Cadence Fall pt. 3

As we enter the tower, an old drafty smell hits my nose. It was stiff, like an old basement smell with leaking water. To an extent, all this was true. The tower sat in the middle of an ocean planet being pounded by water from all sides.

Inside, all was quiet. The rumble of the water hitting the island was the only sound to fill the void of silence. Soul's faint glow allowed some light in but otherwise it was nearly pitch black. We all spread out to search the area. Dillon and Stella follow Soul toward the back as I had in the other direction. I pull out my weapon and activate its flashlight. The castle was old. Dust covered very inch of the place and even kicked up off the ground. I find a hallway further on in the direction I am heading.

As I enter, an opening pops up on my left. I turn the gun into the room, scanning the area before entering. It looks like a bedroom, though one that has been touched, as much as the rest of the castle. The walls were empty and the room was dark, except for a single window in the center that gave just enough light. A desk sat under the window, and a single picture frame sat on top.

I enter the room and approach the frame. Once I am close enough, I disable the flash light and holster my weapon, then I reach for the frame. I grab it and get a closer look at it. It was a picture of a young girl, no older than seven years. She had black short hair, dark skin, and deep blue eyes. Is this...Cadence?

Suddenly the lights come on. Without second thought, I drop the frame and grab my weapon, aiming it straight at the door behind me. Stella immediately throws up her hands. Dillon then jumps in front of her.

"Demi! Demi! Its us!"

Realizing what's happened, I lower my weapon.

"Shit! What happened?"

"We found power. Calm down. Come one, we are heading upstairs."

"Right."

Everyone gathers in the main lobby again and walks up the stairs in the back. We move slowly, making sure all angles are covered. It felt like hours had gone by as we climb to the top. As we got higher, the waves got quieter, until it was nothing but silence and our foot steps at the top were the only sounds left, aside from our breathing. The smell of musty air has all but dissipated by now. The staircase ends at the top floor of the tower. Two large windows sat in the back of the room along with a massive computer system in the middle. Thanks to the power, the computer finally finished booting up. Stella approaches it and starts clicking around. The rest of us continue to observe the room.

"The hell is this place?" Melena asks

"I don't know." Dillon says. "I don't remember this being here."

"This all looks new."

"I don't understand." I said, "This tower looks like it hasn't been touched in decades. Why would he come here?"

Stella continues to search before coming to a stop and slowly backs away.

"What's going on? Dillon asks.

"I...I don't want to be here anymore."

"What? Why? You wanted to come here."

"I know but..."

"What happened?"

"I..."

The screen goes black and a recording starts the play on the big screen.

"What just happened?" Dillon asks

"This looks like a security camera." I said.

The screen displays a video of an older man. He looked middle aged, with fading white hair. He has a striking resemblance to Cadence, all the way down to his facial features like his nose and ears. Dillon just stairs at the screen. He doesn't move, not even when Stella backs away into him.

"It's dad." He says.

Alex clears his through and takes a deep breath. Then he looks away from the camera, like he's talking to someone else.

"Hello my dear." He says, "Sit down, please. Look, we have been at this for a while, and I honestly didn't know of any another way to bring this up."

"What are you talking about?" The other voice off screen asks.

I return to monitor to watch the recording, though Soul has not moved. Dillon still stares at the screens. Alex continues.

"I know that losing your mother was hard. It was for all of us, but the truth is, I never stopped looking for her."

"Why are you telling me this."

"Because eventually, reality starts to settle in, and my duties to you and my people come before anything else."

"Are you saying you are giving up?"

"No, I am not! Simply changing my priorities."

Stella gasps as does Melena and Soul. Dillon still doesn't react. I honestly cannot tell if he is still processing the information or just in complete shock.

"Cadence, I-."

"-You are asking me to stop too, aren't you. To give up on her."

"No! I am asking you to prepare. You are next in line to become ruler of the Sulis Empire. There is still so much to prepare you for."

"And we leave mom behind?"

"This is what she wants for you. This what she always wanted for you. Do not dishonor her legacy by rejecting this."

"But you dishonor hers by abandoning her."

"Cadence-!"

-Suddenly the screen shuts off and everything goes quiet again. I pull out my weapon and turn on the flashlight.

"What just happened?" Dillon asks.

"Soul." Melena asks, "Report."

He doesn't respond.

"Soul! Report!"

Still silence.

"I don't like this." Stella asks.

"Demi. Where are you?"

"Here."

"Lets get everyone together. Follow the sound of-."

-A light activates in the corner. Two glowing eyes rise up and stare at all of us.

Melena, Dillon, and I all aim our weapons at the glowing figure, who we immediately discover to be Soul as the light shines on him. Melena attempts to run toward him, but Dillon grabs her by the arm, stopping her.

"Let me go!"

"Something is wrong."

I step forward to get a closer look at him. He looks like Soul, but he doesn't move like him. He's almost like a dead corpse walking. He turns to me and a demented smile grows on his face.

"Hello, hello." He says. "What a surprise."

"Who are you?" Dillon demands.

Soul immediately turns his head to him, but in a strange way, like a puppet on strings. His whole body just jerks along with him.

"Well this is interesting. If it isn't the prince and princess of Sulis, and we even have a member of the SDF, too. My, we have a packed crowd today."

"That's impossible." I said.

"Is it not. And I thought you were dead on the ship, yet here we are. You are going to make a fine connection into the databanks."

"You're supposed to be dead. What happened to Soul?"

"As I said before, all things are through me, for I am the original."

"Demi?" Melena asks, "Who is this?"

"The A.I. we thought was destroyed. Legion."

His demented smile grows even more.

"Hmm. And you, my purple eyed friend have become...very interesting."