Return to Civilization

"Look Shike, tell me what you feel right now," I asked him. Shike looked at his hands, moving them around, then looked at me.

"I feel like I just woke up... what did you do? What happened to me?" He asked me.

"Look. I can't say this out loud, because I'm sure she's listening, but you need to be cautious of somebody Sky has been getting close to. She's dangerous, and she's made everything in this world, be on your guard. I'm sorry that's all I can explain to you, but have I ever lied to you?" I asked Shike. He shook his head with a big smile.

"Good. Alright, let's go get Sky." I told Lucas and Shike. We both left the courtyard without even taking care of Zach's body... because, with Illya's planning, the body vanished itself. She was getting sloppy. She's probably onto me by now.

"Zach's body was gone. Did you guys see it?" I asked the two as we exited out of MTG.

"Yeah, don't you have to bury bodies?" Shike asked me, to which I nodded.

Now that Shike wasn't aimlessly living as everybody else in this world was, he was able to understand details like that. It was impressive that Illya was this lazy, but I'm sure this would all backfire on me someday.

"This is weird... why did he just vanish? What's going on?" He asked me.

"Nothing good," I explained. I went more in-depth and explained everything I could to him as we approached Rubeki territory.

I explained what I knew about why Sky was here, but Shike didn't believe it. I didn't blame him one bit, as all of this seemed ridiculous, but I'll have to ask the girl herself when I go to rescue both Sky and her. I have no doubt in my mind that their relationship would've grown to the point of being unbreakable after two years in the wilderness together.

"Here we are, Rubeki territory. Have you fought a Rubeki before, Shike?" I turned to the little boy beside me and he shook his head while rubbing the back of his neck. Shike admitted that the Rubeki scared him and he was afraid to even right now, but knew he had to be here to get his best friend back. I'll be damned if I didn't say this kid is remarkably brave for being here.

Nobody wants to fight Rubeki, but sometimes, that's what duty calls for.

"Lucas, go on the offensive and kill all the Rubeki, I'll sit back and defend Shike and make sure nothing gets past him," I told him.

"Yes, dear," Lucas said with an exaggerated sigh, summoning his saber and walking into the field where Rubeki began to surround him.

"You guys are supposed to be the strongest fighters in MTG... and there doesn't even have to be two of you to take out the Rubeki?" Shike asked me.

"The two of us are here in case of an invasion from a Rubeki you probably won't ever meet," I told him. I turned my head away for a moment and swallowed the thought that Illya's plan would involve meeting her...

Yeah, that would be an insanely clever way to pass down the Deity powers I'm holding. She's going to kill me in the upcoming battle. That has to be it... because when we find Sky and I ask him if he met Providence, he'll say no and that will be the trigger.

I turned back toward Shike and kept a normal-looking face to deter any suspicion at all, just walking as Lucas darted back and forth, killing all Rubeki around us.

It's risky to predict this far ahead, but I'm sure Lucas will run into Rubeki he can't fight and Sky and Illya will make their big entrance. Although, that could be wrong as well.

Lucas was starting to be swarmed in battle and surely enough, the Rubeki were closing in on our position. Lucas, who should've been sentient at this point, was falling right into place for Illya's plan. When Lucas looked at me with worry in his eyes, something shook my body completely.

If Lucas wasn't already sentient, did that mean he was programmed to pick up on the inconsistencies in Illya's story? There's no way she thought that far ahead!

Calm down Ali... there's not a single possibility in my mind that Lucas didn't gain sentience, he was just putting on a show, like he always has.

Sky and Illya jumped in from the cliff right above Lucas and killed all surrounding Rubeki. Clad in dual purple sabers without any sign of fatigue, Sky tilted his head up with darkened eyes like he had been ruined, and looked over to Shike and me.

"Thanks! You guys saved me!" Lucas said to Sky and Illya, embracing Sky in a hug. "It's nice to see you again, son." He added on.

I was happy to see Sky again after so long, but the second Illya landed on the ground, she was already peering at me. She knew.

She knew that I picked apart her plan and regained sentience.

Now that I have sentience once more, I was a danger to her overall plan.

"Sky! It's so good to see you again!" Shike yelled out toward his best friend with tears welling up in his eyes. Even Sky couldn't fight it off and ran over to Shike, claiming how he missed him. I, for one, waited for Sky to greet everybody else with a faked, slight smile pointed in Illya's direction.

"Mom!" Sky shouted out to me, running into my arms and wrapping me in a tight hug.

"I'm sorry, I killed those people... but was that the right thing to do?! I've been thinking about it for the past two years... I've been waiting to hear you tell me if I need to improve, if I need to repent... please... tell me what I did was the right thing to do." He told me.

And at that moment, I cried.

Harder than I have ever cried before.

A kid who is being manipulated by such a potent evil as Illya is still so pure on the inside. He cared about lives even two years after he took them. He is what I've wished to be since the day I realized what killing meant. He was... he was the most genuine thing I've ever seen before, and to be ruined by Illya...

It broke my heart into thousands- no, millions of pieces. I couldn't even look at Illya without my Asterio blood reacting and wanting to skin her alive where she stood.

"If you understand it was a mistake, then there's nothing you can do now. You understand what it meant to take those lives, and if you believe that it was necessary to keep your friends and family safe... then you did just fine by your father and I. Sky, I don't want you to ever feel guilty about something if it's to keep the people you love safe, whether they be your family, your immediate family, or a large sum of people you've sworn to protect. Understand me?" I asked him.

Sky nodded and stood silent in a hug with me.

It took everything in my willpower not to summon my saber, activate every ability I know and smash Illya into the ground with nothing to remain.

"Let's head back guys. Illya, thank you for keeping my son safe. I owe you a lot." I told her with a smile.

"It wasn't a problem at all, Miss Ali. I'm sure one day I'll take you up on your offer." Illya playfully smiled at me and that's when I knew.