OLIVIA WILLBECK
"It's time to get moving, Headmaster. We've been in this zone for too long," Nico says while picking up his backpack. "You three too. Haedrig would you place this in your dimension ring?"
Haedrig takes the pack and it vanishes almost immediately. It's only been around a week since I woke up in this world. My last thoughts from my life were how bright the incandescent lights in my hospital room were. I had to squint the whole time I was there.
I closed my eyes in that cold and stagnant hospital room only to wake up in an equally cold and stagnant holding cell. I never thought I'd have a second chance at life, so I tried to make the most of my first one. I took care of those kids for decades. My three main success stories all were able to go to school. I hope they made it. Though, from what Nico has told me, it sounds like the group imploded soon after I died.
Nico told me all about what happened after I was gone. To think that all three of those kids got a second chance at life too. It makes me happy that I wasn't the only one. Cecilia and Nico almost got married, but Grey killed them. I never could have imagined in 100 lifetimes that a boy as sweet and caring as Grey would kill his two best friends in vengeance. I was asked by Agrona, the man who brought me to this world, to talk some sense into Grey and turn him to the Alacryan side.
I hear he became a genocidal maniac in both lives. He even took Cecilia from Nico in this life too. His sins are inexcusable. I didn't give that boy my last name for him to become a monster. I didn't raise him to become everything I despise.
I sigh through my mental frustration and stand. Moving toward the quartet of ascenders, we begin to enter the portal leading to the next zone.
This world and its mechanisms seem so different in comparison to Earth. Instead of ki, there's mana. Instead of kings fighting in battles for their countries, augmenters and conjurers are fighting large-scale battles on shorelines. Only the monarchies seem to stay consistent. Agrona leads Alacrya, and before this war began, the Elves, Humans, and Dwarves had kings and queens. Well, I suppose the political turmoil also is consistent.
"So the plan is just to continue along through the zones until we find a convergence zone? I feel like that's a little bit of a stretch just to find someone within the Relictombs," Haedrig asks Nico as we step into the next zone. From what has been made clear, we'll be making our way through these 'Relictombs' continuously until we find a 'convergence zone' to find Grey.
It's hard to wrap my head around all the new terminology. I've been experiencing culture shock ever since I arrived in this world. Magic, mana, elements, asuras, elves, and dwarves being thrust at me in rapid succession give me a migraine.
"That's the whole plan. We've already discussed this among ourselves as well as with Scythe Seris. I was given a job as a last-ditch effort to appease the High Sovereign. That job is to find Grey and Cecilia, who have presumably been hiding out in the Relictombs since they escaped from us at the Victoriad. Make sense?" Nico explains to Haedrig.
"I suppose, but why are we here with you? Couldn't you just do all of this by yourself? You're a Scythe," Haedrig asks.
"I may be a Scythe, but I've already been defeated by Grey once. I've got to resort to methods other than brute force to get Cecilia back," he replies.
"So this is all some elaborate scheme for you to get Cecilia back?" I ask.
"More or less. Agrona said that if we help him in this war between asuras and continents, we would be given a new life together. I'll do anything to have the life that was stolen from me back on Earth. I don't care if that life is here or if Agrona sends us back. I just want to live and die alongside Cecilia. Getting revenge on Grey for all the pain and suffering he's inflicted on us is a secondary objective," Nico answers.
This new zone that we've entered doesn't appear to be a convergence zone. Unfortunately, that means even more walking and traveling. We've arrived in some strange empty, dry, and desolate salt flat. Off in the distance appears to be some large, white-columned building.
"So what now?" I ask.
"It's probably going to have to be us making way toward whatever that is. Never expected to see the Pantheon in the middle of the desert," Nico begrudgingly says while trudging off in the direction of whatever structure is out in the distance.
"What the hell is the Pantheon?" Haedrig asks.
"You wouldn't understand, Haedrig. It's an Earth thing," Nico shouts while walking further off. Haedrig finally begins to rally his companions, Taegen and Arian to travel off in the distance.
I pick up my weary and old legs to trudge along the blistering desert. I never got the chance to visit any interesting places while I lived on Earth. I was born, grew up, and worked at that orphanage until I died. All of these beautiful sights I've been exposed to over the course of the past week have felt like a dream. I've seen sweltering deserts, frozen tundras, vast plains, and gorgeous meadows since we've been in this ethereal place. It's hard to believe some ancient race of people built these expansive and seemingly infinite rooms.
This world truly is nothing like Earth. I'm glad to have a second chance at life as well as have an important purpose like saving my surrogate children. I've been gifted with the slightest chance at saving Grey and Cecilia. I've been gifted with a chance at causing a butterfly effect that could bring peace to this world. What a wonderful chance.
ELEANOR LEYWIN
It's been almost a full day since I got to spectate what was likely the most pivotal meeting in history. Arthur, Aldir, and Seris sat for hours discussing plans for the future. They spoke about Alacryan and Epeheotus rebellions, future meetings with prominent figures, and even plans for the restoration of the continents in the aftermath. I can't imagine that even the gatherings of the Eight Great clans of Epheotus have been as monumental.
When all of the talks ended, Aldir, Kordri, and Wren left for Epheotus to have further meetings with Lord Thyestes and Grandus. Given the absolute bombshell that Arthur dropped about the treachery of the Indrath clan, Aldir believes he can persuade the Phoenixes and Sylphs to help him dethrone Kezess. He seems to be confident. After Aldir left, Arthur trudged to his room to immediately go to sleep after the incessant talking. Seris remained in the meeting room to organize the butlers about the reconstruction of the wall Aldir and Arthur destroyed.
I took Boo and walked off with Cecilia who seemed to be internally conflicted.
"Hey, Cecilia. Are you okay?" I ask.
"I don't know. Her rage still bubbles over into my mind at even my own thoughts about Aldir. She was screaming at me to take Aldir's head as well as to slap Arthur silly for not doing it herself. I've never felt that rage even for myself," she replies.
"It's been so long since I've had the chance to speak to her. I watched it all happen. I watched Elenoir become a wasteland. I just watched the man who killed me talk to my brother for hours about strategy. For some reason, I couldn't even be mad at Aldir. I knew wholeheartedly that even if I was angry, I couldn't do anything about it. I'm powerless in the face of a 'deity,'" I explain.
We walk in silence for a moment on the way to our rooms. Fortunately, after the extensive discussions, Seris is having meals delivered to our rooms.
"I'm going to go and talk with my brother. He looks like he could use a pick-me-up. Care to come with me?" I ask when we get to the third-floor landing.
"I don't know. I feel like all of that talk peeled off the scab he has about Tessia being taken. Arthur even revealed that he watched the thing on his own. He watched you get vaporized and the body of the woman he loves plead to her people to surrender. I can't possibly relate to that. I think my presence there as Tessia's body would hurt more than help," Cecilia answers.
"I understand. In that case, do you want to snuggle with Boo?" I offer.
Cecilia's eyes brighten at the mention and her lips curl into a smile. "I think that would be nice. This big lovable guy is like a huge teddy bear," she says while scratching Boo's fuzzy head.
"He's definitely big. Lovable is a different story, but he is with me at least," I comment while joining Cecilia in scratching Boo's neck. "You can take him with you wherever you want. Stay with her, Boo." Boo nods his head and leans into Cecilia's scratches. "Alright, in that case, I'll go and knock on Arthur's door. Take care."
"Take care, Ellie," Cecilia replies while leading Boo off to her room.
I take a few quiet steps toward Arthur's door and when I arrive in front of it, I feel a strangely heavy weight on my shoulders. It's as if my actions from here on have an impact. I feel pressured.
I raise my hands to the door and place a few rhythmic knocks on the door in the same cadence I did back at the Helstea's manor.
"Come in, El," says a muffled voice from behind the door.
I take hold of the golden doorknob and open the door to find my brother laying flat on his back with his limbs in an every-which-way. He looks... tired.
"Are you okay, brother? I could tell that took a lot out of you," I ask.
"I'm okay enough. I sat there and talked with a genocidal nigh immortal 'deity' for hours. At the same time, I helped develop plans that will directly or indirectly lead to the deaths of thousands if not millions. I'm just tired of the weight of the world being on my shoulders. But I'll gladly do this all again if it means I can keep everyone I love safe," Arthur says before sitting up and shooting me a half-hearted and exhausted smile. "I'll do it again if it means I don't have to watch you die again, El."
My eyes begin to well up as I take a few heavy and meaningful steps toward my brother. I pull his tired face into my chest and begin to run my hands through his hair. "You don't have to do everything by yourself, Arthur. You can rely on people like me, Cecilia, Seris, and Aldir. We're capable of helping you. We'll do anything to help you."
"Thank you, Ellie. I'm just worried that everything I'm doing will end in failure. I don't want to go through all of this shit just to end up burying you, mom, Tess, Virion, the Twin Horns, and every fellow Dicathian. I don't want to go through this to die in vain," Arthur mumbles into my chest while I hear a few wet slaps on the tile floor beneath us.
"It's okay, Arthur. We're here. You're my brother. You always come back," I barely squeak out as I begin to drip tears into his wheat-blonde hair.
We sit and cry for a few minutes at the immense pressure on not just Arthur's shoulders but everyone involved in this grand scheme's shoulders. Even I feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders. I'm a White core mage with aetheric capabilities before my 15th birthday that I may never see. I'm the sister of the mage capable of turning the whole world upside down. I'm one of the few humans on this planet that can help him. But... even through all of that, it's nothing compared to the weight Arthur feels.
After around five or six minutes, we finally finish crying. I take a seat at Arthur's side and lean into his shoulder. He pulls me into a side hug and we sit there for almost an hour before my eyelids get heavy and I drift off to sleep.
-----------------------
When morning came, I'm sprawled out on Arthur's bed. My brother is napping on the couch with Regs laying obediently at his side. It's a deserving sight. He works so hard and doesn't get the praise he deserves. He never truly got the praise he deserved because we never knew everything he was capable of. He's still more incredible than any of us could imagine.
I fix my hair and walk over to Art. I place a small kiss on his forehead before making my way down to the first floor for breakfast. Once there, I see my gargantuan bond hoarding multiple salmon in a corner while Cecilia watches.
"Breakfast worth having?" I ask while taking a seat next to Cecilia at the lengthy dining table.
"It's quite good, actually. It's some kind of quiche. I haven't had one in a really long time. Real food tastes better than jerky deep in the Relictombs. It's a shame we only have it for today," she grumbles.
"Yum. You're right though, I'm tired of jerky. My brother can cook really well though. Maybe we should just bring a lot of ingredients for him to cook every now and then," I suggest.
"That's not half bad. I wonder when he learned to cook. I guess he had almost 40 years to learn. I forget how much time separates us. In terms of mentality, I'm not even 20, but he's nearing 60. Once I gave a brief explanation to Tessia inside me, she seemed to understand why Arthur avoided expressing his affection for so long. She's still really confused about how to take it. I can't even guarantee the Tessia I speak to will be the same one we meet whenever Arthur figures out how to separate us," Cecilia answers.
"I wouldn't think she'd take it great. I know she loves him, but that's got to be a hard pill to swallow," I say while getting up from my chair to grab a serving of the quiche Cecilia is still eating.
The room falls silent except for the ear-piercing screeches of steel forks scratching the ceramic plates. When I finally finish, Boo saunters over to me and gives a lick across my entire face.
"Thanks, Boo. Let's go and get Arthur. He's probably chomping at the bit already to get out of here and back into the Relictombs. The longer we spend in there, the stronger he gets. He'll feel better once we make our way in," I tell my massive bear companion while hopping onto his fuzzy back. "I'll see you in a bit, Cecilia."
"See you soon, Ellie," she replies while I sway side-to-side on Boo's huge back.
Boo squeezes his way through the doorway and groggily makes his way up the two flights of stairs to the third floor. I find Arthur in the midst of closing his door. He gives me a curious glance as I look at him while seeing him upside-down while on the back of Boo.
"Having fun there?" he asks.
"Not really, no. The blood is rushing to my head. Though I'm sure you're already trying to leave, right?" I ask.
"Yeah. I'd like to make our way into the Relictombs as soon as possible. We need to find out how to get Tess and Sylvie back. I'll have a hell of a lot more confidence if we can do that," he answers.
"Then let's get going," I say while rolling to my front, still laying on Boo's back. "We're only wasting time."