EVERGREEN RESIDENCE A
VIRTUM, GRATA - 12:24 AM
Zack continues to browse Memoria, choosing the date of November 30, 1995.
22 YEARS AGO
ETERNAL TOWER - 38TH FLOOR
EVERNIGHT, NAZENDEL - 7:08 PM
Chained to four poles on each limb in a padded room, Zack stands over a pool of sweat and blood as Trent watches from afar.
"Sometimes I wish I could set you free momentarily… Just so you could tell your whore to stop pestering us." Trent says, antagonizing Zack.
"She's a real piece of work. An everlasting thorn in our side." He continues, approaching Zack.
"...But it's alright. I enjoy her torment; how little by little… she loses hope." Trent says as Zack begins to speak.
"Do whatever you want with me… but please… leave her alone…" Zack softly says, his voice weak and tired from the experimentation as Trent laughs at his plea.
"You humor me, Zack. I'm honored that you would think so highly of me." Trent replies sarcastically.
"Oh, that reminds me. I've done some research on your past and I'm proud to announce that we've been working on a very special project. Would you like to meet him?" Asks Trent, getting Zack's attention.
"No… You wouldn't…" Mutters Zack as Trent presses his lapel mic.
"Bring out Project Diaz to Cell 16." Trent commands, his voice echoing throughout the hall speakers. Zack's heart sinks at the mention of the name Diaz, even more so when two soldiers bring in a heavily injured blonde man who stares in disbelief at Zack's condition.
"Jason…" Zack whispers under his breath as Trent signals the two soldiers to return Jason to his cell.
"Why… Why are you doing this…?" Asks Zack as Trent grabs him by the jaw.
"You go against Eternal Drive, you suffer the consequences. That's been the law even before we were born, and that'll be the law when we're long gone and forgotten." Trent explains, his grip on Zack's jaw clenching even tighter.
"So… Is that it…? To uphold the law…?"
"At least that's Damon's reason. I just enjoy seeing people suffer."
"You're a… goddamn psychopath…" Zack says, insulting the mad scientist.
"Oh, Zack… Tell me something I don't know."
22 YEARS LATER - PRESENT DAY
EVERGREEN RESIDENCE A
VIRTUM, GRATA - 12:31 AM
Zack scrolls once more, this time stopping at January 5, 1997.
20 YEARS AGO
ETERNAL TOWER - 38TH FLOOR
EVERNIGHT, NAZENDEL - 10:44 PM
Sirens blare in the facility as an unchained Zack stands off against Trent, who holds Lily hostage with a gun to her head.
"Let her go!" Commands Zack, his fingers pointed towards Trent.
"Try me, Evergreen! Let's put your abilities to the test, why don't we? What's faster, your lasers or this bullet?" Asks Trent, sticking the gun against the side of Lily's face.
"I'm warning you, Omega! You kill her… I'll destroy everything in this lab!" Says Zack, his fingers beginning to emit energy.
"Go ahead! You think I care about Damon's work?" Replies Trent as Zack contemplates, unsure if the former is bluffing.
"Please… He doesn't mean it…" Lily says, trying to save Zack.
"SHUT UP! God, why couldn't you have just listened? You could have stayed my plaything; none of this needed to happen, but NO! You had the brilliant idea of running off and trying to escape!" Yells a livid Trent as Lily starts tearing up.
"It's no fun anymore when you completely break a person…" Trent continues disappointedly as Damon's voice speaks through his lapel mic.
"Trent, do it."
Zack's initial serum provided him the abilities to shoot lasers from his hands. A powerful offensive ability, indeed, but not quite ideal for the situation. Zack's lasers were unfortunately, not as fast as light, nor did they have the power to melt creatures instantaneously.
Zack's second serum allowed him to generate glass. A seemingly useless ability at first, though disproven through later tests. Through glass, Zack's lasers had been greatly enhanced, almost as if they were going through a prism. The bright red color had diverged into a rainbow hue, the quickness almost reaching lightspeed and the heat strong enough to melt steel.
His purpose as a living weapon was growing exponentially day by day. But at this very moment, there was nothing Zack had wished more than to trade his destructive abilities for time control. If he had the ability to freeze time, perhaps he could have saved his lover. Perhaps Trent Omega would lie six feet underground. Perhaps he could have broken Jason out.
*BANG*
Zack screams and shoots several lasers at Trent which are intercepted by a purple barrier. Lily falls to the ground, lifeless as a man with ringed tattoos on his arms hurls several purple orbs towards Zack, knocking him back.
20 YEARS LATER - PRESENT DAY
EVERGREEN RESIDENCE A
VIRTUM, GRATA - 12:46 AM
Zack's body jerks upwards as he hurriedly yanks the Memoria device off his head. He breathes heavily before calming down, remembering Lily's face. In a few days Damon Estreval will be addressing the nation with a live audience in Evernight where Rage plans to carry out an assassination using Zack's custom sniper. There was no more room for backing out, justice needs to be served to those Eternal Drive scum.
Fearing that he was growing soft as a result of raising Nick, Celeste and Luke, Zack needed to reignite the fire inside his heart once more by reliving his past. After unlinking from Memoria to prevent Eternal Drive from further accessing his memories, he destroys the device by crushing it, hoping to never use it again. Zack gets out of bed, refusing to sleep and heads to his basement where he continues to work on his firearms.
FAYE SQUARE
AURUS, PRECIDIA - 10:09 AM
Seated underneath a tree are Nick Altair and Elena Lune, drinking coffee together just outside a shop. The cold wind howls, blowing several leaves off a tree with one leaf falling on Nick's cup, drenching itself in coffee. Nick removes the wet leaf, looking at it disgustedly before throwing it aside.
"I thought you liked the all-natural aspect of Aurus." Elena jokes as Nick contemplates on finishing his soiled drink.
"It has its downsides." Replies Nick, drinking it anyways. He remembered consuming far more disgusting things, especially Luke's cooking.
"Oh, come on. It's just a leaf." Elena remarks.
"And how many times has it rained here? Who knows what kinda unholy mixtures that leaf absorbed." Nick retorts as Elena chuckles.
"Please, the only unholy mixture here is that jacket with those pants." Replies Elena, insulting Nick's attire which he bought from a nearby thrift shop.
"Can you blame me? I didn't come here expecting to stay for a week." Nick replies, defending himself.
"Did you have to be so cheap though? You look like one of those virtual swingers in Doslight…" Says Elena as Nick raises his eyebrow.
"...How do you know that?" Nick asks, curious at Elena's apparent perversion.
"I see their ads all the time whenever I pirate webcomics." Elena explains as Nick sighs.
"Well, I hope nobody gets the wrong idea." Nick replies as several strangers pass by, side-eyeing him and murmuring as they leave. One stranger carrying several flyers walks up to Nick, handing him one before moving along. Nick and Elena observe the flyer, an advertisement for the 72nd Aurus Festival.
"Have you ever been to one?" Elena asks as she takes a sip.
"When I was super young. I don't even remember much of it; it was really my sister and dad that got to enjoy. Only reason I was there was 'cause there was no one to look after me back in Roscher." Nick answers.
"Roscher? I thought you were from Nexos?"
"I used to live in Roscher. After the accident that took my family's lives, my dad's coworker took me in and had me live in Nexos." Replies Nick as Elena sets the flyer down.
"Well, stick around for a bit and I might show you just how much better it is here in Aurus." Jokes Elena, inviting Nick to the festival.
"I already know how much better it is from the lack of E-Drive tech."
"Don't get too attached. One day this place'll turn out like Doslight, too."
LUNE RESIDENCE
AURUS, PRECIDIA - 3:43 PM
Back at Elena's home, screaming and insults can be heard coming from Zico's room. Inside are Nick and Zico himself, battling each other in a fighting game on a retro console. Elena stays in her own room, reading a book titled "The Angel Of South Lavia", a publication documenting the tales of the former Aurus mayor who helped several communities in the midst of despair.
Elena's phone suddenly vibrates due to a text from Tina Ross.
Rendezvous at my shop tomorrow. 11 PM Sharp
Elena reacts with a sticker before heading inside Zico's room to inform Nick.
"Stop using grabs! It's unfair!" Screams Zico, fighting desperately in a match-point round.
"Devs put 'em in for a reason. Hate the game, not the player." Nick arrogantly replies as he performs another grab, netting him a victory of 3-1 before Elena calls his name out.
"Nick. Can we talk?" Elena asks as Nick stands up and starts to walk towards her.
"Sure. 'Bout what?" Nick questions as Elena signals him to come outside.
LUNE RESIDENCE
AURUS, PRECIDIA - 3:47 PM
"Tina wants to meet us later at 11." Elena tells Nick, who takes a seat on the stairs on her porch.
"Meeting? Why not just text?"
"She's very paranoid about texting. She thinks that E-Drive has control over our messages." Elena answers before sitting beside Nick.
"I mean, they do have access to it, but what's some underpaid operator gonna do about it? I bet you 90% of the time they're just dozing off in their offices all day." Nick replies as Elena returns a soft smile.
"Speaking of all day, we've got the whole day to ourselves since our meeting at Tina's still at 11."
"What're you thinking?" Asks Nick, curiosity and excitement beginning to fill his brain.
"The Aurus Festival lasts for five days. Guess which day it is now?" Elena enthusiastically asks.
"I dunno, the first?" Nick replies sarcastically as Elena pouts, unamused.
"The fifth." Nick states in a more serious manner as Elena's eyes light up once more.
"Exactly! The last day's always the most special one. So what do you say? Wanna go?"
"Why not? Are we bringing Zico along, too?" Nick replies instantaneously. Indeed, there was some truth to Zack and Luke's words. Nick did desire an escape from the merciless nature of Lavia. Even though he had involved himself in a terrorist attack, Nick speculated that perhaps he could find temporary bliss in participating at the Aurus Festival.
"Of course we are. Though, as you've experienced first-hand, he tends to run off and do his own thing." Elena says, walking inside to get dressed and inform Zico.
LUNE RESIDENCE
AURUS, PRECIDIA - 4:16 PM
Still outside Elena's house, Nick awaits the two while browsing his phone. He scrolls past several posts but briefly dwells on one that catches his eye:
DAMON ESTREVAL ADDRESSES THE NATION - 25 : 44 : 38
In a day from now the future of South Lavia is set to change drastically when Damon Estreval inevitably declares martial law for complete control. Unbeknownst to Nick, however, the Gruff brothers along with Zack Evergreen plan to put a halt to the announcement by assassinating Damon in the midst of his speech.
Thankfully Nick has no need to worry about the address, as a hyper Zico bolts out the door, running into the streets excitedly. Nick attempts to call out Zico but is distracted when the door opens once more. Elena emerges gracefully, adorned in an elegant white dress with the flats to match. She begins approaching Nick, who is captivated while feeling inadequate as he looks down at his own attire.
"How do I look?" Elena asks the starstruck Nick.
"Better than me, that's for sure." Nick replies as Elena giggles.
"I'm sure there's some lonely people in Doslight who wouldn't mind." Elena jokes as Nick shakes his head. The two make their way to the plaza, where even more decorations have been set. Live bands take turns on a stage in the center of the plaza playing music, with the occasional rock band drowning out the chatter of the people. Nick and Elena come across several booths, trying different foods and playing different games. One particular booth demanded three rounds of archery using a rubber arrow to which Nick hit the bullseye thrice, nobbing himself the grand prize of a stuffed toy of choice. Per Elena's request, Nick chooses a cute, pink spider which he holds on to as they continue enjoying the festivities.
AURUS PLAZA
AURUS, PRECIDIA - 6:37 PM
While Elena attempts to land rings on beer bottles, Nick briefly zones out, reminiscing of Candace's Eighth Birthday. Though it had been fifteen years, Nick still remembers every detail of his last day with his family. While he won the stuffed toy to please Elena, it had unintentionally triggered his trauma from when he won Candace a stuffed toy as well. Looking to his side, Nick spots a family of three, escalating his trauma further. To put the cherry on top, four Eternal Drive soldiers pass by, making Nick's condition even worse. Nick's chest starts tightening, his breath pattern disrupted as he alternates between slow and quick breaths.
"Hey! Look what I got!" Exclaims Elena as Nick is still focused on the family.
"...You okay?" Elena asks as the family turns around, looking eerily similar to the Altairs from fifteen years ago.
"Nick!" Elena calls out once more as Nick finally snaps to reality, done projecting his family on a complete group of strangers.
"Yo. Where'd you get that?" Nick asks as he turns towards Elena, holding two beer bottles.
"What's going on?" Elena gently asks.
"It's nothing, I just… You wanna sit down for a bit?" Replies Nick as Elena nods. The two end up sitting on a bench near the docks, the lamplights reflected on the water.
"The day of my family's accident… It was just like this." Nick starts to explain as Elena listens.
"We were enjoying my sister's birthday at the Evernight Fair. For a while it felt like the best day of my life, but the moment we headed home…" Nick continues as he starts choking up.
"We got attacked by a rogue demediom. That psycho rampaged through the streets, killing everyone in sight. He threw our vehicle away and knocked me out. By the time I woke up, my sister was next to me, already dead while my father was in front of me, bleeding out." Nick ends as Elena puts her arm around him.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that… Let's head home if you don't want to spend any more time here." Elena says, comforting Nick. Nick observes several people passing by, smiling, laughing and having fun. Zico along with a group of other children also run by, playing tag.
"No, I'm okay. Just acted up for a moment." Nick says, standing up from the bench.
"Let's-"
Nick is cut off when he bumps into a hooded man with several ringed tattoos on his arms. Nick turns to apologize as the man looks up, his eyes glowing a bright purple hue. The man's fingers begin lighting up as Elena slides her hand under her dress, reaching for her blade hidden on her ankle.
Before things can escalate, Darren Watts suddenly appears from behind the hooded man, grabbing the latter's wrist before he can do anything.
"Is there a problem here?" Darren asks as Elena and the man start to calm down.
"No, I just bumped into this guy. Sorry, man." Nick replies, stepping back.
"My apologies. This bodyguard of mine has quite the temper." Darren says, patting the hooded man's shoulder.
"I take it you're enjoying your stay here in Aurus?" Darren asks confidently, proud of the city he governs.
"It's a beautiful city. Helps that there's barely any E-Drive goons here."
"Oh, don't worry. They'll come flocking here real soon, once we commence the operation." Replies Darren as a group of people run to him with the goal of taking pictures. Nick and Elena continue on, walking along the docks.
"Did you see that guy's tattoos? He looked like a human ferris wheel." Nick jokes as Elena laughs.
The orange sky perfectly compliments the riverside portion of Aurus, with the trees lined up to shade the people from the sunlight. Nick and Elena however, found themselves completely bathed in the warm glow. The two sit on the edge to watch the sunset with their legs just dangling over the water.
"I'm gonna miss Precidia." Nick says bittersweetly, his 5-day vacation about to come to an end.
"You can always come back."
"I doubt it. Not after what we're gonna do." Nick replies, referring to the bombing of the Aurus Broadcast Station.
"...I understand. It's peaceful times like this where I start contemplating, too. I think to myself that I don't have to be the hero all the time. But then reality hits whenever a new scandal drops, and I'm reminded that these moments might be blissful, but are merely fleeting." Replies Elena, having decided on the road she heads.
"Yeah. Someone has to step up, things have to change. I just wish we didn't put this overwhelming responsibility on ourselves." Nick responds, contemplating whether or not he should pull through with the plan.
"Isn't that how heroes become heroes? It's not like what the fairytales say. A chosen one isn't gonna randomly show up and save everybody. Heroes start out as ordinary people who choose out of their own volition to become extraordinary."
"Are we ordinary, though? Demedioms make up less than 1% of society…" Nick asks, doubting himself once more.
"I wasn't referring to us being demedioms, Nick. Yes, ordinary people don't always get the opportunity to become demedioms, but ordinary people always have the opportunity to become heroes." Elena answers. Indeed, inhuman abilities will give a demediom the edge over a regular human in terms of physical capabilities. However, demedioms and heroes do not go hand-in-hand; rather the opposite. The psycho who killed Raymond and Candace, the rogue who attacked Luke and Celeste, Trent Omega who had deceived and tormented Zack for years, and much more hidden and erased from history by Eternal Drive.
"Come to think of it… Lavia doesn't even have a national hero. Everybody knows about Esper's Adiran Mordegarde while we're here stuck with nobody." Nick states, pointing out the lack of exceptional people in Lavia.
"Is that really important?" Elena asks, suddenly irked.
"It is. There's no one to look up to and inspire the people. Makes me wonder why they never declared Ricard Mayhem for forming Palladium…" Nick contemplates.
"E-Drive probably got in the way. Speaking of, it's not too far off that Estreval declares himself."
"Let him declare, then. We all know titles are meaningless without any weight behind them."
"Not if you ask him. He's the hero to his own twisted fantasy." Elena concurs.
"And we're the villains for him to vanquish…" Nick dejectedly replies, looking down onto the water as it reflects his face.
"Hey, we might be criminals but we're not that villainous." Elena playfully says, putting her hand on Nick's back as if to comfort him. However, she pushes forward, making Nick fall as the water splashes onto the boards and Elena's lower body. Nick emerges from the water, his hair and clothes drenched. He glares at Elena, whose smile is as wide as the horizon.
"That was pretty villainous if you ask me." Nick jokes as Elena laughs. He extends his hand up to the docks.
"Alright, now help me up." Nick says as Elena reaches out to him as well. She grabs Nick's hand, but ends up getting dragged into the water when Nick pulls backwards. Water splashes onto Nick's face and clothes as Elena pouts at him, annoyed. She does not keep this face for long however, as the two begin to laugh at their own absurdity. Several people walk by, glancing at the two judgementally as they continue to laugh. In other people's eyes, Elena and Nick looked like two psychos laughing in a lake while a nearby festival with countless activities to participate in goes on. To Elena and Nick, however, they were merely taking in a rare, fabled moment of humanity. Strangers just so happened to be present, but are completely blurred out by the two nonetheless.
The average lifespan of a Lavian lasts sixty years. In this corrupt, crime-ridden nation, people barely get the chance to legitimately enjoy their lives. Some who choose to are doomed to die early, while those who live to their deathbeds die with countless regrets. Eternal Drive is not just a megacorporation that governs over South Lavia. It is a poison to humanity, enabling a desensitized culture where crime is the norm and joy is the treasure. At face value the strangers silently judging Nick and Elena seemed to ridicule them with their disgusted looks. In reality, however, envy was building up inside. They too, wished to be as happy as the two were. The two ended up laughing until the moonlight overtook the sunset, the lamplights glowing even brighter. Nick and Elena silently stare at each other briefly, the latter still captivating Nick even though her makeup was ruined. Nick stares to his side uncomfortably, pulling his right earlobe. What he felt in that moment was a feeling he dreaded for so long.
"We should- um, probably leave." States Nick as Elena nods, noticing their now-empty surroundings. The envious crowd had long left to partake in the concert to which the main performers were beginning their set. The two finally make their way back to the docks, completely drenched as they leave trails of water to walk along the festival.
AURUS DOCKS
AURUS, PRECIDIA - 7:21 PM
"Sorry about that." Nick says, apologizing to Elena as the two attract even more attention by walking through the streets completely wet.
"No, no. I started it." Elena replies, taking responsibility for the two's state.
"We should probably get towels, at least." Nick comments, beginning to shiver as the sun fully sets. Elena rips off a nearby cloth banner, handing it to Nick. Nick smiles and accepts the cloth, wiping his head before returning it to Elena who does the same. The two then arrive at a street where a large crowd begins to form.
"Oh god, I almost forgot!" Elena exclaims, pacing faster as Nick catches up.
"About what?" Nick questions, unaware of what Elena refers to.
"The fireworks display starts at 7:30!" Replies Elena as the crowd enlarges even more. Elena suddenly grabs Nick by the hand, dragging him as she starts running through the crowd. Nick at first was taken aback, but starts running as well to keep up with Elena's pace. Elena bumps several people in the process, but continues to drag Nick nevertheless. The two had the shared goal of seeing the fireworks display; a measly crowd cannot stop their ambition.
The two eventually come to a point where the crowd refuses to move. This time, Nick grabs Elena's hand and pulls her to the side as the first firework is set off, soaring through the sky. With the people distracted, Nick teleports atop a building, still grabbing Elena by the hand. The two stop at a roof where the firework goes off, and the display commences.
Several different colors and shapes illuminate the sky as Nick intently watches the fireworks burst. Elena observes them as well, but redirects her eyes towards Nick, completely starstruck by the display. He had seen fireworks in the past, yet this time feels special due to Elena's companionship. Nick takes his eyes off the fireworks for a moment when Elena suddenly asks him a question.
"Beautiful, right?" Elena asks as Nick watches the fireworks go off in the reflection of Elena's eyes.
"Yeah. You are." Nick replies, unaware of what he just said in the spur of the moment. Elena takes the compliment in, turning her head away to hide her smile while the fireworks show continues. Darren observes the two from afar, paying no attention to the fireworks.
To Be Continued…