Galaxy of Hyperion: Mystic Heir

Chapter Forty-One: Lines in Blood

"Your need for revenge has been satisfied," Jayler replied. It wasn't entirely an accurate way of phrasing the situation, but it was the best method that he had in mind, so he decided to go on and roll with it. 

After hesitating for a few beats, Jay nodded. "I guess you could say that... The one who killed them is gone now, and... They wouldn't want me to be caught up in the past. They would want me to move forward and find happiness, and so... That's what I'm going to do. I feel like I owe it to them just as much as I owe it to myself," she explained. 

"You know, Jay... I'm proud of you for this," Jayler told her with a small grin. "I know that all of this has been weighing heavily on you for ages now, and it's nice to see that you're finally finding the ability to move past it. I mean, it's not like you can just flip a coin and be done with putting up with your trauma, but... It's a start, and sometimes, that's what matters most, you know?"

Jay nodded, reaching out one hand to take his between her fingers. Neither one of them spoke on it, not seeing much of a need simply because the silence said all that words ever could dream of. She paused for a long moment before going on. "The rest of my team was getting worried about me, you know," she muttered. "They said that they wanted to talk to me about this, and I'm sure that they're going to like hearing it just as much as you did. I haven't actually sat down to explain everything because of how hectic everything has been, but... I think that everything is going to be alright when push comes to shove. We're all going to support each other no matter what happens next the way that we ought to."

"That's one thing that I love about this place," Jayler confessed, smiling with every ounce of strength and energy that he had in his body. "I love the atmosphere and how much everybody cares about one another. It's like we're all one big happy family, and we're there for each other no matter what. I haven't known most of the people here for that long... Okay, I haven't known anyone here for longer than a few months, but I still feel like it's really changed me for the better. Who would have guessed that an alternate magical universe was going to have this much of an impact on me?"

"It's been great for me too," Jay murmured. "This was how it was back when the Skylox Heroes were still around, you know. They were the ones who raised me when I was growing up, and even though I wasn't related to any of them, I... I felt like I really did belong around them. I was always afraid of people taking over the castle for their own needs because... It would be like letting go of them. There was a lot going through my head at the time, but... I'm glad that there are people in here now. It makes the place feel so much more inviting than it would otherwise, you know?"

Jayler nodded with a light smile. "Back home on Earth, it wasn't like that for me at all. I mean, growing up, it was just me and Mom. Dad was never around because of work. In fact, I haven't seen him since coming back from Hyperion. Mom and I... We've always looked out for one another. It's nice to have that support coming from other people too. As much as we support each other... We're just two people, you know?" 

Jay nodded as well. She was silent for another long moment, almost as if she was afraid of what she was about to say. "What's it like?" she questioned. When Jayler raised an eyebrow in her direction, she elaborated. "What's she like? Mom, I mean. I wouldn't exactly know. I never had a way to meet her before I was taken here to Hyperion, so... I don't know a thing about her."

Jayler grinned. "Oh, she's the best. Like I said, for a lot of my childhood, it was just the two of us. We did what we could to look out for each other. She supported me no matter what even though she was essentially a single parent under the title of marriage. I would go so far as to say she's one of my best friends..." Jayler found himself faltering before he could stop himself, so he let out a small sigh before continuing, something somber manifesting in his eyes. "I guess that she sort of got attached to me in part because of what happened to you. She was always sort of paranoid that something was going to happen to me, and it seemingly went beyond what I've heard of from most other parents. I guess that was because you were taken and never came back. She didn't want that to happen again, so... She held onto me with everything she had."