Twinkle's Story: Chapter 75

*A new chapter has arrived!*
*Warning: violence, body horror, abuses*
*I mean it this time. There is sensitive content in this chapter.*
*You have been warned. Hope you enjoy the first chapter of true pain. ... I mean Chapter 75!*

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TAUREL

There he is. We actually found him. It's the second Fierdan, the Duke Fierdan, in the flesh. He doesn't know it yet, but he is slowly surrendering himself over to me. He's so beautiful, he's such a beautiful boy! Come closer, Duke Fierdan. The hour of death is nigh. 

Then he stops walking. He has to be less than ten feet away from me. This is perfect. Just seeing his face makes me crave broken skin and bones. But most of all, his blood. The Duke Fierdan's precious blood.

Suddenly, the silence my brain has imagined breaks. The sound of a foot stepping on a leaf on the ground can be so loud. It's the very sound of crushing the little life in something; changing the living into the dead. He was the one who stepped on the leaf. I'm not surprised. Fierdan was a killer, after all.

My lips curve upward. "Ah, we finally meet. I am Taurel, the One-Pawed Savior. I've wanted to meet you for a long time now, Duke."

The faint breeze makes it look like the ends of his hair are bouncing against his neck. I wasn't expecting his hair to look so much like Fierdan's. When I looked at Sparkle's photos of Duke, he had much shorter and lighter colored hair. But when I look at him now, his hair is completely dark brown and nearly reaches the bottom of his neck.

His eyes narrow. "I came here because I know exactly who you are. We met before, Taurel, don't you remember?" I watch his lips turn into a thin grin. "I was there too, you know. I saw Calliah beat you and your partner up. She's a pain, isn't she? My mother?"

The top row of my teeth grazes against the bottom row of teeth. The memory of that unfortunate day agitates me. It wasn't meant to end that way. This time, however, Calliah isn't here.

Before I can say anything out loud, I hear a girl's voice calling out his name.

Looks like we have company. This time is different though, Duke. Even if you have others at your side, nothing will keep you away from me. I've worked hard enough already, so I can't afford to lose you again. Duke Fierdan, you will be mine and fall under the control of a new righteous leader. And his name is Taurel, the One-Pawed Savior.

And to you, my father. I'm doing all of this for you. You've been researching Fierdan all your life till your last dying breath. I want answers just as much as you do. 

I dedicate my work to you. I know this is what you would have wanted.

Fierdan killed your sister. She was just a little girl. She didn't deserve to die. She deserved to live.

I will avenge both of your deaths. I will right the wrong in this second generation of continued corruption.

I promise.


DAWN

I slow down my pace when I can assume that they are both able to see me. Before I can repeat his name, he looks me in the eye despite the amount of distance between us.

"Dawn," he breathes with leftover bitterness from before in his voice, "what are you doing here?"

I immediately let out an aggravated sigh. "What am I doing? I'm saving you from unnecessary trouble! Taurel is too dangerous for you to be around alone. I thought you knew that!"

Duke spits on the ground and looks at me angrily. "I don't need your stupid help. I'm fine on my own."

"Taurel wants to--" I start but get interrupted.

He isn't much taller than Duke, but he looks more muscular. His hair is also a dark brown, but in a shade that isn't as dark as Duke or Fierdan's. His eyes narrow as they meet mine. They're a deep dark blue. And of course, there is his left arm that ends at his wrist and is covered in bandages. This is none other than Taurel.

He stares at me and says thoughtfully, "You must be the Dawn I've heard about. You're such a gorgeous little thing. May I ask why you're here interrupting this fine conversation between Duke and me?"

I hesitate before saying, "That's right. I'm Dawn. Now excuse me, but this boy doesn't belong to you."

It takes me a few extra seconds to notice that Taurel yanked on part of Duke's shirt collar. I blink my eyes and see Taurel wrap his right arm around Duke's upper back.

Taurel shows his fangs. "I'm sorry, miss, but he's mine now. If you let me go easily, you won't have to pay any consequences."

While forming both my paws into fists, I growl, "Like hell I'd let you take him away so easily. He is too important for me to give up."

"So you want a fight? Oh, I'll give you a fight."

I smirk before Taurel can say another word. Concentrating on the area of land Taurel is standing on, I stare at it until my eyes flash green for a brief moment.

Then just like that, the land beneath his feet crumbles. When he moved out of the way in shock, his grip on Duke loosened. Duke's right fist smashes into the palm of his left paw.

"A fight it is then," he says. "Let's fight."

When Taurel tries to grab Duke, he stumbles as Duke exposes his orange flames in the shape of wings.

Duke's voice sounds scary. "I heard you wanted to save Jamaa from me. Clearly I'm the one destroying Jamaa, huh. Yet I hear of phantoms terrorizing ordinary citizens every day in central territory. Now I suggest you to get out of our way because we're the only ones who can destroy the phantoms. You call yourself a savior, Taurel? Oh please. Go burn in hell."

When Duke says "burn" I watch him as tiny orange flames erupt from various places on his body. His paws and forearms get covered in the flames. His eyes are the same color as his wings.

"Bring it on, reynard."

But when I hear Taurel speak, he sounds far scarier than Duke.

"Things could have gone peacefully. Don't blame me when I force you to pay the consequences. Don't say I didn't warn you. Oh and Duke, you will belong to me soon enough. Stop fighting against it, I am stronger than you'll ever be."

From above, Duke just smirks at Taurel.

Taurel stares up at him. "I knew you would make things harder for yourselves. I prepared for that. This time, it's my win and your loss."

Duke laughs. "The battle hardly begun. Who are you to say you won and I lost?"

That's when I see Duke's eyes return to normal. My eyes widen. We hear a girl's voice.

"I believe that would be me."


DUKE

Out of all the shocking things that happened in the past twenty-four hours, learning that she was also here was the most brutal blow. How long was she here? Does she work for Taurel? But why?

When school was still open, I considered Sparkle to be my friend alongside Finny. The three of us hung out between classes all the time. Many people believed that we were dating, but each of us had to inform whoever asked that we were cousins. 

I was close to Sparkle while we were in school because she was the first person I knew. When I was younger and constantly hated on by my mother, I went to a different school. I was never good at making new friends. Finny was the only exception. Finny was open and accepting towards me. At least that's what I thought. Not until he started dating one of Sparkle's friends, Admiral. That changed the both of us.

Sparkle and I lived in the same house. On the rare times that I wasn't staying after school because of detention, we would walk home together. Home as in Sparkle's; their house wasn't my true home. That's a reason why I left their home and headed for the Tall Tower's roof. I could finally feel free for those precious few hours each day. 

Even though Sparkle is my cousin on my father's side of the family, I saw her as my sister at times. We used to be that close.

"Duke!" I hear Dawn say, nudging me on the right side of my ribs. I must have gotten so distracted that I made my wings vanish.

I push her away from me. I look at my feet and sigh.

This can't be happening. Leave me alone, Soulless. Stop screwing me over.

I rub my eyes before looking up. When I do, I realize this can't possibly be a dream or hallucination. She really is here. Knowing that's the truth hurts the most.

Feeling like I'm still in some kind of daze, I look at her and whisper her name, "Sparkle."

She replies with my name. There's no hint of surprise in her voice. Was she expecting me? Did she know I would come here? I wish I knew.

"What are you doing here?" I ask her, staring at her red-pink hair.

I didn't expect Dawn to answer, but she still does. "Leave her. She believes that she can save you from your true identity."

"It's not his true identity!" Sparkle retorts. "He got contaminated! If you let Taurel and the rest of us take him, we can save him from Fier--"

Dawn laughs. "Save him? Save Duke from what? Himself? He is related to Fierdan."

I silently watch the conversation unfold around me. What could I possibly say? I bite my lip as I watch Sparkle's cheeks redden.

"Stop saying that!" Sparkle faces me, the look in her eyes drenching in desperation. "Go on, Duke. Tell her what she's saying isn't true. It can't be! Risak is wrong. I can save you. Taurel will help me save you. We'll wipe away the Fierdan contamination from you."

This time, Dawn doesn't immediately say something back. I embrace the silence before speaking up.

"You won't be able to save me from Fierdan. I'm sorry, Sparkle, but if you believe that, then you wouldn't ever stop torturing the supposed contamination from inside me."

"Torture? What are you talking about?"

Sparkle, you are so fake. I can see right through you. I should have known better. You never loved me as much as I loved you. You always hated me. And finding out about Fierdan was your tipping point.

"Calliah told me all about Taurel's plans. She told me about what he planned to do with me. About what he and Risak would do to me."

Sparkle tilts her head. "Your mother? You talked with her recently?"

I can sense the anger coming off her. I don't mind though, I sense my anger coming back to me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Taurel frown. He didn't know that I knew. I have an advantage here.

"Yes, I did. Are you bothered at the fact that I have phantom blood and was speaking with my mother who also has phantom blood?"

Sparkle and Taurel exchange looks. They look at each other grimly.

I throw my arms back and look up at the surrounding trees. I even start laughing. This is perfect, so freaking perfect.

"I find the fact that you chose the basement of the Tall Tower as your torture dungeon very hilarious. I wonder how you knew. I don't remember going out of my way to tell you that I spent nights on the Tall Tower roof with my one and only girlfriend, Twinkle."

"Hilarious?" Sparkle and Taurel say in unison.

Still looking at the tops of trees and the sky, I nod. "So freaking hilarious. The Tall Tower reminds me of that one night from a few months ago. I still can't believe it's been that long already. When I think about the Tall Tower, I think about its roof which was the place where I kissed Twinkle for the first time. Spending a night together up above the city is nice. Add in taking off clothes, creating fire, locked eyes and lips, and sleeping together, and it gets pretty hot."

I laugh harder. Sparkle must hate me. I must be right.

"You actually had it going on with a girl, huh Duke? I was starting to lose faith in you that you had the capability to do that. But going all the way there? You must have been saving your first real kiss for something really special."

That's right, unfortunately. "First real kiss." The first time I willingly kissed someone on the lips. Sparkle must have also been there when Admiral started kissing me out of nowhere in the school cafeteria. We weren't even a couple, but that didn't stop her from pressing her lips to mine. I should have brought it up back then to those people, but what could I have said? It doesn't really count as an act of harassment, right? 

I look down at Sparkle and smirk. I'll let her interpret what I said in whatever way she likes. All those ordinary teens with their dirty minds.

When I bring my arms down at my sides, I feel the fire in my veins start to ebb away. I get interrupted by my train of thought because I hear Sparkle's voice again. This time, however, she is the one laughing.

Seeing her brown eyes stare at me only fuels my anger. It turns out that Sparkle's presence evolved my aggravation from embers to flames. She lit the spark.

Her last lines are the deal breaker. "Out of all the girls you could have chosen as your girlfriend, why did you choose her? I thought there was something wrong with you romantically for so long. For crying out loud, being gay would have been better than you dating Twinkle. Anything would have been better than dating that depressed, slit wrist freak."

I clench my fists; the claws digging into the center of my palms. The feeling of fire running in my veins had just disappeared, and it suddenly returns. The familiar warmth I feel up my spine and through my shoulderblades when my wings appear is now in my fists and travelling up my arms. I'm burning internally.

Months and months ago, Finny and Admiral were a couple. A short-lived couple, but still a couple nonetheless. I was stupid back then. All girls I noticed in school didn't interest me at all. Romance can be way too pointless and overrated. But I still wanted to be with someone who I knew wouldn't be judgmental. I craved intimacy, but unlike my classmates, I meant it both physically and emotionally. Even though I taught myself to grow up being repulsed over the purple and black flame that covers the top left of my chest, I wanted to open up completely to my potential lover. I wanted them to see me for who I really am. If I knew they wouldn't fully accept me, then I wouldn't even bother making the first step.

I thought Finny was the only person I could trust. Ever since I lived with Sparkle's family, I never opened up to anyone like him. I considered Finny to be my best friend. I wanted to be more than friends.

Our friendship changed for the worst when I let certain words spill out. I was so stupid. Clearly, he was normal like the rest of them. Clearly, I was the different one. Of course, Finny was only into girls. Meanwhile I wasn't sure about my feelings. 

Ever since that day, I tried to extinguish any possible feelings I had for Finny. I locked those feelings deep inside myself for so long that I forgot I had them in the first place. 

Not long after that day, Admiral broke up with Finny. She ended up dating him because I refused to date her. But that didn't matter. After their relationship ended, she came back to me. She wanted me so badly. We barely knew each other, so we both knew her feelings were due to lust.

Then Twinkle came along. Twinkle was a girl, and I was interested in her. I took her by the paw and ended up dragging her into my chaotic life. Now look at what happened to us.

"Who are you to dictate who I want to love?" I ask, my glaring eyes switching focus from Sparkle to Taurel. "Who are you to say that there's something wrong and hideous about Twinkle? Who are you to say that there's something wrong with being gay as if it's a low point?"

Feeling my arms get covered in flames again, I step closer to Sparkle. I've shut Dawn out.

I speak again when I see Sparkle starting to open her mouth. While raising my right paw in front of me, the palm facing me and my fingers separated from each other, flames from my fingertips create a kind of veil from my nose to chin. I can practically taste fire every time I open my mouth.

"You call Twinkle a freak, but here you are wanting to capture and later torture me because I'm the new Fierdan. Pay attention to your words more often, it's the reason why your writings suck."

I let Sparkle speak this time. "We're not going to torture you, Duke!"

"Lies, what a bunch of lies," I mutter and take a quick glance at Taurel. I can't fully distinguish what emotion is on his face.

Then I remember Dawn. Her warning directed at me is "Watch it!"

I couldn't care less about Dawn's words. This is between Sparkle and me. I'm getting tired of all this.

"And what do you know about writings? You don't even try in school!" says Sparkle.

"I'll let you in on a little secret," I say, lowering my voice. "Twinkle wrote poems."

She cuts me off. "I know that."

I lean closer towards her. "So did I. If you think Twinkle is a freak because she wrote things and damaged her wrists, then you better call me a freak as well. Because I did the same. If this has to do with ugliness, then I'll have you know that I'm far uglier than Twinkle will ever be. I'm Fierdan after all, right?"

I start lowering my right paw when I say, "I bet you didn't know that Fierdan was a writing prodigy. Before he got contaminated."

Before I know what I'm doing, I have my right paw in a fist again. It's covered in orange flames.

Suddenly, the background falls apart and is replaced by an old and dimly lit room. Instead of seeing Sparkle or Taurel, I see Fierdan and Dawn.

Right after I watch Fierdan throw a ball of black fire, I reopen my eyes and find myself having just thrown a ball of orange fire. But instead of being like Fierdan who threw it at Dawn, I threw it at Sparkle.

Luckily, Sparkle dodges it just in time. Thanks to Dawn.

And then I hear the sound of slow claps. I turn away from Sparkle and look at Taurel. He is the one clapping. It confuses me how much it sounds like clapping paws since Taurel only has one paw.

"This is perfect. Things are going to plan," he says and then looks away from the rest of us. "Risak, you can come out now. They have the wolf pup, so bring the wolf with you."

Does he mean Ardere? What does Ardere have to do with anything?

"And while you're at it, bring out the guns. Unfortunately, Duke refuses to come with us without a fight. It seems that he is willing to pay the consequences of not obeying the Savior."


TWINKLE

It takes me a while for my eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness. Is this how Fauna felt while she was alive? For now, I just have to deal with a stranger guiding me through the twists and turns of an underground passageway. I'm walking blindly; I have to trust Jinx for now. I have no other choice, and besides, he told me he can bring me to my parents.

"I never knew there were tunnels in this part of territory," I say under my breath while following Jinx around a wide curve in the path.

I immediately check my jacket to see if the blue sword is still there when I hear Jinx's voice. I sigh in relief once my paws feel the shape of the sword.

"Well, I helped construct these tunnels. The complex routes should make phantoms wary of following us."

"And you thought of the idea to build tunnels? Is that the only way to prevent phantoms from coming?" I ask while skimming one of my paws over a tunnel wall. It feels cold and rough; I can't tell if it's stone or some strange form of dirt.

 "Actually, it was someone else's idea. We aren't sure if it definitely will in all scenarios, but it was the best attempt at keeping them out so far."

Jinx and I continue walking for a few minutes, but then I see the slightest bit of light. I'm not completely sure if I'm imagining the guy running in our direction.

In the limited amount of light, I can still make out Jinx's worried expression when he faces me.

"Be right back," he tells me before running towards the other guy.

A minute passes before Jinx returns. The other guy is at his side.

I look up at him. He looks very similar to Jinx- same body structure, clothes, and light gray eyes. On a second glance, I realize he also has those strange tattoos on his eyelids and around his eyes. However, unlike with Jinx who only has black tattoos, some of the tattoos under his eyes are purple. Where Jinx has short and spiky silver hair, this guy has white hair with multiple streaks of black and purple.

Jinx clears his throat and says, "This is Jax. He is my--"

I swing my head from Jinx and Jax. "Brother?"

My face heats up a little when I hear Jax chuckle. "Not exactly brothers. No, we're, uh..."

Jinx picks up where he went off. "Actually, we are brothers. That'll be the simplest way to put it. Call us the Jainx Brothers."

"Jay... inks?" I tilt my head, trying to pronounce the word.

Jax looks away from Jinx and faces me. "The J duo for short."

I step closer towards them. "If you're not brothers, then who are you? Both of you look very much alike. I also have never seen you around the territory before, so who are you two?"

"We are related, I'll give you that. Jax and I are much closer than to be called mere siblings. That includes twins as well. About the fact that we haven't met each other before this terrible predicament, we haven't been out much. Both of us were scared to show our faces out in public because of our weird hair and names."

Jax snickers and rolls his eyes. "Yeah, of course that's the truth. We were always living here. We're definitely foxes."

Before Jax can say anything else, Jinx kicks the back of his ankle. "Shush!"

Suddenly suspicious, I take out the blue sword. I hold it up in front of me, which makes both of them take a step back.

My eyes are narrowed as I say, "What is that supposed to mean? Are you not foxes? Don't tell me you two are phantoms that I have to destroy."

"No, no! It's not like that at all, Twinkle," Jinx says with widened eyes.

I feel Jax's eyes stare right through me as he murmurs, "The star-named child, Stella. She's the one who can master both ice and fire. It has to be her. She can lead us to the rest."

"Stella? The rest? What do you mean?" I ask, beginning to lower the sword.

Jinx glares at Jax. "Shut up! Don't reveal everything about us and them to her yet. We have to go!"

The next thing I know is seeing Jinx grab Jax's right paw and them running further down the tunnel towards the light. Without a moment's hesitation, I run after them.

Before I can see what's up ahead, Jinx steps in front of me. "Remember what I told you before about how phantoms can't hurt me? Well, they can't hurt Jax either. We're immune to phantom shocks."

I look away from his face and down at my feet. Now that we're in the light, I can see everything clearly now. "Oh, you two are very lucky then."

Then I hear Jax's voice. "But since you have the ice-fire Elemental Power and that blue sword on you, perhaps you could help out without putting yourself in obvious life-threatening danger."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

But when Jinx steps to the side, I know exactly what they're referring to.

Of course this has to happen again. My path always crosses with the paths of phantoms. But this time is different. I'm stronger now. I've built myself anew, and I won't fall back down that easily.

There is this fairly large and empty room. Well, aside from the crowd of people trembling in one corner and the nine phantoms heading their way.

"Can you activate it?" Jax asks, glancing at my sword.

Even though I don't know what he means by "activate," I nod my head. I translate "activate" to mean bring out the cold blue flames. And so I do just that.

Veins are like a complex network of passageways hidden underneath a person's skin. When Duke is moments away from being covered in orange flames, I imagine a hot orange liquid running through his veins. For me, however, I imagine a cold blue liquid running through my veins. Where Duke feels the familiar warmth in his shoulderblades when his wings appear, I feel the familiar chill in mine.

It's obvious to the both of us that we are opposites to the same coin. Our life is a coin toss game; we always have to pick which side, heads or tails, each of us are on. After all, we are fire parallels. The only clear difference is determined by our opposite ends of the spectrum. The spectrum of hot and cold; the gradual change from heat to frost.

When I spread my blue wings out, I smile at Jinx and Jax. Feeling the tiny blue flames all over my face, hair, and body is so refreshing.

"Well, what about activating your sword?" Jax says, frowning at the sword.

"It has no on-off switch," I start.

"No, he means," Jinx says, "uh, can I see it?"

I give the sword to him and shrug.

"Hold it like this," he says while holding the sword sideways a few inches in front of the top of his rib cage. "Try to make the blade catch fire. Let your blue flames cover the sword. It'll make you all the more powerful against the phantoms."

I nod. "Okay, I'll give it a shot."

I tighten my grip on the hilt of the sword with my right paw. I concentrate on my fingers wrapped around it as I turn the sword horizontally like Jinx did. Then one little blue flame comes in contact with the tip of the blade. Immediately, many other flames follow.

It doesn't take long for the blade to be covered in cold blue flames.

"She has to be Stella. Look at her," I hear Jax whisper in Jinx's ear.

Jinx must have ignored his comment because he smiles at me. "Great job, Twinkle, you activated it."

My eyes turn entirely blue as I glance determinedly at the room in front of us. Holding my sword up, the tip of the blade at the same level as my eyes, I march into the room.

Jinx and Jax stop muttering among themselves and follow me.

From inside the room, the atmosphere of the place has changed completely. I start shivering from the unease that had been building up inside me ever since Jinx led me into the tunnels.

"The J duo is here," I hear a middle-aged male announce. "We're gonna live!"

I pause mid-step when Jinx laughs. "Oh no, Jax and I won't be doing a single thing to help you folks."

Panicked muttering breaks out among the crowd trapped in the corner.

"What do you mean? You're not gonna help us? But you're immune to phantoms! You two are the only ones keeping us safe!" a middle-aged lady cries out.

I can't help but shift my focus on the sudden cold sweat on the back of my neck.

Why would they do that? They're putting such a huge responsibility on me! Can I really do this? There are nine of them! In the past, one could nearly kill me. 

Things will end differently this time. I'm not the same person I was back then. I can protect myself. I can fight back now. 

I look up at the looming cloud of phantoms heading our way. With glaring eyes that are practically the equivalent to two shards of blue ice, I grin widely.

"Don't feel hopeless yet. This is not your end yet, and neither is it mine," I say and narrow my eyes. "I'll make sure phantoms will learn to fear me."

The muttering quiets down as I rise my left foot off the ground.

I give the phantoms the death glare as I lift my right foot off the ground. My wings cause me to fly closer and closer to the room's ceiling.

Baring my teeth, I growl at the phantoms. "Now, prepare to die."

Three. Two. One. Let's go!


FAUNA

Ever since Fierdan explained Night Crow, he has been pressuring me to come up with a way so the both of us can appear as physical beings in Jamaa. He won't seem to let it go. By now, I'm so frustrated that I wonder what's going on in his head.

I'm not sure if it's sweat, tears, or black goop on either side of my face. To be honest, I'm too tired to care. I try to steady my breathing as I wipe a side of my face with a paw.

I sigh deeply as I face Fierdan. "For the last time, I can't do this."

Even though the look in his eyes is harsher now, I can only think that he's not feeling that way towards me. No matter how many times I've attempted, his voice remains in that strange combination of gentle and firm.

"I brought you here because I know you have the ability to. There are reasons why you're here," Fierdan says.

The way he speaks is only leaving me more frustrated. "Why are you being so nice to me? You only really brought me here in order for me to turn you into a living person in Jamaa somehow. I know there isn't much time left. I also know you're relying on me to do this. But, I'm sorry, I can't do this."

Fierdan holds up his left paw and stares at it while he says, "What's wrong with me trying to change how people perceive me? I want to become a good person, starting with you. What's wrong with that?" His fingertips slowly curve in towards his palm. "Every single day, I'm burdened by the fact that I've done terrible things. I've never been the villain here. I'll keep on telling me that."

Oh great, now he's blaming his actions on Soulless again.

By now, his paw is in a fist. "You're an angel, right?"

I cross my arms. "That has nothing to do with anything. I still don't have the magic abilities that you and Dawn have."

He doesn't raise his voice, but his fist looks more forced. "Why don't you try again? You are an angel, after all."

"What if I don't want to? It's not like you would understand," I blurt out without thinking.

Fierdan raises his head and faces where a ceiling would be. He brings his right paw up to the back of his head for a quick moment before bringing it down again. A few seconds later, I see dark strands of hair fall down to his shoulders. The tone of his voice doesn't change, but I know he's struggling to keep it that way.

"When it comes to doing things I'm tired of doing and not wanting to do anymore, I totally understand. Perhaps too well," he says and then looks down at me. "What is it exactly that I have a lack of understanding in when it comes to this subject?"

As I look at his widened eyes and his tangled mess of hair, I immediately remember what he told me about our ages. If I perceive myself as being eleven years old and Twinkle and Duke as fourteen year olds despite the three year age gap between our ages in Jamaa and the human world, then I can only view this form of Fierdan as being sixteen. When I look at him now, I can only see that frightened child from long ago but now older.

"Do you remember that time when Soulless and I took over Duke's mind?"

It doesn't take me more than a few seconds to know what Fierdan is referring to. I ended up saving Twinkle from Duke for her safety.

I say, "Of course I remember. I also thought I tried to kill you."

Fierdan closes his eyes and sighs. His eyes are barely open when he says, "I believe that you and Twinkle assumed that it was Duke who cried out some phrases near the end of our encounter. Unfortunately, you assumed wrong. Duke himself didn't say most of them to me." His eyes are open now. "I did."

I look at Fierdan suspiciously. "Twinkle and I were there, and we knew what we heard. The voice was Duke's in opposition to what you were making him do."

"Have you forgotten what I told you, Fauna? Duke was a magical experiment I created; his very being is a fusion of Soulless and myself."

He raises his right paw and looks at it in the same way he did with his left one.

All of a sudden, I hear Fierdan laugh. "The Duke you thought you saw back then wasn't a part of it at all. I was crying in protest against Soulless's actions. Their full form as well as the Soulless part of Duke's identity."

I frown at him. "I don't believe you at all, Fierdan."

He responds by laughing harder. "Soulless only makes life a pure living hell."

I don't know exactly why, but I'm suddenly thinking back to that day.

Duke was standing in front of me. His breathing was a bit staggered, and he had a wicked look to his face. 

Then I see Fierdan, his head lowered and his paws gripping his knees tightly. Tears stream down his face as he cries, "Leave me alone!"

Then a deeper and calmer voice answered him. "Oh, don't be so foolish." 

I remember hearing those words from that day. But what I hear next sounds like someone's thoughts. Fierdan's thoughts out loud.

"Please don't do this, Soulless. Stop making me do these things." Those are the sentences I hear in a rushed whisper.

That's when I watch a much taller form than Fierdan become a mass of gray against the black. I immediately put a name to it- Soulless. 

Soulless grins widely. "You never learned your purpose. How about you learn your lesson?"

Fierdan looks over his shoulder. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no--"

His pleads were abruptly cut off. When I look at Soulless, I see two whips producing blue electricity appear in what I assume are their paws.

And then I watch Soulless hitting Fierdan's back repeatedly with the whips. Even when I see bruises and blood, Soulless doesn't stop. 

Fierdan has to pause between every word because the strikes that Soulless is giving him come at a set interval. His body flashes the color of the electricity on Soulless's whips whenever he is hit with them, which prevents his ability to speak.

Hearing Fierdan speak sends chills down my spine. "I... don't... want... to..."

Then Soulless grabs Fierdan from behind. Those last two words I hear Fierdan shriek are much louder. "HURT HER!"

"Finally, something we can agree on," says Soulless. 

The next thing I see is Soulless slip inside Fierdan from his back. And then outside I see Duke standing right where he was before.

I shake my head and get distracted by noticing Fierdan's fingertips on both my shoulders. When I take a step back, I almost stumble.

"W-What did you do?" I stutter, feeling a rapid beating in my chest.

Fierdan looks up again. He asks a similar question from before.

"Do you believe in the Multiple Realities Theory?"

Puzzled, I tilt my head. "What?"

"Personally, I've been thinking about it a lot. I can't help but to think about a version of my life without Soulless being in it."

"A reality without Soulless?" I ask.

"Everything would have ended up differently if Soulless never existed. My life wouldn't have been as much of a hell then. Soulless and my father, they were the ones who made my existence nothing but pain. But it doesn't matter. In this reality, Soulless exists. If they didn't, I wouldn't have..."

Fierdan doesn't finish his sentence. Instead, he looks down again. This time, however, I see him smiling as tears fall from both his eyes.

Seeing Fierdan cry while smiling in front of me makes me wince. What possible game are you playing at?

I barely hear Fierdan say, "I'm such a coward."

What game, Fierdan, what game is this?

Only now do I hear any real emotion in his words. The way Fierdan stares at me is haunting.

"I should have let Soulless torture me until I couldn't be alive anymore. I should have never let Soulless manipulate me. I was a coward who was too scared to die, so other people died instead. It was all my fault. Everything would have ended up better if I killed myself earlier when I still had the chance. Then they wouldn't have died at my feet.
 Soulless kept on hurting me both physically and psychologically. I kept on being the perfect vessel for Soulless to enter to possess me. Without Soulless, I know I wouldn't kill all those people."

I don't know how he did it, but somehow Fierdan looks even more scarier now than a few minutes ago.

"Soulless says I'm too attached. The only reason I'm attached to them is because of the endless guilt I have. I need them to hurt me. I deserve the pain.
One time, Soulless made me try to kill Dawn. I was such a coward that I would have allowed myself to kill the one person I cared about rather than myself. To throw black fire at her..."

Fierdan holds both his paws up at eye-level. Palms facing upward, fingers slightly trembling as if he's trying to grasp something.

What could I possibly say at a time like this? 

"There will always be blood left on me. It won't go away. Do you know what it's like having the blood of people you killed drown you every time you sleep? Do you know what it's like to kill someone?" He pauses for a moment. "Fauna, do you know anything about humans?"

The last question leaves me off-guard. "Of course I don't," I reply.

No more tears fall from his eyes. He still smiles though. "Of course you don't."

"Why do you ask?"

Fierdan says, "Humans and what we call ourselves over here- foxes- have similar anatomy. Humans are said to have over 200 bones and over 70 organs in their bodies."

Even though I'm totally confused, I nod my head slowly. "Okay."

"It's from all the experiences of Soulless possessing and manipulating my physical body to kill people that I've learned about body anatomy. Killing made me learn up close and personal the breaking point of body parts. I know how to kill people by breaking a certain bone, muscle, organ. Thanks to Soulless, I have all that knowledge. I never asked for it, yet I still received it."

Fierdan starts walking away from me.

"I'm sorry for telling you this."

Twinkle's Story: Chapter 74

*Short chapter, but at least it's something. The next chapter will be longer.*

RISAK

We have been walking for so long. I see Taurel, our One-Pawed Savior, up ahead. To my left is Sparkle, and to my right is the wolf.

It's as if Taurel never gets tired. "Hurry up, we're almost there," I hear him say.

Just continue walking forward. Focus on the backpack he's wearing. We just have to focus. That's it. Focus...

I lose my train of thought when I hear someone stumble. Swinging my head to the left, I watch Sparkle trying to regain her balance.

"Ugh, this is gross!" she exclaims as she cleans off the mud from her feet.

Taurel turns around to face us. "We're almost there. Do you really have to complain now?"

He glares at Sparkle, and she takes a few steps back. I must have been staring at her because she motions with her paw for me to follow her. With a sigh, I also take a few steps back.

When we're a few yards behind Taurel and the wolf, Sparkle faces me. She grins; I bite my lip.

"Risak, I've been wondering," she says while twisting a strand of her hair around a finger. "Do you think that I'm doing the right thing?"

The question surprises me.

 Of course she's doing the right thing. Of course we are. Why would she even ask?

Her arm falls down at her side. The strand of hair she was twisting around her finger falls in front of her face. I focus on that strand of red-pink hair in the center of her face. It's as if her face is divided into two.

"Of course, you're doing the right thing. We'll become heroes for what we're doing," I tell her.

She nods her head. That strand of hair doesn't move.

"Do you want to know the truth?" she asks.

I am confused. What does she mean? "The truth?"

"I've been doing this because I believe. I believe that when we get our paws on Duke, I can save him."

"Save him?" I ask.

Sparkle nods again. "Yes. When we have Duke, I'm going to make sure that he doesn't do anything bad. You see, Risak, the only reason I'm doing all this is because I want to prevent Duke from turning into the monster that you and Taurel say he is. I'm going to save him by making things right again. I have waited long enough. It's time to right the wrong."

Her hair flows behind her as she catches up with Taurel. I follow her, my thoughts racing.

I suddenly stop as I remember a thought that flashed in my mind. It was only from an hour or two ago.

The first thing I noticed were the eyes. One second, they were completely black. The next second, they were completely white. When they turned black again, I saw a little red in them. When they turned white again, I found out what the red was. He had drops of blood speckled in his eyes.

The next thing I noticed was the rest of his face. He was smirking at me. Blood was pouring out of his mouth. It was dripping down his chin and the front of his neck. 

Then he held up his right arm. Multiple trails of blood were twisting around the arm. However, the blood wasn't bothering him. 

He walked toward me. The look in his face terrified me. 

The last thing I remember is him saying, "I am the Duke Fierdan. Do not underestimate us."

It's just a thought. It wouldn't make sense for Duke to say "us" instead of "me", right?

I shake my head. "I'm sorry, but it's too late. Things won't ever be like how they were before."

I put a paw on her shoulder. "Duke can't be saved."

That's why I have to kill him.

I suddenly hear cruel laughter.

"Kill him? What part of "do not underestimate" do you not understand? If you want to kill Duke, you will have to kill me as well. Unfortunately, I am not ready to die."

ARDERE

We finally began on our journey to central fox territory. I feel like I'm the only one excited about it.

"Hey Duke, we're finally going. Aren't you excited?" I say with a smile on my face.

"Yeah, this is so exciting. I'm having so much fun," Duke says and rolls his eyes.

"We're gonna kill so many phantoms. We'll be there to save the day," I say enthusiastically.

I sigh as I look at Duke and Dawn. They definitely don't look happy.

"What happened?" I ask them.

"Shut up, Ardere. You don't have to know everything that happens between Duke and me," Dawn says.

Duke sighs. "Oh, there you go again. Shut the hell up, Dawn. You have no right to treat Ardere like poop."

He stomps his foot and passes Dawn and me. His body is slightly twitching. Is it anger, or is there another emotion underneath?

"I'm gonna kill every last one of them," I hear Duke growl. "Every last one."

TWINKLE

"You liar! You told me that they were okay. This doesn't look okay, Duke!"

How much time did I spend just looking at the rubble? How long was I sad, and how long was I mad? 

It must have been a while because I suddenly hear a voice.

"What are you doing out here?"

I turn around and gasp at the guy who spoke to me. He surprised me.

"Why are you outside of the shelters? It's not safe out here."

I glare at him. "I'm fine on my own, thanks."

He walks closer. "Your parents are probably in one of the shelters. I can bring you there if you'd like. You look like you're not from around here."

"I live here," I sigh.

He smiles as I frown. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just haven't seen you before."

I arch an eyebrow. "And I never saw you before."

This guy is suspicious. He has short and spiky hair. It's silver. What guy has silver hair? He also has light gray eyes. On his eyelids, are tiny tattoos. He has more under his eyes. 

"I monitor one of the shelters. With so many phantoms roaming around, it's not safe for citizens to go outside the shelters."

"I can protect myself, but thanks for the offer. You should go."

He stares at me as he says, "I'm not going anywhere. Come on, I can bring you to your parents."

"Why are you outside? Did you hear me?" I ask.

He hesitates for a moment before nodding his head.

I sigh and allow him to lead me to one of the shelters.

We aren't there yet when he turns around to face me.

"People call me Jinx, by the way. Phantoms won't be able to hurt me."

I take out the blue sword from inside my jacket. "I'm Twinkle, and phantoms won't be able to hurt me either."

I smile as he looks at the blue blade.

A few minutes later, he shakes his head. I put the sword back inside the jacket.

"We're here," Jinx announces.

"I don't see anything," I reply.

"Just follow me, Twinkle."

"Okay," I say while gripping the sword inside my jacket. "Let's go."

If he does one thing out of line, then I'll kill him. Whether that guy is a stranger like Jinx, or a former lover like Duke. One step out of line, and they're dead.

FIERDAN

"Do you believe in parallel worlds? Or how about the multiple realities theory?"

Fauna sighs as she holds Night Crow in her paw.

"This is how you do small talk? Really?"

I start to get off the couch when Fauna tells me to sit back down again.

"Oh, what's small talk?" I ask trying to sound as genuinely curious as I can.

"Never mind," Fauna replies. "So this guy's Night Crow, huh?"

I already introduced him to you. Why are you asking again?

"Uh... yeah. The black bird in your right paw is called Night Crow."

Then Fauna laughs. I don't know what is so funny.

I lean back and close my eyes. "I made him. He used to just be a pile of black goop that I shaped into a bird. I made it come to life. I created Night Crow."

"So you used magic to create other living things, huh? That's interesting," Fauna says.

I shrug. "Interesting, huh?"

Another awkward silence follows.

DUKE

Why can't I stop twitching? Pull it together, dude. It's not Soulless. You're just upset because you were arguing with Dawn before.

Suddenly, I stop walking.

I look behind me. I only see Dawn.

"Hey! Where's Ardere?"

She rolls her eyes. "He's so excited that he went ahead of you. Pay attention some time, Duke."

I look at the ground and kick some pebbles.

"Do you hear that?" I ask, lowering my voice.

"Hear what? There's nothing here."

Freaking Fennie can't hear. Great, I'm going crazy again.

"Stay over here, Dawn. I'm gonna take a look up ahead."

She gives me a blank stare. I roll my eyes. "There's something going on, and I'm going to find out what it is."

"Have fun," she replies right before I begin running after Ardere.

I hide behind a tree when it happens.

There's this guy crouching a short distance away from Ardere. He's at eye level with Ardere.

"Hello," is the only word I hear him say.

I breathe a sigh of relief as I watch Ardere run back towards Dawn.

Then I step away from the tree.

That guy must be Taurel.

"I'm sick of hiding. It's about time we finished this game."

Twinkle's Story: Chapter 73

RISAK

We have been in this forest for hours. Even before the sun had set, darkness fell and surrounded us. Tall trees tower over us to our left and right. Most of the leaves are a dark green color, but there are some starting to change colors. Focusing on the few oranges leaves is easing my mind on the mission.

The beginning of September means the beginning of autumn. Everything going on is chaotic. Phantoms are all over central fox territory; the numbers of injured and the dead are higher than they've been in a long time. Though I hate having to admit it, the wolf is right. The world is slowly falling apart. However, I consider this time of year to be when nature is most beautiful.

The One-Pawed Savior is going to save us all. That teenager is the root cause for the recent destruction of fox territory. He is young, but he supposedly holds more power than any regular person. He is this generation's Fierdan. The One-Pawed Savior will put an end to the one called the Duke Fierdan.

We won't let fear and despair come back. Darkness won't consume us ever again. We won't let Fierdan end any more lives.

Capturing the Duke Fierdan is going to reduce the number of phantoms located in central territory. That's what the One-Pawed Savior told me.

Since we aren't exactly sure how much power the Duke Fierdan holds compared to other people due to his identity and unnatural body chemistry, we are going to isolate him from everyone and everything.

The One-Pawed Savior told me that he has a special area set up in the basement of the Tall Tower. We are going to bring the Duke Fierdan down there as soon as possible.

The One-Pawed Savior is counting on me to be alone with the Duke Fierdan in the basement. He wants me to torture the Duke Fierdan, to break him in every way possible.

That is where I drift away from the One-Pawed Savior. The trust between us is unbalanced. He can keep his secrets from me, and I can keep my secrets from him.

From the very start, I've had my suspicions on Taurel. He scares me. Ever since he called himself the One-Pawed Savior, the amount of fear I have toward him has escalated. How can someone willingly break and chop off their own paw, and have their sanity or lack of unquestioned?

I lied to him in order for him to like me. I told him things that were sure to please him. Time and time again, I said I couldn't wait to get my paws on the Duke Fierdan and start breaking him apart. However, that was all bluff. Torturing someone, even if that someone is supposedly Fierdan, is insane. I won't torture him for as long as I can.

Instead of going through all that, I'm going to skip right to the part where the Duke Fierdan is done for.

I'm going to skip all the unnecessary torture and go right to the execution.

DUKE

"What the hell were you thinking?" I growl while forming my paw in and out of a fist.

It's as if females are only around to frustrate me. I've had it with those two. I had loved and hurt them physically and emotionally beyond repair. I had it coming. I should have known that one day they would work together to go against me. I can't forgive my mother, and my actions can not be forgiven. I'm unforgivable. It's too late to right my past wrongs. People are getting hurt because of me, and I can't put an end to it.

"You said it wasn't safe to go outside on our own. Then why did you let her go?"

I'm alone in the kitchen. Even though I'm directing my words to Dawn, I'm only really saying them to myself.

"You're just like me. We're just filthy hypocrites. Filthy, filthy hypocrites."

Hypocrite. Hypocrite. Hypocrite. Freaking hypocrites.

Every time I repeat that word in my head, I shoot out orange fire from my right paw. I continue forming my left paw in and out of a fist.

The plates I have lined up on the counter get shot down one by one. A fist-sized ball of orange fire pierces through the center of each plate. The orange turns black as it comes in contact with the plates. In a matter of seconds, all the plates have gone from white to black.

I'll break everything in here if I want to. I'll burn it all. 

"Darn it. Why?!" I say, raising my voice. "Why, why, why, why, why, why?!"

I wonder if I throw fire down my throat, it'll feel dry and raw again. 

"I wanted to protect you, Twinkle. You're way more important than I'll ever be. I was prepared to die in order to keep you from harm, gosh darn it!"

After a few more shots to the remains of the last plate I had lined up, I collapse on the floor.

The cold tiled floor chills my stomach. Then I sit up and pull my shirt down as I bring my knees to my heaving chest.

I'm way too emotional. 

That's when the tears come.

ARDERE

I quietly slip my way into the kitchen. Once inside, I immediately notice Duke sitting on the floor next to a table leg.

"Hey, I have some news. Dawn said we can start going back through the forest tomorrow morning," I say trying to keep my voice calm.

I bend my knees and look right at the top of his head when I'm in front of him. The smell of fire fills the air.

I watch him in silence. After a minute, he says, "Huh?" in a muffled voice.

Even when Duke lifts his head up to face me, hair still covers his eyes.

When he runs a paw through his hair, I see his eyes. Only then do I take notice of the wet trail on the left side of his face.

While the iris of his right eye is amber, the iris of his left eye becomes dark purple starting from near the pupil outward.

"Being killed isn't the only way to die, huh?" he says quietly.

What does that mean?

Duke bares his teeth. Now the iris is entirely purple.

"What a freaking lie."

Suddenly, my eyes widen. Duke doesn't seem to notice.

Every person dies by getting killed. The only difference is how. Will it be because of weapons, or will it be because of time?

People can die emotionally over and over again, and yet they can still be considered alive. However, people get killed when they physically die in one way or another.

You and me, Duke. We will die for each other. Which one do you choose? What's our fate?

Which one of us will die physically, and which one will die emotionally? 

I wonder which one is more painful. 

I shake my head and stand up after Duke.

The iris of his left eye turns amber again as he smiles at me.

"I love you like the brother I never had," we say at the same time.

DAWN

My right eye twitches as I clench my fists. I'm finding it really difficult to calm myself down.

"Why did you do that?" I yell at Duke while pointing to the broken plates lined up on the counter.

He dares to laugh at a time like this? What a jerk.

"I've been known to be rather irrational and emotional," he says while scratching the back of his neck.

I get up on a chair, so I become taller than him. I point an accusing finger down at him.

"Is that so? I thought Fierdan had Soulless under control. I guess that since Soulless is permanently a part of you, you will always get irrational and destructive at times," I say.

"I'm very destructive. I ruin everything, so I guess you're right. It's all thanks to me being Fierdan's magical experiment," he says, smiling. "I sure do love being not a real living person. It sure is great being a result of some complex dark magic. I love being that freaking demonic creation that Fierdan made with his abuser. It's so freaking great, Dawn."

A few orange flames shoot from his knuckles. A few swear words spill out of his mouth.

I sigh and jump down from the chair.

"You love being dramatic," I say, rolling my eyes.

TWINKLE

Mom, Dad, I'm sorry I've been away for so long. I have been on quite the adventure with Duke. I guess you could say he was my boyfriend. However, that was a thing of the past. Our relationship is over, and so is our adventure. 

I missed you guys. I'm finally coming home. I can't wait to see you again.

Love your first daughter, Twinkle.

I shake my head. "How am I going to word everything? I don't want to mess anything up."

I don't know why I bothered to speak out loud. It's not as if the trees in the forest can answer me.

After a few minutes, I hear a familiar voice. I groan and look at a tree branch near me.

A black bird is perched on the branch. Then the bird transforms itself into a black fox. It's Black Raven, my strange bird affiliate.

"Ah, we meet again! Twinkle, my dear, I have missed you," she announces.

"What do you want with me now?" I growl at her as she leaps down from the branch. She gracefully lands on the ground.

She smiles mischievously. I sigh, emphasizing my annoyance at seeing her again. Unfortunately, she doesn't get the hint.

"My dear Twinkle wishes to see her parents again. Well, I can make that happen much faster than she thinks."

"What do you mean?" I ask her, my suspicions rising.

"The forest isn't the best place for you to be right now. Enemies of the Duke Fierdan and the other ones with Elemental Powers are approaching this way from the opposite side of the forest."

Taurel and his gang.

I make my wings appear. "I should teach them a lesson then," I say before lifting off.

Black Raven climbs to the top of the tree she had come from. "No, you must not do that! You should go back and warn them about the enemy's approach."

"No, I'm not going back there before seeing my parents."

Black Raven gives me one of those looks. "You could regret your decision, Twinkle."

"I don't regret a thing," I tell her.

I'm about to fly higher, but her words stop me.

"Remember how I brought you into the ice castle? Well, I can transport you to your home in a matter of seconds. I can make you avoid your collision with the enemy."

I stay still in mid-air. I breathe in and close my eyes.

When I breathe out and open my eyes, I'm standing in front of my house.

At least what's left of it.

It's nothing but rubble now. The surrounding houses have also fallen to the same fate.

No one is in sight. Panic rises inside me.

"Mom, Dad, where are you?!" I scream, tears welling up in my eyes.

This place is deserted.

"I'm home," I whisper as my voice starts to tremble.

FAUNA

My gut feeling tells me that Fierdan has been telling me the truth so far. Even though I find certain parts disturbing- like how he explained what his father made Dawn and Ryen go through- I believe him.

What I find the most damaging is how Fierdan said his father didn't make him do anything to please him. In the human world, Fierdan was the one who didn't get abused. Neglected, however, was a different story.

I guess Fierdan got his fair share of abuse from Soulless. I find it ironic how Soulless was supposed to be a friendly guide in Jamaa for Fierdan. But of course, Ryen altered the coding for the program that resulted in Soulless existing. Their father forced Ryen to do things he didn't want to do. He was manipulated in so many different ways. He was overworking himself, and he wasn't even ten years old yet when it started.

Fierdan was considered too weak and pathetic to be useful to Zios. He told me that his father only told him that he was proud of him the day he was killed.

Fierdan said that day, Zios told him that he never hated him. That he was proud of his younger son. Hearing that had damaged Fierdan, but he never let his feelings about that out. That is until he told me.

Zios was only proud of Fierdan because he abandoned his way of life as a human child. Fierdan became just like him. A person who others feared, a person who held a lot of power, a person who could kill others that didn't agree to their plans for the world. Zios and Soulless corrupted the mind and heart of a boy. They ruined Fierdan in every way imaginable.

Before Jamaa, Fierdan was known as Daniel. However, he was usually referred to as Danny. He was a boy who wasn't traditionally masculine. His best friend was a girl, and that girl was Dawn. They would do lots of activities together. They would draw and paint pictures, and they spent a lot of time in the indoor garden. They both loved the flowers in the garden, and they even attached some to their clothing and hair. About his clothing, he wore colorful clothes and never black ones. He also put on Dawn's clothes a few times. He was so sweet and gentle that he wouldn't hurt a fly. Because of all those things, Zios thought Danny was weak and a pathetic excuse of a son.

Of course once he and Dawn have been in Jamaa for years, everything took a flip. Fierdan was definitely not seen in the same way as he was as a human child.

Ryen and Daniel were child geniuses. Their father was extremely smart, after all. I also believe their mother must have also been very smart.

Twinkle used to constantly say that in school, people were smart in one of two ways. This divided people to two groups- the people who were smart in math and the people who were smart in language.

The two brothers showed that clearly. Ryen was excellent at math. That was why Zios took him to be an assistant when creating the Jamaa project. It took a whole lot of coding and a whole lot of numbers. Daniel was the genius of language and art for his age. He knew vocabulary that people twice his age were struggling with. He was also a pretty good writer who wrote poetry and song lyrics. He would occasionally show Dawn his works while they were alone in the garden, and Dawn would turn her favorite lines of his into quotes.

I almost stumble when I hear Fierdan's voice.

"I'm glad that I'm able to use my outfit changing ability for good. Every other time I would use it, it was for evil. I would use it to remove the clothes of my victims. I burned people, and I kept their clothes."

All is silent again, but that doesn't last long.

"Ugh, why do I keep on doing that? I'm trying to be a good person, but the words I say are making that impossible. Soulless staying inside of me and manipulating my mind caused me to be so evil. I was so sick and gross. It's hard to deal with the fact that I turned into such a monster."

I take out the white bows from my hair. I look at them as I hold them in my paws. They have a silver flower design on them.

"For being evil for so many years, it's going to take a while for you to become a good person. You've been pretty nice to me so far," I say and smile at him.

Fierdan smiles back, but it looks more like a nervous one than a happy one.

"Okay, you said we can help each other. What do you mean by that?" I ask, a few minutes later.

He responds by turning his back to me and picking something up from the ground. He slaps it, and black goop falls off it. Then he puts it over his head.

Oh, it's a shirt. I guess that makes sense.

The look on his face is totally different than what it was a few minutes ago.

"I can help you live with your sister again," he starts. "However, you can help me with something else that can also make that possible."

"Oh, that's okay. What do you need me to do?" I ask, tilting my head.

His dark brown eyes stare into mine. "I need you to make me appear as a physical person in the living world."

"I don't know how to do that," I say, taking a step back.

Fierdan places a paw on my shoulder. "That's okay. I have faith in you."

I remove his paw from my shoulder. It feels cold and thin.

"There isn't much time left. September has recently begun, and we have to get this done before the middle of December. Before December 19th, to be more exact. That's my birthday as well as Duke's. He won't live to his next birthday. It will wear off once he turns eighteen."

I interrupt Fierdan before he can continue. "Eighteen? Duke is only fourteen."

Fierdan hesitates for a moment. "Oh, oh that's right. I have to explain that stuff as well."

"Explain what?"

He doesn't reply; he just goes right to the explanation.

"There is a three year age shift from the human world and Jamaa. The age of people in Jamaa is the equivalent of an additional three years in the human world. You said you're eleven, right?"

I nod my head slowly.

"Okay. So that means you would really be fourteen. Since Duke and Twinkle are fourteen here, they would really be seventeen."

"Do you by any chance know how old Dawn is? In this life?"

"In this life, huh? Well, Dawn was born almost a year after I was born. My best guess is that she is thirteen, which would mean she's really sixteen. But of course the multiple lives thing is only for me and her. If you ever heard that you were involved in our lives in the past, then that was a lie."

Dawn is younger than Fierdan, than Duke? And only they had past lives? 

Fierdan flicks off more black goop from his body as he says, "Of course I had my new life start before Dawn's. Right now, I'm sixteen, or nineteen as the human equivalent. I created the fusion known as Duke after being in Cincernum for two years."

"Wait, does that mean you created the fusion of you and Soulless when you were two?"

He laughs. "Oh no. That's not how it works. The age shifts and lives for Dawn and myself are very complicated. Neither of us truly understand them. Our lives didn't restart for many years. I have the feeling that they'll stop for good once we're in the human world."

Wow, all that sounds way too confusing. 

Fierdan stretches his arms. Watching him makes me want to do the same. I copy him, but I keep my paws in fists to keep the white bows from falling into the black goop.

"I've been noticing that all of the Others- that's the name for those of us with Elemental Powers- in Jamaa have been becoming more and more like their human age equivalents. All of you, myself included, are being affected by this three year gap more now than ever before. Every part of this indicates that Duke won't be alive much longer in his current form."

He takes a deep breath.

"I have to go to the living world in order to perform the counter-spell to the one that created Duke. In doing so, I will make Duke's soul- his soul is completely a part of me since his outer body holds parts of Soulless- fuse back into my own. And once that happens, the Jamaa Mist barrier will break, allowing us to leave a devastated Jamaa behind and enter the human world."

Fierdan's eyes stare into my own again.

"You can bring me to Duke. That is why I chose you. You're the only one who can do it. And, I know it's pretty ironic for me to say it, but it could even save the world from the destruction I originally began."

Twinkle's Story: Chapter 72

*warning for some content*

ARDERE

"Are you sure?" I ask her.

She doesn't face me as she zips up her jacket. My eyes keep on focusing on the back of her head. She looks so different with her short hair.

"I'm sure," are the only words she says.

I sigh and go in front of her. "We're all going there in less than five days. We'll defeat the phantoms together using all our different Elemental Powers. All of us are going to bring peace to the chaos all over fox territory. Why can't you wait a few more days?"

She adjusts the collar of her jacket. "No, I have to check on something important. It would be best if I did it alone. I'm sorry, Ardere."

"You really shouldn't do this, Twinkle. It's too dangerous for you to go there all on your own. You don't know how many phantoms are roaming around over there."

She bends down and pats the top of my head with her paw. "I love you, kid. You're a great friend. I hope you know that. We'll see each other again, okay?"

"Okay," I mumble while lowering my head. "Stay safe, Twinkle."

Suddenly, I'm lifted up. I lean into her chest as she holds me in her arms. The material of the black jacket feels both rough and soft. Contradicting textures, but they work well together to create such a durable material.

"Now it's you not listening to Dawn's orders? Do I have to remind you that we aren't allowed to leave without her knowledge and permission?"

I get out of Twinkle's arms and land on all fours. I quickly get up, keeping my feet on the floor. I cross my arms.

Twinkle turns around; I do the same. Standing at the opposite side of the room is Duke. I still have to get used to the fact that his hair is longer than hers now.

He walks to the center of the room. "You're only acting impulsively, Twinkle. If you would use common sense, you would know that you're being illogical."

She glares at him. "And what do you know, Duke? Have you seen them?"

He glares back at her. "Yes, in fact I did. They're fine. You can wait a few more days."

"You're lying. You couldn't have seen my parents," she says.

Oh, this is about Twinkle's parents. She wants to see them again. That's why she wants to leave earlier than the rest of us. I guess it's time for me to speak up.

"Duke isn't lying. I saw him briefly talking to your parents while he was with Calliah. They didn't talk for that long though. Since, well, Duke ran away from them and flew to the edge of the forest where I was hiding."

Twinkle shifts her gaze from Duke to me. "And you decided to keep this a secret from me? Thanks a lot, you two. I really appreciate it."

Duke steps closer to Twinkle, and their toes nearly touch. He points a finger an inch away from her nose. "Ardere did nothing wrong. He never did anything wrong."

I question myself on whether or not I should intervene. I did do something wrong. I left without Dawn's permission, and I'm allowing Twinkle to do the same. I left wolf territory, and I can't go back. I left my sister, Autumn, behind. She's probably worried sick about me.

I begin to feel the knot in my stomach again.

"I'm sorry, but I have to do this. I'm stronger than I was back then. As long as you don't use black flames, I'll always be more powerful than you."

I look up to see Duke's face twist in disgust. "Do you want to get yourself killed? Last time when you were there, a phantom attacked you. You nearly died twice from phantoms. I was worried sick both times, but I guess if you want to slip into another fatal accident then go ahead. You're really pulling my strings now, Twinkle. Maybe it was stupid for me to care about you for this long."

She scoffs. "You haven't exactly been the caring type for a long time, Duke. I can defend myself now. I'm a different person now. I'll be fine. And besides, you told me that you were part-phantom. I dealt with you long enough already. Exterminating some phantoms should be simple enough."

And just like that, he snaps. Clenching his fists, he says, "I know I've hurt you so much already. I'm trying to right my past wrongs. I... I promised myself that I wouldn't allow any of my friends to be hurt because of me ever again!"

I uncross my arms and sigh deeply.

"In the end, all I am is a demonic puppet created by Fierdan's magic. I'm a demon, I get that. Just let me right my wrongs. I have to make sure all of you don't get hurt because of me. I won't let anyone or anything hurt any of you guys. They have to pass through me first before they can even touch you."

"You can't stop me. I'm still going," Twinkle says.

Duke un-clenches his fists and puts his paws on her shoulders. "I really do care about you, Twinkle. I hope you know that. Love might not be the best word to use, but I want you to know that I'll die for you."

Suddenly, I can't focus on their conversation. That phrase keeps on repeating in my mind. First, it's Duke's voice. Then I hear my own voice say it.

"I'll die for you."

TWINKLE

What doesn't he understand? Who does he think he is? 

"I don't know why you want to see your parents so badly. Do I really have to remind you about that time in the hospital?" Duke says.

"No," I mutter. That doesn't stop him. Of course it doesn't.

"When you flat-lined, I was devastated. Your parents didn't care that you, their own daughter, died right in front of them. I was so sad and angry that I blamed the doctor and everyone else since I couldn't deal with my feelings of blaming myself for your death again. I was desperate then, and I'm desperate now. You're not leaving without us, without me."

"I won't die," I tell him. "I'll be okay."

"Your parents blamed you for Fauna's death every day. They caused you so much pain. Why do you want to check and see if those emotionally abusive people are safe? They really aren't worth it."

I grin for just a short moment.

This is the perfect time to strike.

"And what about your mother, Duke? She hurt you for so long, but now you know that she has changed. Don't you want to see her again?"

He looks away from me. I grin again.

"Don't talk about her. You know nothing about my feelings toward her. You have absolutely no idea what I'm going through. She abused me physically and verbally when I was just a little kid. She hurt me beyond repair. She killed Eternal in order to keep me alive. Don't even try to pretend that you understand."

"It's in the past. Forgiveness is what you need," I say.

"Oh, I get it. You want me to kiss and make up with her. Just forgive and forget. That shouldn't be hard, right? Except it is, Twinkle. It's hard, and I won't do it."

My parents must have changed by now, right? I've been gone for so long. They have to miss me. They have to!

DUKE

Calliah, my mother. Twinkle knows nothing about us. I can't just forget the painful past; I can't just forgive her for what she did to me. 

I can't unravel these twisted feelings I have toward Calliah. Everything is just so complicated. My life is too complicated. 

I want to hug her so tightly. I want to cry into her shoulders. She can finally treat me like a good mother would. She's also part-phantom. We can connect in that way. She saved my life. I love her.

I want to make her suffer. I want her to feel the pain she gave me. She left emotional scars all over me. All I did was make them physical. I can't forgive her. I just can't. She killed someone who made me happy. She did it in order to protect me. Why do I hold so much value? I hate her.

I hate how I don't know how I really feel towards her. To love or to hate. 

Maybe Twinkle can easily forgive her parents, but I certainly can't with mine. I don't get her. They hurt her so much. Why does she want to see them again? What's the real reason?

I stop overthinking when I hear Twinkle's voice again.

"Okay, you got me. That isn't the only reason why I'm leaving early."

"Then what is it?" I ask her.

She sighs and then says, "I hate how everything revolves around you. I hate it so much. There's no reason for me to be involved in the mess of your life's problems."

I put my paws back on her shoulders. I need to make sure she stays focused on my words.

"You might not be in as much critical danger as me, but you sure aren't safe either. Anyone with an Elemental Power isn't safe in Jamaa. This isn't only about phantoms, Twinkle. I have two battles to fight. The phantoms, of course, and Taurel. He's coming after me. He wants to break me; he wants to break you. If he's my enemy, he's yours. We are parallels; we are one of the same."

"He's only after you because you are the physically living Fierdan."

"No, you have to understand. If he's my enemy, he's yours too. He wants to break me as well as anyone else with an Elemental Power. It's too risky for you to go back on your own."

None of us are safe. Taurel and whoever is with him are my enemies. They are enemies to those with Elemental Powers. Phantoms aren't the only ones I have to destroy.

If Twinkle wants to learn that the hard way, then so be it.

DAWN

I approach Twinkle who has been standing at the cave entrance for a while now. She looks behind her shoulder to look at me.

"Hey," she says.

I repeat her, and then I go to her side.

"What's going on? Duke told me you want to leave early. Why is that?"

She looks at the floor and sighs. "I just want to go before the rest of you. I packed the blue sword and bow and arrows inside my jacket. I'm prepared for anything, Dawn, I swear."

"It isn't safe, Twinkle. Just wait a few more days."

She looks up. "It isn't safe here either. They will find us one day. You can't live in denial. I'm sorry, Dawn, but I'm leaving tonight."

I take a deep breath. Perhaps I should change the topic of this conversation.

"So you really did it, huh?" I start.

She faces me, and I read the confusion in her blue eyes. "Did what?"

I smile as I point to her head. "You borrowed my scissors and cut all your hair. Are you trying to be more like Duke?"

She blushes. "No, not at all! I just wanted to make a drastic change to my appearance, that's all. I'm not that weak and pathetic girl anymore. I'm a different person now."

I chuckle. "You were never weak or pathetic, Twinkle. You just grew more as a person."

Still blushing, she says, "Stop it, Dawn! I'm still going."

"You look beautiful. I love your hair more than I did before," I say.

Twinkle covers her face in her paws. "Shut up, Dawn," she says and then laughs.

She doesn't stop laughing for a long time. She elbows me in the ribs by accident, but I don't care. I laugh as well.

I made her happy. That's all that matters.

Suddenly, she lifts up my head with her thumb at my chin. Our eyes lock.

"Are you sure you want to go on your own?"

"I'm positive."

"Okay, we'll meet up with you over there. Getting a head start is a good idea. Good luck and stay safe, Twinkle."

She doesn't reply for a minute or two.

Instead, my mind goes blank as she kisses me on the cheek.

"See you soon," she whispers, her breath warming my cheek.

See you soon.

I've trained you well. I have faith in you. You will be okay.

Goodbye Twinkle, my lovely friend. 

FAUNA

"W-What? How is this possible? What did you do?" I say, feeling the panic rising in my voice.

Why do I feel so scared? It's Fierdan. He visited me several times before. Why do I feel threatened upon seeing him as a complete body instead of a spirit? Is it because I'm in Cincernum now? Is his appearance intimidating me? 

I gulp when I hear his voice. Now since he isn't just a spirit, he sounds clearer. His voice is deeper and smoother than Duke's. In fact, Duke sounds like an experimental child compared to Fierdan.

"Duke wants to hurt anyone who hurts you. Since he can't really meet you right now, I decided to take action myself. Eternal was hurting you, so I hurt him."

His voice has both strength and softness. What game is Fierdan playing at?

"And you took me here because..."

"Because I was able to. I've been rather lonely. Perhaps we can help each other."

He steps closer to me, and the ends of the black blanket he's wearing around himself like a cloak trail on the ground after him.

"But first," he says while studying my outfit, "let me get you out of those clothes."

I look down at my outfit. It consists of a white dress and angel wings. Now that I think of it, I'm surprised that they haven't gotten covered in black goop yet.

"I prefer to wear clothes, you creep," I snap.

Fierdan's eyes widen. "Oh, oh shoot. Why do I word things so badly? What's wrong with me?"

I cross my arms in front of my chest. "There are a lot of things wrong with you."

He shakes his head. "No, no. That's not what I meant. I don't want to see you naked. Why would I?"

I sigh. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because you're the most evil person in Jamaa."

"I could never do it to myself, but perhaps I could do it to you. I was never able to get it done perfectly like Dawn could. I want to see if I can magically change your outfit. Uh, it's okay if you don't want me to."

"Magically change my clothes? How interesting. Eh, why not. Go ahead, Fierdan. But if you make me naked, you're dead to me."

While looking down at his right paw, he laughs awkwardly. "Haha, I'll try my best not to."

Fierdan closes his eyes and points his right index and middle finger at me. He flicks his wrist down and then up. I close my eyes as well when I hear him exhale.

After a few seconds have passed by, he says, "Okay, you can open your eyes. I hope you like it. Uh..."

I open my eyes. I gasp when I look down.

"Are you kidding me, Fierdan? I thought you said you weren't a master at this."

"What's wrong?" he says with a slight tremor in his voice. Hearing him sound vulnerable makes me smile.

"Nothing. There's nothing wrong with it. This outfit is perfect. Thank you."

He breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh, oh you like it? You're welcome."

Witnessing Fierdan act so awkwardly is so cute. How is he that heartless serial killer from long ago?

To replace the white dress, I now have on a pale pink blouse and beige pants that end at my knees. The top of the blouse has a flower design made of white lace. The white lace flower design wraps around the collar and goes down to the top of my chest.

"I also put white bows in your hair," he says.

I feel the ends of the white ribbons at the sides of my neck.

I look up at him and smile. "You're a pretty good fashion designer. That's, well, that's a surprise. Oh and what's with the flowers? You like flowers, don't you?"

"Yeah," he says softly, "I like flowers. I don't know how the phenomenon happened that made Dawn and me gain most of our memories in the human world back, but they made me realize how much I loved flowers. It's just a silly observation."

"It's fine," I say. "Flowers are pretty. I like them, too."

He smiles. He looks so cute.

Wait, what am I doing? This is just a sick game. He kidnapped me from heaven. He made Eternal choke. He's Fierdan. He isn't cute or nice. Sure, he gave me a cute new outfit. But, come on, he's Fierdan. 

Before thinking things through, I blurt out, "What game are you playing at, Fierdan? You're a psychopath."

He takes a few steps away from me.

"A psychopath? Do you really think I'm a psychopath, Fauna?"

I'm trapped here. He can hurt me, and there's nothing I can do to stop him. Way to go, Fauna. Make the monster angry.

I avert his gaze as I say, "Well, I... I think it--"

"No, you don't. You don't think I am one, Fauna."

I look at him again. "You have no remorse for all the people you killed. You believe lives have no meaning."

He frowns. "Psychopaths can't feel empathy. Unlike them, I am able to feel empathy. I felt Eternal hurting you; I felt your pain. That's why I took you out of there. I care about people, Fauna, I really do."

"That doesn't mean anything. So what? You can sometimes feel empathy. You find nothing wrong with what you did."

"What did I do? Kill people? The only person I actually killed was Zios, and I had lots of reasons to."

"Soulless might have abused and manipulated you, but it was you who killed all those people. It's your fault, so face it already. You killed many people, Fierdan."

"I never wanted to kill anyone else. Soulless forced me to kill all those other lives. Their happiness for Jamaa and Zios enraged me, but I never meant to kill those people. I feel guilty for what I did. Soulless took advantage of me for so many years. I... I..."

My paws are in fists now. "Soulless this, Soulless that. Your brother didn't kill anyone. It was all you."

He moves his bangs to the side. "Of course my brother didn't kill anyone. Soulless isn't my brother. Soulless is just a creation my brother did secret coding for behind our father's back. He put all his rage for our father into the program, which in turn made me learn to hate Zios to extreme degrees by brutal force."

I clench my fists. "You killed people, Fierdan! Stop blaming Soulless for actions you committed!" I yell.

He starts pacing back and forth. "I think you're mistaken, Fauna. I'm not the psychopath. My father, Zios, is the psychopath."

"Stop pushing the blame you deserve onto other people. You sicken me."

Fierdan throws the black blanket off. It lands in a pile on the ground that's covered in black goop. From the waist down, he's covered in black. I really hope that it's black pants.

But in the opposite direction, I can tell he isn't wearing a shirt. Black goop covers most areas, but I can tell that he doesn't have a purple and black flame covering the left side of his chest.

Ugh, why is my face heating up again? Pull it together, Fauna.

"My father did quite a few more terrible things than murder. I never did those other things. Dawn was the only person I cared about for so many years. I never hurt her like Zios did. I would have never sunk down to his level."

He flicks some of the black goop off of his shoulders. I don't say anything.

"Even though I lost my human memories a long time ago, I think I killed Zios the way that I did in order to not just have my revenge on him, but on behalf of my brother and Dawn as well. Zios was nothing more than scum. I'm not sure if I should tell you what he did to her. You're still young."

It takes me a few seconds to find my voice. "W-What happened?"

Fierdan looks up and sighs. "I never viewed and felt about Dawn in a certain way. I only saw her as someone I would live with. There was this strange feeling in the back of my mind that told me to treat her differently than other people. Now that we have our human memories back, I know why. We made each other happy in the human world. We were best friends. But unlike back then, we now know there was something more than that. It still disturbs me, to be honest. We recently discovered that we are half-siblings."

My paws aren't in fists anymore. Fierdan pauses for a few seconds, and then he continues.

"I wasn't interested in her body in that way. I'm not even that interested in female bodies in that way, in general. Let's just say that my disgusting father was. I mean yeah, I'll be completely honest with you. The older we got, the more we felt like we should be more than just friends. Since we lived together; since we went through everything together. I'm not sure about Dawn, but I never viewed her as a girlfriend or possible wife. No matter how many times we kissed, fully clothed or not."

I cough. "You what now? Are you sure?"

"Okay, now that I think about it, I bet it sounds very strange. I mean it is. Gosh, I don't know!"

I laugh awkwardly. I find socially awkward Fierdan a little cute.

"Father made Dawn do some performances for him. He never treated her like a human being. He only wanted to violate her. Our mother has magical powers, and Dawn and I inherited magic. Ryen, however, did not. Father killed our mother not just because she opposed his crazy plans to construct the Jamaa project. He killed her because magic was rare and different. He must have known that Dawn and I had inherited her magic powers, and that was why we were sent to Jamaa and survived. That's why Ryen didn't join us."

Ryen? Could that be his name?

I decide to ask Fierdan about it. "Ryen? Who's that?"

He smiles awkwardly at me. "Oh, oh right. I think that Ryen is my brother's name. Of course I'm not a hundred percent sure, but that's what I called him in those old human world memories."

Ryen, huh? Sounds nice.

"Oh okay," I reply.

It takes a while for him to finish. When he does, he says, "And that's why Dawn acts the way she does. It's as if it's her coping method. She believes that kissing and touching shouldn't always be exaggerated to indicate romantic or sexual love. I learned Dawn's philosophy throughout our childhood to adulthood. I know it's a difficult concept to grasp."

Fierdan couldn't possible lie about all this, right? He wouldn't have gone into so much detail about everything if it was just a lie, right? But what if he has just been manipulating me this entire time? He had so much time to practice what he wanted to say. 

Ugh, I don't know! 

I end up picking the side of my mind that believes him.

I hope I didn't make the wrong choice.

Twinkle's Story: Chapter 71

TAUREL

The knocking at the door wakes me up. Before I even open my eyes, I can feel the warmth of the sunlight filtering through the window. While running my fingers through my dark hair, I get out of the bed.

The knocking continues, but it sounds more urgent this time. I sigh but walk in the opposite direction of the door. I stop at a mirror on the back wall. I bring my left wrist up to my mouth and begin to tear off the ends of the bandages that wrap around it with my teeth.

Ouch, this freaking hurts. But the sacrifice I made will be worth it in the end. Because in the end, there will be no Fierdan or anyone like him to threaten society with their unnatural powers. 

After unwrapping another layer of the many bandages, I see a lot of red. There's still plenty of blood. I grimace at the sight as I wrap the two outer layers of bandages around my wrist.

"Sorry to bother you, Taurel sir," I hear Risak's voice by the door. "I started worrying about you. I thought you wanted to start on our search for Fierdan first thing today. I'm ready to go."

I throw clothes on the bed. While changing my clothes, I still hear his voice.

"It just passed eleven am. I was ready to go at eight like you ordered, but I noticed that you weren't up yet. I didn't want to bother you, sir, but this is ridiculous. We are four hours late."

Shoot, it's already eleven! 

"Sparkle and the wolf are already here. We're all waiting for you."

I stumble over my feet as I hurry to the door. I open the door to find an impatient Risak tapping his foot and muttering to himself.

"I'm ready," I say. "Let's go."

He scans me up and down and nods. I follow him out into the hallway.

"Everything is packed, correct?" I ask.

Risak looks over his shoulder and says, "Of course and everything is secure, Taurel sir."

I grin when he calls me 'Taurel sir' and say, "Excellent. Good work."

When we reach the end of this hallway, I hear Risak sigh.

"I can't wait till my time comes. I'm anticipating the time I'll have with Fierdan," he rubs his paws together. "Torturing sounds exciting."

"The Duke Fierdan," I correct him. "And yes, we will have a splendid time with him."

We enter a wide room with a round table located in the center of it. I see Sparkle and the wolf leader sitting at chairs. When I focus on the wolf, I smirk for just a moment.

Should I tell Risak my plan on how to capture Duke? Do I trust him enough to keep a secret? No, I don't. This plan is one that should only be heard by one set of ears.

Risak sits down in a chair, but I stay standing.

Sparkle coughs and then says, "So let me get this straight. Getting Duke will make him unable to control phantoms because he will be under our supervision, right? We will end the war between citizens and phantoms once and for all, right guys?"

I glance at Risak before looking directly at her. Risak nods as I tell her, "Yes, we will bring justice and peace to fox territory at long last by having Duke drained of his power and energy."

Oh, how I love to lie. Getting the Duke Fierdan has nothing to do with stopping a war. I'm only after him because of who he is. He's the living Fierdan. He deserves to have all the pain he caused my family and so many others directed right back at him.

I bite my lip when I hear the wolf speak. "What about my son? When does finding him come into play?"

Oh, you poor wolf. You stupid, stupid wolf.

"We will find your son, I promise," I say.

He never specified on alive or dead. Either way, I'll make sure he finds his son. One way or the other.

A few minutes pass before I stand on an empty chair. I study all their very different faces and raise my left arm. Some of the bandages come off.

"Today begins the first day of our journey that will change history forever. The era of fear and shame because of Fierdan will finally come to an end. We will make him fall and surrender."

I pause when I see and listen to their clapping. I raise my arm higher.

"I will be the leader of this mission. From now on, I will be referred to as the One-Pawed Savior."

FINNY

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I ask while following her up a rocky hill.

Without looking behind her to look at me, she replies with a simple yes.

I shrug and continue to follow her. I notice the leaves on the trees. A few leaves are only just starting to change colors. The few orange-red leaves stand out against the dark green ones.

The orange leaves remind me of Duke.

I was so close to betraying him. I couldn't even save Sparkle from knowing the truth about Taurel and Risak's evil intentions. What a pathetic friend I must be.

I sigh deeply as I remember an event from several months ago. That time feels like a lifetime ago.

We were at my place. More specifically, my bedroom. 

We were dressed up in the same outfit. Big sleeveless shirts, gold and silver chained necklaces, sports caps. We looked ridiculous, but it was so fun.

Duke adjusted my cap and smiled at me with his eyes shining brightly. "You look great," he said while struggling not to giggle.

I patted his arm and said, "You look great too."

He failed at trying to hide his amusement. He broke into laughter, which made me laugh as well.

Duke wrapped his arm around the top half of my back. We looked at ourselves in the mirror. 

"One day, we'll make it big. You and me, Fin. We'll become so famous that crowd after crowd will be cheering our names."

A long time ago, Duke and I dreamed of becoming famous when we grew up. I can only assume that Duke didn't mean becoming famous for being the physically living Fierdan. I can only assume that he never wanted to become famous in the way that almost everyone is terrified of him or wants him dead.

 Back then, we dreamed of becoming a famous rock-rap combo duo. That was why we would often dress up as our favorite band members and sing some of our favorite songs of theirs. We would both sing the lyrics, but that changed when we started with our own music.

Duke denied it as being good every time I complimented his songwriting. I honestly was surprised when he showed me one song he wrote. When we were in school, he never tried that hard. He got in trouble a lot; I sent him the homework that, of course, he copied from me. Only me and him were in on this singing duo thing, so he only showed me the lyrics he wrote. It made me learn that Duke has a way with words. He can word things in a way that I can't help but to admire.

I remember that at one point, I said, "When we're older, we can get piercings and matching tattoos."

Duke glanced down at his chest for just a second before looking at me again. "Uh yeah. Tattoos. Of course."

We weren't as enthusiastic after that happened. 

After a while, I got a text on my phone. I put my phone back in my pocket and said, "You better go. My girlfriend is coming here in under a half hour."

Duke, after taking off his cap and necklaces, sighed. "Admiral, you mean? Dude, you know she doesn't actually love you, right?"

I sighed too. "You're only jealous because you don't have a girlfriend. Maybe if you weren't so stuck up, you would have had plenty by now."

"I felt nothing between any of those girls. If I'm going to ever date someone, I have to love them and they have to love me back. If it doesn't work both ways, then dating is pointless."

"Oh, I almost forgot," I added. "Maybe you will fall in love if you stopped closing people off from knowing anything about you. We're best friends, Duke. Even I don't know that much about you. For one, you never told me about your life before you moved to Sparkle's house."

He raised one of his paws, indicating me to stop. "Shut up, Finny. Maybe I wasn't meant to be involved in fake love like you and the majority of the grade. Maybe I wasn't meant to love girls."

I arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

He looked at the floor. "You're the only non-relative of mine that I feel comfortable being close to. I mean, well, there used to be Daredevil. But then the accident happened, and he got paralyzed. I haven't seen him since."

Duke vaguely talking about Daredevil- if that even was his real name, which I doubt- was the only thing I knew about Duke's past. When I tried to get more out of him, he would tell me that he doesn't want to talk about anything else from his past. 

He looked up. "Do I have to go?"

I sighed. "Yes."

Right when Duke was about to leave my room, I said, "I don't know how you felt about Daredevil, but I'll tell you this. If you're trying to tell me that you love me as more than a friend, then quit it right now. Get a girlfriend since that should be easy for you, so then you can't be bitter about Admiral and me."

That's when he left. 

She finally looks back at me.

"We're here."

Then she knocks on the cold rock.

Out comes an arctic wolf.

They must have been close in the past because they know each other's name.

"We need your help."

He smiles.

"I'll do anything for you, Calliah."

DUKE

"This makes no sense," I say before throwing another ball of black fire.

Dawn, sitting on a bench, arches an eyebrow. "How is that so?"

I throw another ball of black fire from my other paw.

I'm almost certain that Dawn is crazy. Perhaps even crazier than what I originally thought of her.

"I understood you when you told us that we could use our Elemental Powers to defeat the phantoms, but this?" I throw more black fire. "This is ridiculous. Black fire correlates to phantoms."

Dawn stands up. "That's where you're wrong. Purple fire correlates to phantoms because of how toxic they are. Black fire is only considered bad because it can kill people that come in contact with it. Well, that got me thinking. Maybe black fire has some good traits too."

I pause from creating and throwing black fire. I press my paws together, palm to palm, just to make sure I haven't kept any excess black fire on me.

"You can't be serious," I say as I face her. "Black fire can't obliterate phantoms."

"There has to be something good about black fire," she says. "That was the color fire Fierdan used since he hated how orange fire reminded him of his father."

"Fierdan only used black fire because it can kill people. That's the only reason why he used it."

Dawn sighs, and I throw my arms down at my sides.

"I've lived with Fierdan for years. I believe I know more about him than you do," she says.

I stare directly into her green eyes. "Yeah and I'm technically Fierdan. How could you possibly know more about him than me?"

Dawn chuckles. "Oh Duke, you don't yourself at all then."

TWINKLE

I've been growing impatient, so I decided to get it over with today. While Dawn took Duke into the empty space by the artillery room, I got my chance.

I took the pair of scissors from one of Dawn's drawers. Then I ran into my room with it.

Now I'm sitting on my bed with my hair tied up and the scissors in my lap. Right now, my hair reaches nearly the middle of my back.

I'm never going back. I have changed for the better. 

I take a deep breath and then grab the scissors.

Do I really want to go through with this?

I hesitate for just a moment.

Of course I do. I'm no longer that weak girl I used to be for so long.

Then I feel the blades of the scissors against the back of my neck. They feel cold.

I move the scissors right below my hair tie.

That's where I start cutting.

It takes me a little while until I'm completely done.

The tie, having been cut in half, falls onto the bed. I toss it in the trash bin and head toward the bathroom.

I smile at my new appearance in the mirror.

My hair is so short now. It only reaches my chin. It's shorter than Duke's.

I love how the orange strands of my hair look far better now. They kind of leave an orange spiral shape that stands out against the rest of my hair that's blue.

I run my paws through the bottom of my hair, pushing more of it forward on either side of my face.

I love this new me. I'm never going back to the past. I haven't just changed.

I make my eyes flash entirely icy blue.

I have transformed.

FAUNA

I blink my eyes a few times before opening them. I almost lose my breath.

Where am I now? I don't see white or any golden light anywhere. Did I accidentally leave heaven?

I sit up. The only color that I see is black.

Before I can think anything through, I hear a guy's voice.

"Hello Fauna," the voice says from behind me.

Still completely confused on how I could be here, I turn around.

Duke? What is he doing here?

I stammer. "D-Duke?"

He laughs.

Wait, what's so funny?

His palms face up as his arms are down on either side of him.

"Welcome to Cincernum."

No. No way. It can't be. He isn't a spirit or hollow body. He's a complete body. Has he really been living alone down here in this black goop dump for years?

Still stammering, I say, "Y-You're..."

He smiles. It doesn't look evil though.

"I'm not my toy. I would prefer it if you called me by my real name," he says.

I stare at his face. Duke has a small white speck to the right of his nose. He does not.

"Fierdan," I whisper.