Fragmented

Chapter Eighteen

Sabre and M appeared in the backyard close by the house. The bolts of lightning disappeared one by one until they were left alone in the dark.

Sabre grabbed M's shoulders and shook him. "M! Do you have any idea how risky that was?! We can't afford to do that!"

The back door opened and Lucas ran out without any shoes on. "Oh my God! Are you guys okay?! We've been looking for you for hours! Ryan just came back to see if you guys had returned."

"Yeah, we're fine," Sabre responded. He refrained from telling Lucas about the intruder for the moment. He could tell him later in privacy. It didn't make any sense to cause an even bigger ruckus. "I just hope that you found Alyssa and Professor Red, and that no one noticed the lightning."

"We found them. Really, Alyssa found the Professor and then found us again. He had allegedly run off to investigate a set of glowing eyes hidden in the brush, but the animal ran. He chased it through the forest, Alyssa trailing behind. She reported that they had drawn dangerously close to the border, but thankfully they never crossed over."

"That's good," Sabre sighed.

"Sabre, how was that lightning just now completely silent? How was there lightning in the first place?"

"That's for M to explain," Sabre said, looking to M for an explanation. He already knew about the ability, but he had a limited knowledge of it. M would know more about it than he would.

"Well, you know how Sabre said that we could teleport? That's how we do it. Although, most Steves can't teleport silently like I can. It takes a bit of training, but after learning how to do it, it can come like second nature. Teleporting silently takes a bit more energy than usual, but it can be pretty useful in sticky situations."

"Huh. Well, let's go in. It's cold out here, and everyone's worried sick."

Lucas opened the door and entered the living room, Sabre and M following behind him. Time and Light were talking to the Professor angrily as Alyssa watched from afar, a worried and distant expression on her face. Ryan was furiously shoveling in forkfuls of scrambled eggs and hashbrowns. Two plates had been left on the table covered in aluminum foil to keep them warm.

Everyone turned at the sound of the door. The instant Time saw that the two had returned, he jumped up from his place on the couch and rushed over, engulfing them in a large hug.

"Thank Origin you're alright! We were so worried! Don't do that again!"

"We've all already lost you once, Sabre," Ryan said. "No sense in doing it again."

Sabre could see over Time's shoulder that Alyssa's expression had changed to one of relief. It made him happy, although he had no idea why. He made a mental note to figure out his feelings later.

"M, you've returned!" The Professor said. "The machine has finished. The substance gathered from the portal was created by the First Curse."

"That means he must be here," M said, escaping from Time's hug as he did so. "It's the only conclusion I can come to."

"Quite right, M. I guess there's no reason to use the machine again. Maybe I can disassemble it, use the scraps for another machine."

"Actually, Professor," Sabre interrupted, "let's check the other goo. Just to be safe. And then maybe that black sludge that we found after?"

The Professor watched him for a second with a judgmental look, making Sabre squirm. Then he smiled.

"Smart thinking. You always have to be one hundred percent sure in these situations. I'll go start the machine now, so it can be done by tomorrow morning." He headed towards the stairs leading to the basement.