"You know…" Hate says, and I hold one of my hands against Stree's shoulder. "Like the ones spying here."
With one swoop I lift the bed and throw it towards Trinity, and also push Stree towards the window – out of here.
It was the fourth floor… but there were enough edges for Stree to be okay. It was better than-
I take a deep gasp…
But why… how. I had thrown the two away… was it one of those other five he mentioned?
I try not to… but end up looking at my own body. A clear cut of purple, right onto my gem.
"Augh," I say, with my eyes filling up, as blood gushes out my gem.
"Oh Trinity," Hate says. "I didn't know their gems bleed. What a sight."
I shudder while trying to grip both the sword in my hand, and try to hold myself from tearing apart… this pain… was the most awful.
"Go fetch that kid. Rip her-"
I shoot a glare with my bloodshot eyes, while maroon light fills the room. But my dragon form… I build out into two dragons… closely bound… I feel two minds in me.
"What in the world," Trinity lifts her hand, but Hate grabs it quickly.
"Are you fucking deaf? Go for the kid."
"No you," I say and pounce ahead, only for Hate to catch hold of both of us… and I see that the other
"I wonder what happens when I…" Hate says, as I try to remove myself from his grasp – as his hands turn lava… but the grip was a tight-knit knot.
I had learnt about this… this must be how even Hate became this… Rahambose.
***
I-Leo, had done it. Changed the course of the story.
I have?
No, but you-I sure feel like it. The story was always this way… you have messed the continuity is all.
The Crystal-cave was always supposed to become this way? And we were supposed to lose parts of our powers?
That was the plan. But I'm unsure of this course. It must've happened around two years later.
And what's the solution?
Someone… someone here, Leo. Maybe even you.
If we have already changed the course and failed… there's nothing we can change. So why not just make it simpler?
There have been enough Prophecy Failures because of things going from too easy to impossible in an instant. Even I cannot save you from the impossible. I'm a no one, Leo. Live your story.
"You aren't Gust," Skyto says, looking at this girl in front of us – and bringing me back her. "But you are… just like her."
"I know what she meant to you… but I'm unsure if I'm her," she frowns. "But you can trust me… this is no land to stand on. Come with me."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She just sighs. "The first part being… I have her face. Her memories. But I'm not her. Second part, the Crystal-cave was never a safe place to be at anyways."
She scans us and just starts walking away… we simply follow behind her.
"You don't have a gem," Hailo says, and the girl glances at her. "The Agusth I remember…" but Hailo pauses, calculating her words.
"I'm not her. I… go by Raigo," Raigo says and looks at our place reactions – even I observe us. "I may not have a gem, but I know many things about Rahambose."
"You don't have a gem?" Dad asks, and everyone, but me, look at him. "It wasn't you, earlier? The one who helped us."
Earlier when we were fighting Trinity.
"Her?" Grandpa asks, and Raigo looks at him with a little embarrassment up her face. "Don't get me wrong, you said you know Rahambose… and you don't need to know much to know what not to fight. Trinity is something you do not mess with."
"I may have grown weaker-" Dad tries to say.
"-it wasn't me," Raigo interrupts. "I think that was TYO."
"T-Y-O?" I ask. All these words in my head… I'm sure I saw this somewhere too, what was this… TYO?
Raigo glances at me, but looks a little lower than my eyes… as if unable to look into them. "The one from Leishank. The hero. Twelve year old, is what is the longer version. Quite famous."
"Ah, Mafadhar's hero, I have heard," Grandpa says. "She goes around and helps people. Mafadhar is one of the large-greens – Born-sos. Apparently… the son of our comical encounter, Maison. A whole circle there."
"So the Born-sos are making a team or something," I suggest.
"It'd seem so."
"Her identity is a full secret. She must've come here to help the princes of The Empire, at the request of the Born-sos."
"Princes," Spythun scoffs. "Sorry to say, but I've long disowned that father of mine. There is only one Prince here."
I take a glance at Skyto and find him deciding on talking to Spythun later.
"Where are you taking us?" Skyto asks Raigo instead.
"The Augusth you knew was quite smart. I have luckily inherited quite a chunk of it. She wanted to build the training house right above the Crystal-cave. But she also knew something could go wrong. So rather than above, she built it close… while also having an idea of something of a similar effect, somewhere where… no one could come."
"No," Skyto says, looking around. "This is wrong."
"You want us dead?" Dad takes out his sword, pointing across the space around us.
"While they fear Rahambose, this is one place Rahambose wouldn't come."
"Well, if he knew that we are here: he'd take his chances. Guy destroyed my home," Drego says.
"This is not Nightrale," a voice makes me jump, as the ground booms with dust rising up. "With all due respect."
I look towards this lady behind us… somebody who is in a bloodier state than Trinity. With a red sword in her hand, with even more red on it. And bits of flesh flinging upon her body. Her eyes were tired, but also focused.
"Are you alright?" I ask, running towards her.
"Tony!" Grandpa and Skyto follow along with me.
I hear more footsteps following us while making only a hurried noise.
"Well, you should've seen the other guy," Tony scoffs. "For real though, he is yet fine… somewhere out there. Don't actually go look for him, he is un-killable."
"Do you need healing?" Hailo asks, scaling Grandma up-and-down.
"A hug would do. But maybe a shower before that. And some sleep could never hurt."
Grandpa hugs Grandma, while she barely touched his back with her bloodied hands.
"You're hugging a man's flesh on me. Maybe that's gay?"
"Shut up. Seriously, are you hurt?"
"Not really. But my legs might give in," Grandma says, and Grandpa lifts her up. "You have grown pretty smart."
"Please lead us to this safe place them, Raigo," Grandpa says.
"Raigo? How do we know her again?"
"Since a while ago."
This way we reach to what looks like a copy of our training house. Except, this one had Born-sos on the nearby high trees. I myself could barely hold my urge to look at them.
"You guys can feel like home. I'll go talk to… them," Raigo says.
"Can I come?" I ask.
Raigo barely looks at me, and just leads the way. We go further and deeper into this part of The Empire, where even the King had to take an appointment to come to.
"It might be best you go back, you know," Raigo tells me. "They find a way to mock our very existence."
"Or do you just not want ME to come?"
Raigo pauses, but doesn't look back at me. Her style was the same as Agusth, with the maroon coat and white pants. But her hairs seem to be curlier than that of Agusth's straight hairs.
"I was a friend to Agusth," I declare with pride. "Maybe not a good one, but she didn't hate me. Or… ignore me. So why are you…"
"I told you, I'm not her."
"But you are. You have her memories."
Raigo glances back, but only stares at the ground below me.
"I was there that night."
+
"The son of Rahambose," he declares, shaking from his own title.
The one besides him, Leo, finally gets up to leave – but Spythun holds him by his hand.
"Take me back. We can still have hopes of saving Agusth. Trade me for her. He wants me, I'm the reason he came here."
Leo's eyes shine in the darkness, as he coldly glares towards Spythun. "Dream on if you think Agusth could stay alive, leaving her sister endangered."
And my feet die at this.
I should be dead. Not here.
+
"You were sure that I wouldn't have left Street to die," Raigo tells me. "But here I am… not her, but the Agusth in me can't look you in your eye. Because she knows that I've failed you and Stree."
Before I could gather my thoughts, Raigo starts walking away. And I stay there… gathering my thoughts.
If I hadn't had that one conversation… she wouldn't have had to wander all the way here, searching for a place to live. Just a kid… to an unknown place.
+
With such a realisation, and the thought circling around in my mind – that I shouldn'tbe alive, I walk back to the castle.
"And?" Hate asks me, his hand still scarred from what happened a while ago. "Did you lose your way?"
"I think I went to the right place," I say, not looking at him.
"And where's that?"
I don't answer.
"Then why are you here, child?"
"I don't belong there," I shake my head.
Hate stays silent, but so do I. "You don't belong here either. You think I run some care?"
"You run a massacre," I say, and look at him. "Why not make me a part of it?"
Where I expect a smirk or an evil laugh to appear… only nothingness remains. "One condition," he strictly tells me.