Chapter Epilogue 8 – The Big Apple
---The penultimate epilogue chapter. I'm not sure when the last one will come out because as I'm planning to release it alongside the new novel. It should be a matter of weeks instead of months tho.
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(Prince) "Woah… it's so big! I-I'm a l-little afraid"
(Ariza) "Uh huh, just look at all the colours! There must be millions of people here…"
(Ikarus) "Eh, I share his pain. This place is packed… albeit pretty damn spectacular though"
(Petra) "Heh, we should be safe… I think? Didn't this place have a mugger problem?"
(Zeki) "It always has a mugger problem, sis. Home sweet freaking home, baby! Let's TP to my place, orangey, and get this shit on the road!"
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https://i.ibb.co/4gJvtqM/BigApple.jpg
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The five of us stand awestruck in the middle of one of the biggest cities on Earth, right at the beating heart of the big apple itself. To say this place is spectacular is an understatement, it looks exactly how it does in the movies!
Buildings as tall as the eye can see, shops selling anything ranging from food to lingerie, yellow cabs everywhere, the unhealthy fast-food joints which summarize this nation, all of it is packed into these crossroads. Any moment now, my fear of crowds is about to kick in, I'm trying to make the most of things for now though.
The odd thing is, I've actually been here before hence why we were able to teleport here. A brief holiday with an ex I'd rather not mention, long before the days I gained wings and this annoying, albeit sexy pain in the arse to my side.
I did have to make a quick detour back to my old bungalow to get some stuff first, thankfully the idiot wasn't around so that made life a breeze. He's still growing an unhealthy amount of pot.
As for Zeki and the fact he looks unstably excited with a grin as big as none other, he used to live in this city. Before Ariza's and Prince's honeymoon can truly begin, all of us would of course be curious on his past. Once that's done, we'll pawn some gold, book some hotel rooms and leave those two so they can have some fun… heh. Doubt it will be on the level of me and Petra, that love hotel was unhinged. Wonder if there's a place like that over here…
"Kid, you still haven't said where you live yet. We gonna need to take the subway?"
Just one look at the hundreds of yellow taxis stuck at every junction and traffic light, we're definitely not sitting in traffic for the next few hours. The States and their allergy to roundabouts, they do actually help!
"Erk, right… that might work! Orangey, pass me your phone one second"
Passing Zeki my phone, this was another reason why we had to make a detour, to charge my stupid phone. It doesn't matter how quickly our settlement develops; we still haven't got the tech to make a working charger yet.
"Damn it orangey, how many naked photos of sis do you have!?"
Instantly snatching the thing out of his grasp, he cracks up with laughter when all I want to do is hit him. The thing is, if he had looked through the images, it wouldn't have been a joke…
"Hahahaha… being serious now orangey, check your phone again. TP us there and I'll sort us someplace to stay"
Looking back down to my phone, the place pictured looks to be something akin to a fancy hotel, made from an obnoxious amount of marble and gold. The damned place even has a fountain!
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https://i.ibb.co/hgqxW9z/Lobby.jpg
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"Eh, I'm not sure I can do that based off a photo, but I'll give it a try. Not like any of us really care if we're spotted on camera or anything…"
While I'm nattering to myself, my face drops when I realize why Zeki might suggest a place like this. I really hope he's trolling, but something deep inside is telling me this all makes sense.
(Ikarus) "*Sighhh*… at least this explains your personality"
"Uh… Zeki? How is anyone supposed to recognize you here? If we go into that hotel place, people won't know it's you"
Ariza comes up with a brilliant point and as a consequence will also cause him pain. Right now, I'm clutching at straws because Zeki is pissing me off!
"Erk… brother's right, guess I better change body before we go as well. That idiot won't recognize me if I don't"
'Seriously doubt that. As if anyone in the entire world wouldn't recognize Zeki even with a different face and body…',
__________
…
Inside the lift on the way up, you could hear a pin drop. Well, you could if the fancy elevator music wasn't playing and Zeki hadn't just screamed on the intercom downstairs to let us up. The point is, all of us seem uncomfortable and all of it is down to Zeki again! Heck, even the elevator looks to be made of pure gold, this isn't fair!
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https://i.ibb.co/Nxbrdss/Elevator.jpg
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Oh, Zeki's idea was in fact incorrect, we did have to take the subway here because I can't teleport based off a photo. Is it normal for homeless people to piss inside the train itself? Guess we really have experienced the true-life NY has to offer.
"Erk, I'm going to rip this door open in a minute! They don't tell you how long these take if you live a hundred floors up!"
…
None of us know what to say from Zeki's complaining, mostly down to the entitlement behind it. Any second now, we're going to see something none of us want to see. I still just want to pout and sulk… life really isn't fair.
And then, the golden elevator opens, taking us straight into the living room of a beautiful penthouse. It's smaller than I thought it would be but then again, there's probably another dozen rooms connected to the entrance.
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https://i.ibb.co/W6S94xz/Penthouse.jpg
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'It's not as bad I as exp-, I change my mind. Is that a chandelier made from diamond!?'
To be fair, most of the place looks fancy but with an heir of classiness to it. That's at least until you look a little closer beyond the veil. The diamond chandelier, dinosaur fossils and huge gems litter the shelfs. Furniture is also trimmed with gold and there even appears to be a lamp made from ivory. Heck, the sofa and rug may be made from extinct animals for all I know!
'Privileges of the wealthy, I guess. Guess Zeki really is the entitled stereotypical rich kid'
Even though the room fascinates me, I should probably focus more on the upstanding man in a suit right in front of us though. He doesn't look all that pleased.
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https://i.ibb.co/pLy3s0F/Zeki-Butler.png
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"Mistress Ezekial… is that really you? Seven long years of searching and you show up like this, with what I presume is a group of friends?"
'Ezekial? And he's only been gone seven years? And this guy is British!? That's my thing! I guess it makes sense Zeki's original name would be like that though, it's literally got Zeki in it'
The butler speaks with an accent that sounds foreign to me just simply down to how posh and prim his words come out. Remember, I grew up on the mean streets, the majority of us don't talk like that! He honestly sounds like he could serve royalty.
Accent snobbery aside, you really have no idea how many accents exist on this island, the butler seems to hold a mixture of anger, sadness and even pain towards Ezekial. There's no way anyone could've missed Zeki that much, right?
"Erk, what did I tell you about calling me that already!? And why do you care? I bet those old hags didn't even bother trying to find me"
"If you're referring to the old Master and Mistress… you are unfortunately correct. I presume they've been too occupied with work again, but the both of us know there's more to it than that. They haven't visited or tried to get in contact once"
As Zeki leads us out of the lift, his aura reeks of sadness, yet no anger is to be seen or felt from the butler's words. I don't think I've ever seen him this low… scratch that. When Ariza died, that was way worse.
I think the rest of us are still just shocked Zeki comes from extreme wealth, mainly because of how casual he speaks and acts. His toxicity at least I can tell definitely comes from this background, spoilt rich kid with parents that don't care about the child. It all makes sense.
"And I do care, Mistress Ezekial. Having clothed, fed and bathed you from the day of your birth, please don't throw me into the same category as my employers"
"Whatever… just do me a favour and prepare us some rooms, will ya? We won't be here for long"
Shrugging the now compassionate butler aside, Zeki looks to ignore the man but he loses all composure. Tears flowing, he grabs a hold of Zeki's wrist and refuses to let him by.
"I most certainly will not! At least not until you explain where you've been all this time, I've been worried sick! I've been searching all across the world, trying to find a single trace of you, yet I find nothing!? Where have you been… Zeki?"
"Erk… damned butler! You wouldn't believe me if I said!"
"Do tell and I'll try to believe"
(Ariza) "Uh… Zek-"
Ariza tries her best to interfere with something, presumably to ask if we should leave, only to be immediately shut down by Zeki. I think deep down, he wants us here right now.
"Erk, fine then! I went to sleep, woke up inside an egg, turned into a mutated bird, then two hundred years later orangey teleported us back! The problem is, we can't prove shit because the moronic tentacle Gods don't like fun!"
…
'Well… that's one way of summarizing our adventure up'
But of course, the way Zeki does things even puts my unique mind to shame. Revealing all this cannot be a good thing, right? Also, is there any way we can prove things? I know there are huge limitations of systems over on Earth, my storage technically bypasses those limitations though…
[Aesa recommends Ikarus does NOT try that. Like last time, huge restrictions are in place and showing anything like that to people not from our world is a bad idea.]
'Surprise, surprise. Earth laws are boring again. It's funny how the creators will let me teleport around, but not open my inventory in front of people'
While I'm trying my best to think of a way to help Zeki here, I know it's unlike me, the butler just continues to stand there puzzled and complexed. It's obvious he doesn't believe Zeki.
"Mistress Ezekial… you haven't been smoking that substance again, have you? The one you referred to as Purple Monkey Balls?"
'That sounds familiar… idiot! I'm sure my moron of a brother bought something like that once'
"Nah, I gave that up when I nearly drowned in the toilet… that mellow wasn't worth the comedown"
"Are you sure? You did try to jump from the balcony after consuming an entire batch once"
"Erk, just listen dude, I'm telling ya, I wasn't high! The other world doesn't even have the good shit this one does!"
Seeing Zeki get worked up but not in an angry way is foreign to me, it's like he's fighting with a parent but knows not to go too far, out of respect or just simply not wanting to be punished.
"Okay… say I believe you; it would make sense considering how you've kept hidden for so long. What reason do you have for returning? You hated this life, Mistress Ezekial"
That's… actually a good question. Zeki clearly doesn't want to be here and money has never been a problem for us. I'm kinda curious on what his answer is.
"Erk… it's not for my sake, it's for brother's. It's their honeymoon and thought this would be easier than staying at some faceless hotel. You're basically an employed slave anyw-, I mean valued employee. Sorry."
As soon as Zeki points to Ariza and Prince, the butler's face starts to stream with tears again. This time, it's clearly for a different reason.
"Erk, stop crying, idiot! What's the matter with you!?"
"Sorry Mistress Ezekial… it's just that this is the first thoughtful thing I've ever seen you do! I always knew deep down, there was a heart under that raging fire!"
And then the butler does something even we rarely get to see, a hug. He practically jumps into Zeki and squeezes the life out of our raging phoenix.
Of course, Zeki's not having none of it though and tosses him aside the second tears fall on his head. One hug from Ariza at her wedding was enough, he's had enough for a lifetime.
"Erk, that's it, we're done! Oi, you lot! I've got something to say…"
Now looking to us, the usual angry and annoyed Zeki returns, staring us dead in the face and getting even angrier when he sees all of us smiling. I'm sure Prince still has no idea what's going on, he's just happy to be here.
"Erk… I've got some crap to sort out quickly, tie up some loose ends and clean up. You lot… make yourself at home or leave, I don't care either way…"
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https://i.ibb.co/gmfRNVS/Park-Central.jpg
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"We really need to construct something like this back at home, don't we Petra?"
"Heh, it's simply lovely, isn't it Ikarus?"
"Wow… surprised you didn't turn that into a tease. You'd normally compare it to me or something"
"Heh, there are no words that come to mind of your beauty, Ikarus. I could use sublime if that helps a little?"
'Guess I walked right into that one'
The wind bristles through the trees and the birds tweet all around us as me and Petra chill on a park bench, both of us without a care in the world. Having spent the last hour here, it won't be too long before the sun sets and we'll have to head back.
In the end, we decided to split for now, leaving Zeki to have some alone time with his butler as well as Ariza getting some sightseeing in with Prince. Petra isn't that interested in seeing this city which is surprising, but then again, she may have been here before as well. She did like to travel back in her Earthen days, her long-term memory has always been terrible though. For now, we're just happy to chill and spend time scrolling through my phone.
Ah, we did learn some very important things about Zeki's family using the power of the internet. Ezekial is an only child, was born in the nineties and of course was born female… and that's about it. It's almost suspicious how little is known about Zeki, like the parents didn't want people knowing about their child. Probably to focus on business reasons, I guess.
If you want to know just how rich they are, imagine the two largest banks in the country with ties to the middle-east and CEOs that own most of the bank. Yeah, they're THAT level of rich. Zeki really must've grown up without seeing his parents at all.
"You think Zeki is okay, Petra? Well… we know mentally he isn't, but I mean for this situation"
I can't help but worry for his sake while my head rests on Petra's shoulder. During my childhood on Earth, I never grew up with stable parents as well so I know how he feels. I feel like access to unlimited money might've helped though.
"Honestly don't know, Ikarus, no idea how we can help him here. Heh, Ria might know, not sure if he's in the mood for some teasing right now"
The busty dryad who once again isn't around when we explore. She was invited on this trip but apparently tree spirts aren't allowed to leave their world… apparently her sister would've lectured her again if she neglected her duties.
"Yeah, might be best not to pry too much here… am I seeing things? When did she get there?"
Whispering that last bit to Petra, I'm referring to an old lady feeding the ducks right in front of us. I swear we were alone just a moment ago.
Almost like she heard me, she abandons the hordes of hungry ducks surrounding her feet and comes over to the bench we're sitting at. This doesn't feel awkward at all.
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https://i.ibb.co/ng64jPg/Weird-Lady.jpg
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'That's an odd-looking walking stick, isn't it?'
"My my, these old bones of mine really enlightened when out in the sun! When you two youngsters get closer to death… you'll live for moments like these"
The chatty old woman takes a seat next to us, more specifically with me in the middle of both of them! I'm not sure what to do or say now.
"Heh, you're being too harsh on yourself. I see no-one approaching older age around here"
'Why am I getting jealous now? Petra's only being kind to the old lady'
"Well, aren't you sweet!? Kindness and sympathy aren't needed for me, miss. I'm but a child compared to the life you've lived"
…
The silence beckons as the woman shares something she shouldn't know, making the both of us lovebirds uneasy. It's time to get serious…
"Who are you and want do you want?"
"Oh my, such impatience from the bird who hasn't even seen a century of life! Then again, youthful royalty can be known for having a temper!"
"You're pushing my temper over the edge as well now. Speak now or face both mine and Ikarus's wrath"
Backing me up, we both glare to sly grinning hag, both of us ready to commit murder in a mere moment. She even sounds slightly croaky and witch like now, Earth may not have any confirmed history with real magicians, but witches are a different thing entirely.
"Hoh hoh, I'm just a regular person who sees things others cannot, nothing to see here! Please don't be so alarmed!"
Again, the woman pisses us off even further as she continues to play coy and avoids her motive. The odd thing is, my eye of wisdom ability seems to be broken here. I can't gauge anything from this woman, whether she's telling the truth or not. This feeling is unsettling so I'm going to take this very carefully.
"Please… just tell us what you want and we'll try to help. If it's just to say hello… we've had enough of those types of people for a lifetime"
Outer Gods, architects, powers that be, creators, the longer we can avoid them, the better. This better not be them getting involved again.
"It's nothing much, my two dearies. I just want to gather your reactions from a prophecy, I'll tell it to you free of charge!"
…
Hearing that word coming from someone new we've never met before… hell no! But Ikarus, what if it's something really important? Damn it, morbid curiosity!
Before we even get the chance to come to our senses and stop the woman continuing, she follows it up and says something I knew we'd regret hearing.
"You may think you've broken the cycle, but you haven't, that boy of yours in particular has plans far surpassing expectations. Good idea to keep a firm eye on him, or you may just end up with his blade against your throats…