by Amanda Churi
Calla smiled slyly as I rapidly approached her, laughing as she turned away from me and raced off down the street of the ruined city.
“Eero, what are you doing?!” Griffin called urgently as I sprinted into the death-sullen town, tearing through the remnants of tile, glass, and rock. “Get back here!”
I paid him no attention, openly letting the old battleground take me into its arms as I pursued the treasonous witch.
She half ran, half floated down the main path of the town, easily making her way over mounds of bodies and piles of collapsed stone. Buildings towered on each side of me, their darkened presence stretching into the frigid sky as ominous, creepy shadows danced on their belittled surfaces. Mountains of debris and bodies covered the street. My adrenaline seemed to give me a large boost of strength, however, allowing me to weave quickly in and out of each hazard.
Calla cackled mischievously as she ran on, easily putting distance between us because of her light weight and spiritual presence. A large barricade of frozen soil, concrete, remains, and metal towered ahead of me, standing nearly ten feet tall. Effortlessly, Calla leaped into the air, scaling the large mass in one graceful motion before coming to a halt at the top. She looked in my direction as I continued to pursue her angrily through the run-down city, her purple eyes shining with excitement before she turned away from me, jumping down from the large pile and out of view.
I growled in frustration, pushing my legs harder to catch up with her before she could escape. I quickly approached the large mound, digging my hands and feet into the ruins, securing my grip and pulling myself up as fast as I could. I didn’t even pay attention to the placement of my limbs, ignoring the multiple fragments of glass and rock which hungrily slashed my hands and feet, leaving streaks of blood on the surface. The pain didn’t even register in my head; I was already in so much pain mentally that I could care less about myself.
I reached the top of the pile, pausing when I saw Calla casually walking across the clearing below me. The accumulation of ruins I stood on stretched around the small clearing in the shape of a circle, some places higher than others. Slowly, she turned her head up towards one of the tallest points, leaping into the air as a whoosh of cold mist was expelled from her feet, blanketing the ground with nipping fog. She landed on top of the stack of concrete gracefully, calmly turning around to face me, yet saying nothing.
My red flags flew high, but I was so delusional and vulnerable at the moment that I couldn’t help but ignore them. I accepted her invitation, stumbling down the sharp grade of debris I stood on and into the semi-cleared portion of the city. I came to a halt below her, the piles of rubble surrounding us so high that it seemed like we were the only two people alive for miles. I glared upwards into her beady purple eyes at least twenty feet above, my adrenaline fueled by so much hostility and regret that I hardly even had to catch my breath from the tedious chase. My eyes locked with Calla’s which bore right back at me. I could only wonder how I had ever come to trust a liar like her.
It’s been a long time, Eero… We missed you.
“What are you talking about?” I rounded sharply, the blood from my hands running down my fingers and hitting the earth. “Why are you here? What do you want?”
You called on me, and I answered. Who said I wanted anything?
If she was trying to aggravate me, it was working too well.
Yes, get infuriated, she encouraged. It’s not like you can touch me.
“Shut up,” I snarled. “Just tell me what you did.”
She cocked her head to the side innocently. Boy, what could I have possibly done? I was sent to Hell, remember?
I was surprised by her answer, but I tried to not show it; it just seemed like too good of an answer for my mind to have thought of. Could this actually be her real spirit?
“Tell me what happened,” I demanded, grabbing the hilt of Coruscus tightly. The Essence within the translucent blade immediately reignited with such an enormous quantity of power that the entire area around us lit up, making my emotions churn even more when I was able to see the damage surrounding me in much greater detail.
What happened? she repeated. You happened.
“That’s not what I meant!” I snapped in frustration. “What happened to my world?! You promised I could go back once the war was won!”
She brushed her mystical hair out of her eyes with her entranced fingers, sighing. What happened, she restated carefully, was that you didn’t win the war at all.
“Stop using riddles!”
Start using your brain, Calla scolded. You never did pay attention well; you didn’t even keep track of your enemies, Eero. You let the takedown of the Nobles go to your head.
I was silent, intrigued.
Her eyes narrowed, a devious smirk crossing her lips. You didn’t realize that you left one alive, did you? And in doing so, you allowed my back-up plan to continue.
“What…?” I rasped gravely, slowly releasing my hold on Coruscus. One Noble? How was that possible?
Back-up plan, she pressed, cackling madly in response to my quickly dying light. How do you think Reeve got to Phantome in the first place and why? Why was there an army of Nobles ready to stop Caoimhin from rescuing you?
I felt a rumble of anger and despair well up in my chest. “Dialgo was right,” I mumbled. “You only care about yourself.”
Excuse me, she retorted. I took Caoimhin’s place in Hell, did I not?
As soon as she said that, I could clearly remember the expression on her face after she had officially decided to suffer eternal torture instead of Kevin. I had thought there was something off about the way she was acting, and now, even just staring at her spirit, the spark finally clicked. It was anything but a noteworthy sacrifice.
“You took his place because you knew Satan would take it easy on you in Hell,” I stated accusingly. “You knew we were going to win! You didn’t help us win that battle from a simple change of heart, did you? You knew Azuré’s plan would fail, so you didn’t bother to try and help with it anymore! And you knew the past would fall, so you decided to escape while you could!”
Calla’s face was blank, and I knew I hit the nail on the head. Had it not been for my quote, “change of heart,” you wouldn’t be here right now. Satan would have ended you. You should thank me.
I growled. That much was true, but it was no excuse for her actions. “Do you have any idea what you did?” I demanded darkly. “How many innocent people you killed…? How much Kevin suffered because of your treachery?”
How would you know he suffered? she wondered, her eyes broad. You weren’t there.
My jaw froze when I was about to answer. She knew what I meant by suffering; that wasn’t the connection she made, though.
Calla slipped up. She took a step back, shaking her head angrily.
My heart shuddered. I could only imagine what had gone down after we left Phantome. I was selfish; I left the past for myself, and in doing so, I left my guardian vulnerable to all of the threats that were left behind from the aftermath of the war.
“What happened?!” I screamed pitifully, the tears rolling down my face as the ruins became submerged in darkness, my drive failing me as my Essence gave into the crushing guilt. “What did you do to him?!”
Calla scoffed, turning her back on me. I didn’t do anything, she reinforced. She cast a brief glimpse back over her shoulder, her body beginning to disperse into the air as our connection broke. Your existence caused it all.
“N-no!” I argued pathetically, desperate to prove to myself that she was wrong… She had to be! “Your hoax of a Resistance did this! You taking me from my time and activating my Essence did this! You did this!”
She scoffed, casting me one last treacherous, victorious smile. Your life was over far before you even knew me. Remember, Eero, I gave you a second chance—a chance to do something great. She cackled madly, spreading her arms wide and allowing the world to whisk her away. Maybe that’s why I let you live; perhaps
your second life was my key to success!
“W-what?! Calla, please!”
I should have known begging wouldn’t work. Before the words were even out of my mouth, her presence was no more. I was left standing alone in the night, my eyes swallowed by tears as my knees gave out. I hung my head in despair, my throat burning as I stared down at the broken earth and the dark hue of my blood.
I didn’t try to hold anything back. I kneeled there, bawling as I imagined what could have possibly happened in the past. I imagined Kevin’s mortal body lying on the streets of Phantome—broken, dismembered, and coated in blood, all while his eyes were still open and his heart was still beating. I could see Daisy slaughtered on the earth, Lucy’s mutilated body lying right beside her and in front of Kevin. I could picture Reeve’s icy body standing in the shadows of Kevin’s agony, absorbing his pain, while Tah stood beside her, smiling in victory as the final leader of the Resistance fell.
And I could see one man… One man standing over Kevin’s crumpled body—a foot on his bloody chest and two pitch black eyes stealing his soul that used to hold so much strength and love. A sickly satisfied grin reflected his achievement, and the blood dripping down the scar on his jaw was not his own.
I screamed as the scene overtook me, watching as my family’s murderer destroyed the man who had protected me for half of my life. How had I completely forgotten about him?! Desmond not being in the final battle must have been enough to let him stray from my thoughts, but even during the whole month of peace afterward, how had he never come to my mind? How… How could I be so stupid…?
Calla was right. It was my fault. Everything was.
A tap landed on my shoulder, my body immediately stiffening. I gasped, clutching Coruscus instinctively—not that it would have mattered, though, because I was such a wreck that there was hardly even a speck of light present in my legendary weapon.
Mabel kneeled beside me, her hand on my shoulder and eyes shot with pain as she looked at me. “Don’t try to hold it back…” she said lightly, massaging my skin for comfort. “Nothing is wrong with crying… Sometimes you just need to let it out.”
Yes, as if the person who I cared about more than anyone else seeing me as an emotional wreck would make me feel any better.
After a few seconds of silence, two figures made their way to the top of the mound that I had entered the clearing from, panting and pulling themselves strenuously to the top. Laelia and Griffin struggled to stand up, Griffin looking much more exhausted from having to use one arm to climb something so steep. A pair of large purple eyes were above Laelia’s head, Sybil taking refuge on her scalp. Her eyes bore in my direction.
“What happened, Eero?” Mabel pressed, giving my body a small shake so that my focus was directed back at her. “You completely lost control.”
I tried to speak, but my throat, swollen with grief, wouldn’t let me.
Saying nothing, I let my head fall against Mabel’s shoulder, sighing as the tears broke free once more. She looked down at me, shaking her head sympathetically before wrapping her arms around my back, pulling me in close and hugging me. I was so happy she was there… And I regretted our petty squabbles immediately. This could have been the end for all we knew; I didn’t want to waste it fighting…
“What the heck was that about?” Griffin grunted in disgust, hardly able to keep his balance as he made his way towards the center where Mabel and I were. “What part of staying together don’t you understand?”
“Hush up!” Mabel snapped in my defense, her muscles tightening as I slowly looked up from her shoulder, staring at my friends who very likely wanted to strangle me for pulling such a stunt. “He couldn’t help it!”
“Obviously,” Laelia remarked, folding her arms and staring at me in disbelief. “I’ve never seen that happen to you, Eero. What was this about most of the demons being gone, hm?”
I didn’t answer, staring back in her direction specifically at Sybil, whose face was unreadable. I had screwed up beyond repair. She knew there was more than met the eye with me; I couldn’t have been just a Glitch now.
“Well, while we’re here being a bunch of mimes, we may as well make camp,” Griffin mumbled irritably after I failed to answer. He threw his backpack to the ground, staring down all he had left of his past. “You all can mope about whatever it is, but I’m going to sleep.”
As soon as Griffin began to situate himself for the night, Sybil’s ears shot up, rotating towards where I had last seen Calla. Laelia looked up in recognition to the abrupt motion, confused. “What’s up, Sybil?”
Sybil was silent, her ears twitching. Her eyes brightened, and as I held onto Mabel, I looked in the direction that captivated her, wondering if she sensed Calla. I couldn’t see her even with my sharp vision, but I knew that each of Sybil’s senses probably surpassed mine tenfold.
In the midst of the darkness, the faint outline of a creature slowly rose up from the mound of rubble.
Sybil screamed, leaping up from Laelia’s head and into the air. “We need to get out of here NOW!”
“What?” Mabel questioned, looking to where Sybil’s body was turned.
There was a small hiss before a dark projectile was tossed down into the crater the five of us were located in, exploding with a large boom on impact as its metal shell flew through the air.
A wave of green gas burst from the confinements, flooding the entire area we stood in. Mabel screamed, immediately standing up and trying to pull me with her, though I was too drained. Sybil, who was in midair, shrieked, the sickly toxins smashing into her and immediately making her wings give out, causing her to hit the ground with a small thud.
She was the first to be touched by the ghoulish gas. The gas flew over Mabel and me next with a blast of hot air—air so hot that I felt my skin burn, Mabel’s legs giving way beneath her and sending her back to the ground beside me. The same thing happened to Griffin and Laelia; it was as though the gas impaired our muscles because I quickly found my arms becoming unresponsive, my eyes struggling to shift around the frightening scene as well.
“Don’t… Breathe!” Mabel coughed with effort, struggling to move her mouth.
I tried to listen to her, but it was impossible.
My body didn’t follow my commands. I inhaled instinctively, my throat constricting as the gas rushed into my body, paralyzing my insides and causing me to fall backward. I couldn’t scream—neither could the others, and that was one of the most frightening things I ever experienced—a silent, unavoidable, encroaching death.
Mabel fell onto her back almost immediately after I did, the two of us lying next to each other, struggling to breathe or move as the gas covered us like a blanket. My eyes could not even stay open, my organs entering a state of slumber and ordering my body to shut down.
As my sight began to fail, a figure veiled by the smoke emerged, looming over me. They stared at me through a gas mask, a slow, mechanical surge of air coming from their lips as they watched me suffer in their terrible creation.
I tried to reach for them, but I couldn’t move. I hardly even saw them for more than a second before my eyes finally gave way to nothingness, my head hitting the earth as my mind went blank.
Seven
Built for Sin
Darkness enclosed heavily around the tavern that night, knocking on the frosted windows and peeping into the tight rooms inhabited by those who had escaped its claws by the ominous forces of magic and science. Clouds plagued the atmosphere, most all asleep as the frigid air tried to penetrate those protecting themselves beneath the safety of blankets.
Kevin lay on the floor, his arms folded behind his head as he stared up at the wooden ceiling, feeling a light draft tickle his face. Lucy lay beside him, the warm wool covers pulled up to her chin as she slept with her face turned in towards Kevin’s chest. Daisy took the bed tucked in the corner of the room, curled up with the covers in a fetal position and snoozing soundly with a smile on her face.
They had been at th
e tavern about a week now, and Kevin’s expectations had been surpassed by far. Submerging himself into society was definitely a shock to his system; Lucy had never lost her social skills, and Daisy seemed to pull in crowds because of her innocent and playful nature, but Kevin hadn’t lived in a community for over a decade, so while trying to blend in, he found himself to be awkward. Being thrown into the average life of a mortal, one which he had dreamed of having nearly every night, now made him insecure about himself.
Why is it so hard for me? he thought to himself. Why do I feel so strange… So unwanted, even though I now have everything?
He shifted his eyes to Lucy, frowning. He loved her, there was no denying that, but even so… Something continued to hold him back. Something held him back from everything. Mentally, he felt like he was in a box; all of the happiness that everyone else seemed to be experiencing, he did not feel.
He sighed, closing his eyes and laying his head back once more. He didn’t know what for, but he felt like he needed answers—reassurance that what he wanted was actually what he needed.
A pain struck his head, Kevin groaning lightly and pressing a hand to his skull as he abruptly sat up, Lucy slightly stirring beside him. He scratched his temples with his nails as the pressure within his brain increased tremendously; he had felt many types of pain, but this one was foreign.
In the depths of his mind, an image suddenly presented itself to him—a woman who he did not know. She had long, lush white hair that was slick and straight, her sharp, crystal blue eyes staring ahead. She painted her face white and her lips black, a soft sheet of translucent, silver silk with gold trimming resting softly over her hair. A gem was attached to the top of her forehead—a marvelous gem cut into a perfect circle, hues of all blue mixing together in the center.
Kevin was intrigued. Do I know you? he asked her.
