ordered weapons made specifically to kill, I didn't know that he went to so many lengths just to make sure that nobody would stand in his way…"
Abruptly, Elliptica came to a halt in her step, and she clenched her fist in suppressed anger and hurt.
"I didn't even know about the genocide of the Yellow Ones until I came to Pacopolis. I didn't know that the feud between uncle Stratos and uncle Betrayus was so bad that he wanted to take revenge on his entire family. My mom didn't tell me anything…"
A forlorn silence came upon the two of them, with Elliptica feeling more despondent than before. She fidgeted with the straps of her backpack, unsure of how to deal with the shame she felt of being related to Betrayus. She looked up when she felt Pac place a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"That sounds awful, Elli. I'm sure it was a lot to take in," Pac sympathised. "I'm sorry you had to find out about Betrayus's war crimes that way."
Elliptica sighed, sadly. "You don't have to say sorry. It's not your fault my mom didn't tell me everything there was to know about my uncle. Or that he was a deranged dictator in his past life."
Pac tried to offer her an understanding smile. "True, but that probably doesn't change the fact that you still feel betrayed. I'd feel the same way if Aunt Spheria kept secrets from me about my family like that, too."
"Point taken," Elliptica admitted, though it did not bring much of a change to her downcast expression.
Pac was quiet for a second before he removed his hand from her shoulder. This time, his face was solemn. "I know that nothing will change the fact that Betrayus is your uncle… but you're actively fighting against him and his slimy minions every day to protect Pacworld. You're standing against what Betrayus had once stood for. By choosing to do good, you're erasing his legacy. You've already done more for Pacopolis than Betrayus has ever done in his life. And afterlife."
"Well, I suppose if you put it that way…" Elliptica said as she fiddled with her hands in contemplation. She did feel a little better about the matter now, but there was still a nagging question in the back of her mind.
Several questions, actually. What else had her mom not told her about Betrayus? Or about her family in general? Exactlywhy hadBetrayus gone mad and started a war in the first place, why was he so merciless towards those who had never even wronged him? What had led him to such insanity?
That's when a tiny light bulb went up in Elliptica's mind. Maybe Uncle Stratos would know?
Tucking that thought away in her mind for later, she straightened up and took a deep breath, before giving Pac an appreciative look. "You're right. Nothing can change the past, but the least I can do is keep fighting for a better future."
"That's the spirit," Pac smiled, happy that he could at least cheer her up somewhat. "And hey, maybe you'll feel even better after some lunch. Spiral and Cyli will be waiting for us at Pac-It-In Burgers in an hour. You still wanna come?"
They had begun walking down the corridor again until they reached the front doors and walked out of the school. The sun was bright in the afternoon sky, but it wasn't too hot. If anything, the day was pleasant.
Elliptica thought about the invitation for a moment, before answering. "You go ahead, I'll meet you all there. I want to pay Uncle Stratos a visit, first."
"Sure thing."
As they stood there in the courtyard in front of the school, an odd air settled between the two of them.
In a moment of déjà vu, Elliptica remembered a time when they were once intimate, a time when they would've hugged now before departing, perhaps even giving each other a quick peck on the cheek – something that has changed since six months ago.
When they both sensed the odd atmosphere between them, they both felt awkwardly out of place, with Pac clearing his throat and Elliptica rubbing the back of her head, sheepishly.
Knowing that it was just some old, leftover awkwardness from a relationship long passed, Elliptica paid no heed to it and instead got ready to head off. "Well, I'll uh… I'll see you all in an hour, then?"
"Yeah, sure!" Pac agreed quickly, eager to not dwell on the awkwardness between them, either. "See ya, then."
With that, they bid each other goodbye and walked off in opposite directions.
As Elliptica made her way towards the Roundhouse, the 17-year old couldn't help but chuckle softly at herself. The little moment of awkwardness she had just felt between her and one of her dearest friends was so odd yet so familiar that she wondered if they'd ever get over it. Six months later, and we still can't end a conversation normally? She thought to herself in slight amusement.
Both she and Pac knew that it was just a phase that they were slowly getting out of, the aftermath of making the decision to stay friends instead of being something more.
They were still close friends, they really were. And yet, despite getting better at it in recent months, sometimes they still couldn't quite finish a conversation without feeling a little awkward.
Not since they broke up six months ago.
Papers.
Papers, papers, and more papers.
Sitting at his desk, President Stratos Spheros released a long, suffering sigh as he signed and sorted through stacks upon stacks of papers.
As the president, he was used to doing so much paperwork, no doubt about it. But it didn't mean that he particularly enjoyed it – especially when the stacks of paper turned into mountains of paper, seemingly never-ending.
He sometimes wondered to himself if being president was even worth all the time he spent sitting at his desk, slaving away for hours on end on nothing but reading and signing papers. But then he'd remind himself that, as long as the people of Pacopolis trusted him to remain in office, then he'd do whatever he could to keep them safe. Even if it involved the more boring aspects of his job, such as paperwork.
Stratos was just about to finish a paper stack when a knock was heard on his office door.
He gave the door a narrow and wary side-eye.
It was going to be lunchtime soon, and by the Overlords, he was not going to be happy if his assistants were about to arrive with even more paperwork.
He sighed deeply, and reluctantly called out, "Enter."
The electric doors slid open and in stepped one of the blue feds, particularly the tall one. His arms were crossed formally behind his back as he stood just inside the doorway to address the president.
"You have a visitor, sir."
Suppressing a groan, Stratos glanced up at his clock. "Now?"
Whenever he had visitors at the very start of lunchtime, it was always nosy businessmen or natural resource corporates who sought permits for building on protected land or nature reserves. Stratos eyed the fed before getting back to signing his papers. "If it's another illegal oil drill or deforestation campaign, tell them I'm not interested."
"It's your niece, sir."
Stratos's hand froze just as he was about to sign another paper. Immediately, his head shot up to stare at the fed in surprise. "My niece?"
On cue, a light lavender girl with pink hair poked her head out from behind the doorway. Seeing her uncle, she stepped inside and gave a little wave in greeting.
"Elliptica!" Stratos called happily, scattering papers as he threw his hands up in joy at seeing his niece. Eagerly, he got up from his chair and made his way towards her. "What a pleasant surprise! I didn't know you were coming to visit, my dear—umph!"
Stratos nearly lost his footing when Elliptica came running and barrelled into him for a hug. Regaining his balance, he chuckled lightly and hugged her back. Sometimes, he forgot about her tendency to give people bear hugs upon greeting them.
"It's so good to see you, Uncle Stratos!" Elliptica smiled brightly as she released her poor uncle from her iron grip. "Sorry for not calling in advance, I kind of came here immediately after school ended…"
"Oh, don't be sorry! You're always welcome here, and it's always a pleasure to have you visit," Stratos smiled, earnestly.
Sometimes, it gets lonely in the office when it is just him and his work. Other than Sir Cumference, he didn't get many visitors other than the usual federals or people of the state, and those were still connected to his job that it couldn't really be considered a visit. After the dreary day he had with meetings and dealing with paperwork, seeing his niece come through that door had lightened up his mood, considerably.
"I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?" Elliptica asked, eyeing the piles of papers on his desk, and the ones that were now scattered on the floor after his impromptu departure from his desk. "I can come back later if you're too busy-"
"Nonsense!" Stratos insisted, waving it off. "Those papers were getting dreadfully boring anyway, it was high time for a break," he said, gesturing for the tall fed to be dismissed. Turning to the door, he gently ushered Elliptica along as they made their way out of the office, "I was actually just about to head out for lunch. Would you like to join me?"
"I'd love to," Elliptica grinned as they walked through the corridors of the Roundhouse, "but I can't stay for too long. My friends are expecting me at Pac-It-In Burgers later today."
"I'm sure a quick and light meal can be arranged," Stratos acknowledged, knowing that the Roundhouse's chefs should be able to whip them up something light and appropriate, concerning the time. Stratos called one of his assistants to send word to the kitchens to bring them lunch outside to the gardens. With food settled and on its way, the two made their way outside.
The birds were singing a chipper tune and the trees rustled lightly in the gentle caress of the breeze. In the centre of the gardens was a dainty little pavilion with a table and a few chairs. Stratos and Elliptica made their way towards it, with Elliptica admiring the beautiful flowers along the side.
"So, to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing my niece on this fine afternoon?" Stratos asked with a smile as they each took a seat at the table under the pavilion.
"Well…" Elliptica hesitated as she settled into her seat. Her hands were resting on top of each other on the table as she gathered her thoughts. "I wanted to talk to you. About… family stuff."
Stratos's upbeat demeanour changed to that of concerned curiosity. He watched as his niece fumbled with her fingers, a slight slouch in her posture as if carrying a burden that was weighing her and her thoughts down. She seemed nervous to talk about whatever was on her mind.
Stratos himself felt a twinge of nervousness prickle in his gut. Family Stuff? There were very few reasons why she'd want to talk about family, and one very particular fire ghost came into mind, but Stratos tried not to jump to conclusions. Maybe she misses her mother? Is she homesick?
Concerned, Stratos gently asked, "Is something the matter?"
Tensing up, Elliptica stared at her hands a moment longer. "It's a bit complicated, but…" She hesitated, unsure of how to turn her thoughts into words, before releasing a sigh that left her shoulders sagging. As though deciding to just get out with it, she finally looked up at her uncle.
"Why didn't anybody tell me about all the bad things Uncle Betrayus has done in the war?"
Taken by surprise, Stratos blinked rapidly as he processed her words. A bit confused, he slowly asked, "Um… in times of war, it was inevitable that Betrayus was bound to do a lot of damage, my dear."
"No, I mean the really bad things," Elliptica elaborated, "like pushing the Yellow Ones to near extinction? Or that he wanted nothing but world domination? Or the fact that he was so evil that he was willing to have thousands of people killed just for him to be in power?"
She had a pointed edge to her tone and Stratos became abruptly aware of how much this was bothering her, but he still felt puzzled – he thought that she already knew all these things.
Before he had a chance to speak, Elliptica pressed on. "I mean… when I was still in Pac-Tokyo, I always thought that he was just a general who happened to fight in the Pacworld War. But then I found out that he was the one who started the war… and how did I find out about it? Not from Mom, but from an article in a history magazine," she finished with bitterness in her tone. Stratos wasn't sure if that bitterness was directed at her mother, or at him as well.
Admittedly, Stratos was a bit shocked. Betrayus's war crimes are common knowledge, or at least they are in Pacopolis. He did not know how much Pac-Tokyo knew of the events of the Pacworld Wars, but he had assumed at the very least that his sister had told Elliptica about the ugly truths of her uncle.
Something else puzzled him too; why now? Why be distraught about it now when she's lived here for a full year already, going up against Betrayus's ghostly forces almost daily?
Carefully, he asked, "Elliptica, what brought this on?"
She averted her eyes and stared off to the side as if realising that she may have sounded a bit accusatory. She sighed, dejectedly. "Today at school, we had a History class about the war… and I found out about the weapons that Betrayus commissioned for his armies. The kind that was specially designed to kill Pacworlders."
As that revelation hit him and the puzzle pieces clicked together, confusion was replaced by deep remorse. With a sickening drop in his stomach, he realised how she must've felt when she discovered those ugly truths about Betrayus, after having not known much about her uncle at all in her entire life – and in the middle of a History class, no less. "Oh, dear…"
A sullen silence settled between them. Stratos reached over and gently took her hands in his. "I'm so sorry you found out about it like that, my dear… I had assumed you already knew, or at least that your mother has told you."
Elliptica squeezed his hand and looked up at him, miserably. "That's the thing. She didn't. Whenever I ask her about family, she always changes the subject. She doesn't tell me anything, and if she does, then it's always the same cookie-cutter answers."
Stratos studied her for a moment in contemplation. "What did she tell you?"
There was a slight huff from Elliptica before she answered, "Only that Betrayus was a bad person, that he took part in the war and… well, that he recently came back to terrorise Pacworld, but as a ghost."
So, barely anything, then. Stratos winced inwardly – there really was a lotof information that his sister had withheld from her daughter…
Stratos gave her a look of sympathy, but behind it, there was also a veil of sadness. "I understand your frustrations, my dear," he started with a hesitant strain in his voice, "But I also understand the reason why your mother might've kept those secrets from you."
As if recalling a bad memory, Stratos furrowed his eyes in thought as he stared down at the table. "After everything that happened in the war, she probably just wanted to leave and forget about it all. Especially after she lost your father."
He recalled a difficult time in his life, long since passed. A time of turmoil in his family, and a time of war, where the only real family he had were the friends and comrades who fought alongside him in the Resistance. A time when he and his siblings had drifted apart, including him and his sister.
Elliptica was just a baby when her father disappeared during the war. When the war ended, her mother, Radia, took her only child and went away to Pac-Tokyo to start a fresh new life, away from the death and calamity of the war – and away from her family. Stratos didn't blame her for running away. The war had all but destroyed whatever fragment of a family they had left. Even now, he and Radia were on odd terms with each other.
"She doesn't talk about Dad all that much, either," Elliptica muttered, understanding her uncle's point on her mother wanting to forget about everything that happened in her past life in Pacopolis.
"I just…" Elliptica sighed, as if wrestling with her thoughts, "I don't know. I just wish that she still told me these things before I came to Pacopolis, doesn't matter if they're good or bad. If I mention even just one thing about her past then she clams up and brushes it off. I'm just sick of being led to believe that nothing was wrong."
A flicker of frustration and anger sparked in her eyes. "And maybe if she had been more open to me about these things, then I wouldn't have led Pac into a dead-end with the search for his parents last year."
Ah, yes… Stratos remembered it all too well.
Last year, when Elliptica came to visit Pacopolis and met Pac for the first time, she revealed that she met his parents when her mom took her on a trip. They were all ecstatic at the news, and soon made plans to go on a trip to Pac-Tokyo to follow their new lead on Zac and Sunny's whereabouts. But it all ended in sheer disappointment…
They soon discovered that there was no lead to begin with. Upon arriving in Pac-Tokyo, Radia broke the news to them that she hadn't seen Zac and Sunny since the war ended. She didn't even know they had a son.
The only reason Elliptica knew them was because Radia had taken her daughter – a mere 6-year old at the time – with her on a trip to a city just outside of Pacopolis, where they met Zac and Sunny in a secret meeting right at the end of the war. Since then, Radia has always talked fondly about them, but she never once mentioned to Elliptica that they had disappeared without a trace, and so her daughter had always been under the impression that they were still alive. Elliptica was riddled with guilt because of unknowingly leading Pac into a dead-end, and she was angry at her mother for not telling her sooner. Stratos remembered how disappointed everyone had been that day. Him, Spheria and Sir Cumference were devastated when they realised they were back to square one. Pac was heartbroken.
"Uncle Stratos…"
Roused out of the memory, Stratos looked back at his niece. She was staring off into space and any trace of frustration and anger was gone from her features, replaced by deep contemplation. She looked... sad.
Slowly, she met his eyes and asked in a small, mournful voice, "Why did Betrayus start a war? Why did he do it in the first place?"
Stratos found himself at a loss for words.
He tried to think of a simple way to explain it to his niece, but the truth is that there simply wasn't an easy way to explain his brother's downfall. There were several reasons why Betrayus turned out the way he did, and all of those reasons were linked with each other in more ways than one… but they all boiled down to one main thing, and it's something that's been plaguing their family for as long as Stratos could remember.
Stratos shifted in his seat, tense and uncertain as he rubbed the back of his neck. "That… is a very difficult question. One with an even more complicated answer, my dear. I don't think you're ready to hear the full story-"
"Please tell me, uncle," Elliptica practically begged, taking his hand and clasping it in hers again. "Mom never tells me anything about Betrayus or her past. All that she's ever told me was that Betrayus is a bad person, and that's it. It feels like every day, the longer I live in Pacopolis, the more things I discover about my dead uncle that I never even knew about. Bad things. I mean, just today I learned in class that Uncle Betrayus had specifically ordered his generals to create weapons that were meant to do mass killings. People were horrifically and gruesomely killed by these things, and it was all because of him."
There was an earnest plea in her tone, desperate for answers no matter how terrible they may be. "Why… Why was he so evil?"
Stratos stared tensely at her, wrestling with his own thoughts and feelings. As he recalled memories from his past, his childhood, a knob of emotion gathered in his throat. He swallowed it down and sighed. His niece deserved the truth, or at least most of it. She was bound to find out anyway if her mother didn't tell her first.
"Sometimes, Elliptica, to understand a person for their actions in the present, you need to understand their past."
He gave her hand a weak squeeze. "I can tell you most of what I know, but there are some things that are better left to be told by your mother… when she's ready."
Elliptica blinked, before nodding quickly in understanding. This must've been the first time that a member of her family was even willing to explain the truth to her.
Stratos gathered his thoughts, willing himself to stay composed as he sifted through memories of his earlier life. Taking a slow, deep breath, he began with his story.
"Betrayus became a dictator because he wanted to rule over people. Some say it's because he was power-hungry, others say it's because he wanted to rebel and revolt against the governing state. But the real story is that Betrayus's problems had started long before the war was even a figment of our imaginations. For Betrayus, it started at home, with a broken family.
"I was the middle child among my siblings. Your mother was the eldest, and Betrayus, the youngest. Back when we were kids, we were much closer than we are today. We didn't always get along, but we were still siblings. We cared for each other, in our own way. Unfortunately… it didn't last long. Needless to say, our parents did not make the best decisions in their marriage, and they stopped seeing eye-to-eye. They finally divorced when my siblings and I were just between the ages of 7 and 13."
Stratos paused and an odd mist crept over his eyes, thinking carefully over what to say next, for Elliptica's sake.
But not soon after, the misty look in his eyes was replaced by a look of bitterness as memories came rushing back.
"My father was a stoic and manipulative man, and he didn't care much for affection or 'family.' He and our mother probably did love each other at some point in their lives, but it was long gone by the time Betrayus was born. At that point, they were always fighting, and they were always at odds with each other. I witnessed most of their arguments, but Radia was always the one who tried to shelter me and Betrayus against the worst of our parents' fighting, and some of their fights ended very violently…
"The biggest issue between them was that our mother had always wanted kids, but our father didn't. I still don't understand why he agreed to have kids when he never wanted any in the first place… my best guess was that he probably just wanted our mother to be happy…at least, back at a time when they still tolerated each other.
"But as you can imagine, the decision to have children without the full commitment from one parent led to a rift in the family. Our mother was angry and frustrated at our father for his lack of interest in his children… she wanted him to do more for them, and to actually be there for them. But father made it perfectly clear that he couldn't care less about us. He kept insisting that she wanted kids and so we're her responsibility, not his. More often than not, he manipulated our emotions against us, and that's when our mother decided that he had to go."
Good riddance, if you ask me, Stratos thought, but he reigned back the bitter remark and took a deep breath. He continued, "Radia and I had a good reason for not feeling any attachment to our father, but Betrayus was still too young to understand what was going on. He looked up to our father and would clamour for his attention, despite not receiving any in return. Even after the divorce, Betrayus sought our father's approval of him at all times. He was obsessed with it, so much that I think it blinded him to the point where he could not see the love and care he already had with our mother… whenever she offered him her affection, he always took it for granted."
The misty veil came over his eyes again, but this time it was the kind that was holding back a prickle of tears as he remembered a particular time of turmoil in their lives.
"As we grew older, things got more complicated. At one point, our mother fell into a state of depression and she struggled to make ends meet. She's better now, but back then…there were times when she had completely lost touch with reality, and Radia took it upon herself to look after me and Betrayus, at an age where she shouldn't have had to worry about taking care of her little brothers…"
Taking a moment to regain himself and to blink away the mistiness in his eyes, Stratos looked hesitantly at his niece. "But that's another can of worms, and I think she should tell you that story herself, whenever she's ready."
After giving her hand another reassuring squeeze, he continued, "Anyway, at that point, most of us had completely cut ties with our father. All except for Betrayus. He did everything he could to try and impress our father. He took everything to the next extreme step, and when it finally did get our father's attention, he only gave the bare minimum of paternal love. All that Betrayus ever wanted was our father's attention – his approval. Quite frankly, I think Betrayus got jealous whenever he saw our mother give me attention because he couldn't get any from his father. And so, he grew bitter and blamed me and mother for the way some things turned out in his life..."
Stratos found himself gazing up towards the sky as he recounted the years that led to his brother's downfall. "Years have passed, and things were slowly getting worse, but in ways that I could never have imagined. I never knew how bad it was until it was too late.
"I fear that my brother had learned his manipulative ways from our father. Betrayus turned into a narcissistic man, a pathological liar, and a cunning warmonger. He wanted control, for the lack of control he had in our childhood. It was the neglectful influence from our father and the emotional instability in the family that led to Betrayus wanting to prove himself as superior, like his father, and it fuelled his greed for more control, ultimately leading to the war because he kept taking things to the next, extreme step.
"And so, bit by bit, Betrayus allied with the spirits of the Netherworld and started a war. Not for rebellion, but for control. For world domination. For people to bow down and obey his every whim."
Pulling his eyes away from the sky, Stratos looked back down at his niece as he finished his story.
Elliptica was staring at him in silent shock and sorrow. Tears were threatening to break from her eyes. Stratos gave her a sad, sympathetic half-smile and squeezed her hand in comfort. He knew how she felt.
"I…" Elliptica whispered, at a loss for words as her gaze dropped to her hands. Her eyes were unfocused as a tear rolled down her face, "I never knew…"
Sniffing, she brought a hand up to wipe at her face, "I never knew that Mom went through so much… and you and Betrayus, too."
Stratos only gave a small nod. He shared her sorrow of knowing that their family history wasn't particularly a happy one. He remembered back when he was a boy, when he was angry at the universe for putting him into such a chaotic and unstable family. It took him several years to finally come to terms with it and to learn that it wasn't his past that made him who he was, but the decisions he made in the present and for his future.
He wished with all of his heart that Betrayus had gotten the chance to see it that way, too.
He sighed softly through his nose. "I know it is not an easy story to listen to, my dear, and I'm sorry that you only found out about it now. I'm sorry that we don't have a normal family… but what's done is done, and whatever happened in the past will stay in the past. We can only keep our heads up and march onward into the future, and prevent Betrayus from causing even more harm."
Elliptica was still staring numbly at her hands, but she gave a small nod to his words. Several seconds passed as thoughts danced around in her head before she looked up at her uncle with a sad countenance. "Wasn't there anything you, Mom or Grandma could've done to prevent Betrayus from turning out the way he did?"
A terrible memory flashed in Stratos's mind. An image of his little brother strapped to the pod that stripped him of his body, red and white flashes of light and the maniacal screams that still haunted him in his dreams. The flashback sent shivers down his spine and he fought hard against the knob that sprung up in his throat. The grief and guilt hit him like a punch in the gut, but he willed himself to stay composed.
"Some… Some things could've been done better to prevent the extent of the damage, not just in the family but in Betrayus too. There were times when our mother did not make the best decisions, times when we needed her the most. And I…"
Stratos scrunched his eyes shut in regret.
"…I wasn't always a good brother."
Slowly, he opened up his eyes and stared at his hands in deep thought, before looking up to address his niece again. "But people are not just stripped from their corporeal bodies for nothing, or just for petty war crimes. Betrayus was responsible for a lot of bad things in the war, not just mass destruction and genocide. We gave him several chances to turn over a new leaf and prevent a war. But he didn't take any of them… he wanted to start a war. He wanted chaos, he wanted to rule over people and achieve world domination. And that was something we couldn't allow to happen."
Stratos gave her hand one last squeeze, then he gave it a gentle pat before pulling away and settling his hands on top of each other in front of him.
"There is a bit more to the story other than what I've told you, but that's a story for another day. I'm afraid we might be out of time. You said you were meeting your friends for lunch somewhere?"
"That's true…" Elliptica said as she glanced at her wristwatch. She only had a few minutes left before she was to meet her friends at Pac-It-in Burgers.
She took a moment to collect her thoughts before smiling bittersweetly at Stratos. "Thank you for telling me, Uncle. You're the only one I can talk to about family, and the only one who will actually tell me the truth."
Stratos gave his niece a warm, sincere smile. "Of course, my dear. If something ever bothers you again, then know that you can always come talk to me about these matters. In any case, you should probably head off soon, you wouldn't want to miss out on time with your friends," Stratos said with a bit more happiness to his tone.
A little quirk came upon his brow as he smiled teasingly at her, "And I presume that things are going well with you and your beloved?"
Elliptica froze for a second, before she burst out in a fit of giggles, much to Stratos's confusion.
"Oh no, no Uncle. I guess I forgot to tell you about it, but Pac and I are not a couple anymore," she explained.
"What?" Stratos gaped in surprise. This was news to him – up until now, he thought that Pac was still her boyfriend. Nobody told him that they weren't together anymore.
"Uh—how come? Did something bad happen? Are you okay?" He asked as a protective urge overcame him. Hero or not, that boy better not have hurt my niece's feelings-
"No, no, no! Nothing bad happened!" Elliptica quickly assured and waved her hands to convey that there was no need to freak out. But she couldn't help but chuckle a little at her uncle's reaction.
"We actually broke up a few months ago. Well, six months to be exact. We gave the relationship a shot, but after a while, we realised that we felt more like siblings than lovers. But we ended it off on a friendly note, and we're still good friends."
"Oh," Stratos blinked, taking in the new information and allowing himself to calm down. "Well, then… as long as you are happy, my dear. But do give your poor uncle a warning next time," Stratos requested with an airy chuckle.
Elliptica giggled. "Note taken."
As they were finished with their conversation, the two stood up from their seats. Elliptica checked the time, "Well, I guess I'll be going then. I'll see you some other time then, Uncle?"
"Certainly," Stratos smiled. While he was still feeling a little blue from the heavy conversation they had about their family, he felt lighter knowing that his niece could find a bit of closure during her visit. "Go and have fun," he urged, knowing that her friends would be expecting her.
"I will. Bye, Uncle!" Elliptica bid him goodbye and hurriedly made her way through the garden. But before she could disappear out of sight, she halted in her tracks and turned around to look back at him.
"Uncle Stratos?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you. For everything."
Stratos smiled, wholeheartedly. "Of course, my dear."
With that, Elliptica gave one final wave before she took off, making her way out of the Roundhouse and to wherever she would meet up with her friends.
Alone with his thoughts, Stratos felt a wave of melancholy wash over him.
It took a lot out of him when he recounted his childhood to his niece. He felt tired from the emotional exchange, the kind that left him feeling a little numb. Still, as he gazed up at the birds singing in the trees, his thoughts were riddled with sadness and regrets.
… If things didn't happen the way they did, would you have turned out differently, Tray? Could all of this really have been prevented?
Quiet lamentations drifted through Stratos's mind as he reminisced on times long past, both good and bad. After a couple of minutes, he sighed deeply and cleared his mind.
What's done, is done.
With that, he took his leave from the garden and made his way to his office to get back to work.
Those papers aren't going to sign themselves.
Elliptica arrived at the busy courtyard of Pac-It-In Burgers, where people were conversing and milling about. Before she went in to search for her friends, she took a minute to collect herself.
She still felt a little down after learning about her family's past, but she felt relieved for the most part. She got the closure she needed.
A part of her still didn't know how to feel about Betrayus's evil deeds in the war – and in the present. But she reminded herself that it's no use grieving over it – Betrayus made his decision to stay evil. So she made her decision to do whatever it took to stop him from causing more harm.
She took a deep breath and scanned through the courtyard, searching for her three friends.
She didn't have to search long before she spotted a red, yellow and pink group of teens sitting at a table on the far side of the courtyard. With a smile, she started making her way towards them.
As she did so, she noticed they all seemed to be in a very animated conversation – Spiral was laughing over something that Pac said, and Cylindria was making wild gestures with her hands as if trying to prove a point. Elliptica wasn't sure what they were talking about until she got close enough to hear them.
"-did you seriously think I wouldn't notice you sneaking that stupid book under the table?" Cylindria said, exasperated.
"Nah," Spiral replied after catching his breath from laughing, "I wouldn't need to. You would've noticed it immediately since you are the literal definition of down-to-earth!"
"Is that another crack about my height!?"
Oh boy, Elliptica thought in amusement.
There are two things you should never do when it comes to knowing Cylindria; one, never make fun of her nickname, and two, never make fun of her height. That last one was a very recent addition, though. Over the past year, Pac's growth spurt made him a good half-head taller than Cylindria, effectively making her the shortest member of the group. Which was a tiny bit of a touchy subject for her.
As Elliptica approached the table, Cylindria was the first one to notice her arrival…
And immediately the pigtailed girl swung around to face Elliptica while pointing at Pac and Spiral, and called desperately, "Elli! Help me out with these bozos!"
On the same cue, Spiral turned in his seat and gave Elliptica a massive grin. "Elli, think fast! What do you call a short person who's waving at you?"
Caught off-guard, Elliptica took a second to register his question before she tried to think of an answer, "Um! Uh-"
Cylindria shot Spiral a look. "Don't you dare-"
"A microwave!" Pac grinned as he read the answer out of the book he was holding. Spiral burst into a fit of snickers and Cylindria gave the two boys an incredulous look.
"How was that funny? That's the oldest joke in the book! Literally!"
Despite her confusion, Elliptica couldn't help but giggle. What did I just walk into?
"What's this about jokes and a book?" Elliptica asked, taking a seat among her friends and giving Pac and Spiral a questioning look.
"Spiral found this book lying around on the school grounds," Pac said and held up the book for her to see. On its front cover, in bright and bold letters, it read 'A GUIDE TO CLEVERLY WITTY JOKES.'
"More like a Guide to Terribly Mediocre Jokes," Cylindria said as she eyed the book disdainfully.
"Says the one who just got beat by a short people joke!" Spiral snickered with a teasing grin.
"Hmph!"Cylindria turned away and crossed her arms with a huff. "I'm not short. I'm small. There's a difference." She proclaimed, but not too soon after that, she eyed them all with an angry pout. "Besides, all three of you are just too tall!"
Elliptica chuckled mirthfully as she watched her friends go about it again. There was nothing but warmth in her heart as she joined in on their friendly little squabble.
They spent the rest of their afternoon having a great time and a great lunch at Pac-It-In Burgers. Despite her earlier woes, Elliptica couldn't have felt more at home.
Pac, Spiral and Cylindria were like a second family to her. She wouldn't swap out them for anything in the world.
A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews on the last chapter! An especially big thank you to the Guest reviewer for the wonderful feedback :)
For any confusion that there may be, this story takes place 1 year after the events of the Season 2 finale. It's speculated that the teens are 14-15 in the timeline of the show, and events like Halloween and Christmas (Berry Day) took place twice in the show, so 2 years must've passed during the duration of the entire show. I decided that for this fic, 3 years have passed since Pac accidentally opened the portal to the Netherworld. These are the current ages of the characters in this fic;
Pac, Cyli and Elli are 17
Spiral is 18
Let me know how you guys feel about longer chapters like this one. Happy Holidays!