Now that I was officially an Outer, that meant I was going to be alongside them when they went on missions. Phoebe hadn't fully explained what kind of missions they embarked on yet, but she told me she would explain in more detail tomorrow, and that I should just worry about getting some rest. I was excited to hear more about what they did as a rebel group, but couldn't resist the fatigue I felt. For that reason, I said good night to everybody, and tried to find a place to sleep.
Using the money I received from Phoebe, I went to one of the inns in the town and bought a room for one night. The room was pretty dingy, but I had to make do with what I had. Along with the room was also a bathroom and bath tub that I could use. Somehow, the bath tub and bathroom was actually cleaner than the bedroom itself. After a long day of sweating in the heat, I definitely needed to bathe. I hopped out of the shower, changed back into my clothes, and instantly flopped onto the rickety bed. I heavily sighed letting all the tension I was feeling come out. It had truly been a long strenuous day. I started to think about Mom, and home in general. I was getting extremely homesick, but I had no clue how to get back. I knew the Cursed Stone that had brought me here must have been able to allow me to go home somehow, but I had no clue how to make it work again. I started to tear up a little thinking about how much I wanted to go home when I suddenly heard a voice.
Ezraaa, the voice said with an eerie tone. Unaware of where the voice was coming from, I pulled out my brand new sword to defend myself.
"Who's there," I said.
It's me, End.
Are they in my head, I thought.
Precisely, End said. I'm speaking to you from your mind. I told you that your soul bonded with me. We're connected both in body and spirit now. I can hear all your thoughts, feel all your feelings, see what you see. There's nothing I can hide from you, and there's nothing you can hide from me.
I don't want you in my head! I thought. Get out!
Wow, End replied. And to think I thought we could have some great conversations in your head.
I wouldn't have a conversation with a creepy psychopath who's using me to get the power they need to destroy the world.
Is that so? Well, I guess I don't need to tell you about how you can use the sword to open dimensional rifts by saying a command anymore then. I without a doubt did not want to talk to them in any sort of way, but I knew I could use all the information I could get when it came to traveling through dimensions. I was willing to do anything if it meant there was a chance I could return home and see my family again.
Go on, I thought.
I see I've piqued your interest, End said seeming to enjoy the fact they had me wrapped around their finger. Well you see, as I said before, I possess many different abilities. Teleportation, flight, telekinesis, you name it. However, only all of them are at our disposal when we get all ten of the stones. You only got one, so only one of those abilities are unlocked to us. And lucky for you, that ability is traveling through dimensions by opening rifts.
And how do I do that exactly, I thought.
Like I said before, by saying a command.
Really?
Yes, really, End replied.
I bet it's something stupid, I thought.
Like what?
"Rift open!" I yelled jokingly while swinging the sword in a weird way. "Yeah like that would wo-"
I got interrupted by the unthinkable. An actual rift appeared in the room in front of my bed. It was like I had cut open through space time itself. Inside the rift were millions of colors combining and retracting light everywhere. I couldn't believe that the command I jokingly said actually worked.
Now, imagine a place you want to go to, and walk through it, End said. They didn't have to tell me that since I had home on my mind already before even opening the rift. Hoping I could go back home and that my nightmare on this dimension so far would end, I jumped through the rift.
The moment I landed on a bed, smelled the beautiful aroma of chocolate chip cookies being made from scratch, and saw the millions of posters of different anime in the room, I knew exactly where I was. I was back home. I was really back home. I dropped the sword, slid it under my bed, and ran downstairs as quick as I could. I was aware of the fact that I was an Outer, and that I offered to help them out in the fight against Zero. But I also knew that I only said those things because I had felt like going back home wouldn't be possible unless Zero was defeated. The way it went in my head was we would fight Zero, beat him, and then I'd steal whatever he was going to use to invade Earth and go back home. I didn't need to do that anymore now that I had the Cursed Sword in my possession. I could stay home in my own dimension. The threat of Zero invading my home still existed, but I figured I could let the rest of the Outers handle that. I knew deep down that I wasn't cut out to be one anyway.
"Mommm!" I yelled as I zoomed down the stairs.
"Ezra!" she cried. She pulled me into a tight warm hug. I hugged her back, enjoying the warmth.
"Where have you been? Your science teacher, Mr. Yolks, called me and said you had disappeared from the class when they returned to the school." I thought about everything that had occurred during my day; how I landed in a completely different dimension after touching a stone in the woods, got chased in a town filled with creatures I had never seen before due to a misunderstanding, met a beautiful girl who I thought was male at first, learned about Zero Light who was basically the intergalactic version of Hitler, joined a rebel group called the Outers, and how I now had an evil being who wanted to destroy all of mankind residing inside me. I could understand why Alex believed it was my luck to blame for the pop quiz now. Anybody who comes into contact with a stone that just so happens to belong to a genderless evil being must have some seriously bad luck.
"It's a long story," I said. "But, I'm fine."
"Are you sure you're okay, my dear?" she asked. I wanted to tell her no, and explain to her all the scary things I had experienced today. I decided to keep those experiences to myself instead, however. I figured it was better for Mom to think I was okay even if I wasn't. Not only were the things I went through crazy, but she probably wouldn't believe me either. I'd end up in an asylum.
"Yes Mom, I'm okay."
"Good," she replied. "I'll have to let Mr. Yolks know that I found you and that everything is fine." I happily flopped on our couch, and relished the feeling of being back home. I noticed something peculiar as I relaxed. The time on the microwave was 2:55 PM, but when I had gone into the other dimension, I remembered it being 2:25 PM. In other words, despite me spending almost a whole day on Fellos, only about thirty minutes had passed back here on Earth. Which could only mean one thing. What would be a day on Fellos would only be an hour or so in my dimension. Before I could think about anything else, I heard a knock on the door.
"I got it Mom," I said as I headed for the door. I opened it and was greeted by two of my favorite people in the entire world.
"Ezra!" Alex and Hailee yelled in unison. They immediately jumped at me and wrapped their arms around my neck. I embraced them back enjoying the group hug for as long as I could. I missed them a lot.
"Are you ok?" Alex asked. "We've been worried sick about you."
"I'm fine guys, don't worry." Just like I had decided with my mother, I thought it would be better to keep them in the dark with everything I was going through.
After they greeted my mother, the two of them started heading to my room like they always did when they came over to hang out, and I told them I'd be there in a sec. My tummy was craving some of my mothers delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies. My mother and I talked a little bit as I devoured her cookies one by one. My initial intentions were to eat them slowly to savor the taste with every bite, but I couldn't resist wolfing them down for another second.
"Slow down!" Mom said, chuckling as she looked at my mouth which was completely covered with chocolate. I finished eating, thanked her for the food, and zoomed upstairs excited to hang out with my best friends. I went inside my room, and was flabbergasted. Hailee and Alex were gone. I had no idea what to think other than a bunch of swears. I started pacing back and forth, mumbling swears under my breath. Then, I saw some dark aura coming from the Cursed Sword that I slid under my bed. That was the only clue I needed to figure out what was going on.
What did you do to them?! I yelled at End through my mind. I started to hear laughter coming from End's voice inside my head.
Ok, you're going to laugh when you hear this, End started. So, I transported them to a random place in Arusia using my powers.
You what?!! I replied. And you expect me to help you gather all of the stones?! That's not happening. I'm using the sword to get my friends back, and then coming back home for good.
Since you seem to have forgotten who is in charge here, you might want to look downstairs. I headed downstairs angrily to see what they were talking about, and froze as soon as I saw what they meant. End came out of the sword and was two inches away from clawing my mother's throat. Because End was a spirit, Mom couldn't see them. Only I could. Even though they were a spirit, I had a feeling they could still do physical damage to other living beings that weren't spirits. That meant Mom's life was in grave danger.
Unless you want to see your mother bleeding from her throat to death on the ground, you WILL go back to Arusia. And only when you get me all ten stones will I allow you to come back here. Do you understand? End asked, with a sinister expression on their face. I looked down at my feet with a downcast stare. I couldn't move my body. I was rendered motionless by the multitude of emotions I was feeling all at once. There was a main emotion that I could feel coursing through my body as I stood there crying. Hate. A very very strong hate for this spirit that ruined my life and threatened to ruin it even more.
I hate you, I thought. A maniacal laughing spree began inside my head. End's laughter echoed through my brain as I thought about everything I'd give to just kill this being a hundred times over.
HAHAHAHA! YOU HATE ME?! End's voice boomed in my head as they tormented me. GOOD! HATE ME! LOATHE ME! IT ONLY MAKES ME FEEL STRONGER! ALL THAT HATE! THAT AGONY, SADNESS, ALL OF IT! I LOVE IT! CRY FOR ME SOME MORE AS I THREATEN TO END YOUR MOTHERS LIFE. I tried to hold my tears in so I wouldn't give them any satisfaction. But as much as I tried, the tears flew right out of me like a waterfall. I couldn't hold them in.
I CAN HEAR YOU, YOU IDIOT! 'HOLD THE TEARS IN! HOLD THE TEARS IN!' YOU'RE SUCH A LITTLE BITCH! CRY SOME MORE, YOU WIMP! CRY FOR ME! CRYYYYY! More and more negative thoughts started popping up in my head involuntarily. And no matter what I did to try to hide them from End, they heard them. My feelings were being felt, and devoured by this monster. It fed off of my anguish.
WHAT WAS THAT?! YOU WANT TO DIE!? NOO YOU CAN'T DIE YET. AT LEAST, NOT UNTIL YOU GET ME THOSE STONES. WHEN YOU'RE DONE WITH THAT, I'LL END YOUR LIFE MYSELF IF YOU WANT! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT!?
Please, stop it, I thought. I was on the verge of losing my sanity as End mentally bullied me.
HAHAHA NO! I WANT TO SEE YOU BREAK! CRUMBLE! NOW, SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR MOTHER AND HEAD FOR THE RIFT! NOW! I didn't want to do anything End instructed me to do, but my body moved on its own. It was like my willpower was dwindling away each time End tormented me.
"Mom, I love you," I said, with as much emotion as possible despite my depressed state.
"I love you too, Ezra. What's wrong though? Why are you crying?"
"I-I'm going somewhere for a while. But I'll be back, okay?"
"Where are you goin-"
Before I could hear my mother finish her sentence, I opened a rift, wiped my tears away, imagined meeting up with my friends, and jumped in.
I got transported to exactly where Hailee and Alex were which was great. Except, there was one issue. They had been sent to a spot where two dragons were looming in front of us. The two of them were hiding behind a boulder and I joined them.
"Ezra, how'd you get here?!" Hailee asked, as she heard me run to their side. She noticed my downcast stare into the ground as I sat beside them. "Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine, and it's a lot to explain, but I'll fill you guys in on everything."
"What do you mean?" Alex asked. "You know about this place?"
"Remember how I went missing during the field trip?" I said. The two of them nodded in unison.
"This is where I was."
"What?!" the two yelled, shocked.
"Shh! The dragons," I reminded them. "I'm sure you guys have tons of questions, and I'll answer them later."
"Well, for right now, follow me and Alex. We're gonna make a break for it while the dragons are looking the other way." While that was a good plan, I couldn't go with it. Everything End said to me was still ringing in my head. The negative emotions I felt from all of that torment seemed to be powering me up somehow. I didn't know how exactly, but I knew I felt strong enough to take on the dragons.
"You guys go on ahead. I'll fend the dragons off."
"No, that's suicide!" Alex said. "We can't let you do-"
"Alex, just trust me!" I replied, with a determined fiery look in my eyes. I knew if I backed down from this, I could never gain the strength I needed to become someone strong enough to not only take down Zero, but End as well. Alex sat there for a minute surprised by my eagerness to fight, gave me a nod, and took Hailee's hand.
"Let's go, Hailee," he said, as the two ran for cover elsewhere.
"Wait, what about Ezra-"
"He got this. Don't worry."
"Be careful!" Hailee yelled back to me as they ran away. I nodded to the both of them, and went up in front of the dragons with my sword in hand. The two fire breathing creatures roared at me, and the air from their mouths was enough to blow me away if I didn't hold my ground. I was trembling. I wanted to run away more than anything. But I knew if I ran now, I'd never be able to stand in the face of fearsome opponents later on. With that as my ambition, I got into my fighting stance, and prepared to slay some dragons.