Phoning for a Cause (Sess)

[ShadowVigilante1]

September 4, OE 102
The Bianceve, Space Noah class I, Shirogane
10:13 p.m.

Whilst the Bianceve was en route to the frontlines Switzerland, Dimidas sat at his private desk. Whilst the ship didn’t offer much in terms of comfort, at least it made up for it in utility. Papers with different files on individuals were spread across his desk, seems like he’s been doing some homework. He would sigh deeply as he ran his hands through his hair, even using his thumbs to massage his temples due to a long and stressful day of paperwork. It wasn’t his favorite, but it’s not exactly something he can ignore. Finding the right individuals to call upon was not an easy task, he needed to know if they were reliable or had the spirit for what he was about to ask them, let alone if they would be willing to listen.

”I suppose candidate 1 will have to suffice for now.” He would lower his hands down towards the holographic keys of his computer, quickly moving to access an encrypted call app on his desktop. He would then type down a number, but would hesitate to press the call button. What if they don’t accept? After all, he is working for the enemy. But honesty with a person such as this man would clearly get you far, so he resolved himself to tell the truth.

With the push a button, a call would be sent out. Sent to one James Steelheart.

 

[Hitura Rael]

The girls both needed time and space. Both had just lost someone they loved and found themselves alone in a way. He had been through it before, losing both of his biological parents and almost losing his sister. It left a void that could not be filled or healed, only adjusted to. He had no right to grieve either death, not in the way they both did. It was up to him to be strong for them. And thus... James had the most annoying duty of keeping an eye on their route. The wonder of snow and natural earth landscaping wore off quickly as it zipped by, barely able to pick out the details he wanted to see. This was boring. Extremely boring. So so very boring.

He spent the last hour just trying to get comfortable, though the clock lied and said it had only been five minutes. There was no way it was only five minutes, he had tried all the positions at least four times! That took at least an hour right? He didn't want anything to happen. He preferred the boredom to the girls being interrupted. It afforded him too much time to think if he didn't focus on being bored. He couldn't fall asleep either. He shouldn't fall asleep at least...

He practically jumped out of his skin and definitely fell out of his chair, his phone suddenly buzzing alight in his pocket blaring the campy action show tune he had set to a ring tone. His first priority was to glance around and make sure no one had seen him so ungracefully fallen onto his face. Then, with a burning red face, answered with a frown to the unfamiliar face staring back. "Who are you?"

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

James would come face to face with a man with dark hair, red nearly expressionless eyes, and what appeared to be dark scales crawling up their neck and chin. Seeing that he picked up the call, he would give a slight smile, the slight elation in his voice was quite genuine.

”Ah, good. You answered. I hope that this call isn’t much of a disturbance for you. But if recent events are anything to go by, it’s best that I set this record straight now.”

Dimidas would move forward in his chair a bit, his face moving closer to the monitor and the camera. He seemed to be readying himself to seemingly drop a few mind bombs on James, so he decided to get comfortable.

”My name is Dimidietas Corbyn, but you can just call me Dimidas. I currently work under Jericho, your enemy in a sense. You must be James Steelheart, is that right? I have an offer… no not an offer. A call to action, rather. Are you interested in hearing the rest? I understand if you believe I’m speaking nonsense all of a sudden, but I hope that you will at the very least give me this chance.”

He would sigh at his own words, he sounded like a raving orator. Flailing about talking of prophecy that to him, feels all too true somewhere in the back of his gut. He just hoped that this man wouldn’t put down the phone out of the sheer awkwardness of this conversation.

 

[Hitura Rael]

The man on the other side of the screen certainly looked different than most of the people in the universe. Maybe he was like wolf girl? Or the fish girl he happened to miss when he ran from the palace. That was the one thing he regretted. Whoever he was seemed excited to see him though... and that tended to go bad more than good.

”Ah, good. You answered. I hope that this call isn’t much of a disturbance for you. But if recent events are anything to go by, it’s best that I set this record straight now.”

"No disturbance at all," A welcome disturbance more like. Anything to stop thinking. But reasserting that one lie would never ever stop. I am fine. "By all means, please set the record straight." He would listen, but that didn't mean he'd believe the man.

”My name is Dimidietas Corbyn, but you can just call me Dimidas. I currently work under Jericho, your enemy in a sense. You must be James Steelheart, is that right? I have an offer… no not an offer. A call to action, rather. Are you interested in hearing the rest? I understand if you believe I’m speaking nonsense all of a sudden, but I hope that you will at the very least give me this chance.”

James raised an eyebrow, a mixture of intrigue and curiosity. His face did little to hide it, he was terrible at lying and had no poker face. That's how he ended up twelve rounds and a party platter of baked goods in debt to Merida once. The fact that the man rambled on after introducing himself atleast showed he was genuine in his introduction. Most others of the commanders would probably have hung up or started trying to negotiate surrender. Should he do that? Wait, was he the one in the 'negotiate your surrender' seat?

He frowned, steeled his face, then softened his expression. Memories of Gerart's betrayal flashed through his mind. There was a possibility he had overlooked. Turncoat seeking amnesty. He looked young and sounded nervous, being a hardass could wait. If this guy was a turncoat or in the position to negotiate something peaceful...

"Yes, I am James Steelheart. You are an enemy officer calling an enemy officer with an offer, that's not nonsense. I'll hear you out."

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

Dimidas would sigh with relief, well that was the hardest part down, now for the second hardest section. The call to action proper. He just hoped his words would reach through to him.

”I am… not of this world. I am what you know as an Outsider if I am not mistaken. I was created to be the ultimate soldier, I was made to be humanity’s salvation. But… it was not meant to be sadly. My world like many others was…”

He paused for a moment, he lacked even the details to describe what had happened. It was getting even harder and harder to picture what exactly had happened, or rather what exactly caused the disaster that tore his world down to its very foundation.

”It was consumed in darkness.” he said mustering what image he could of the whole situation. He even felt that the image got hazier the more he tried to recall what came from deep depths of the stary ocean of his dimension.

”Our governments… fractured. Our forces… decimated. My friends, my loved ones, they’re… gone. All gone.” he remembered what Tilde had told him, to let go of his past and become something new. But how does a test tube soldier do that exactly? He was built for one purpose alone, and that was all he knew as a goal. It felt like he was being suffocated from the inside and choked from the outside, leaving him bereft of air to think.

”But whatever thing did that… whatever evil monstrosity. I just know that it’s not the end, the same will come for this place eventually. So, I wish to form a group of trustworthy and influential people who unity us and stave off this threat. And that is why I am contacting you, James.”

Dimidas would readjust himself on his seat once again, getting himself out of his mental discomfort.

“I’m looking to you as an ally… I might not be trustworthy at all, having just met you. But I am willing to put my trust in a soul such as yourself. I’ll earn it, I assure you.” He would give pause for James to process what he had just said. “Is that acceptable?”

 

[Hitura Rael]

”I am… not of this world. I am what you know as an Outsider if I am not mistaken. I was created to be the ultimate soldier, I was made to be humanity’s salvation. But… it was not meant to be sadly. My world like many others was…”

Ok, so far so good. That part was definitely believable given what he had learned in the past months. No gloating or asking for surrender yet.

”It was consumed in darkness.”

James frowned down at the screen again. That sounded all too familiar. A prophecy he already knew about that loomed over his head. One that all he had was a prophetic dream to counter the looming doom.

”It was consumed in darkness. Our governments… fractured. Our forces… decimated. My friends, my loved ones, they’re… gone. All gone. But whatever thing did that… whatever evil monstrosity. I just know that it’s not the end, the same will come for this place eventually. So, I wish to form a group of trustworthy and influential people who unity us and stave off this threat. And that is why I am contacting you, James. I’m looking to you as an ally… I might not be trustworthy at all, having just met you. But I am willing to put my trust in a soul such as yourself. I’ll earn it, I assure you.”

For some reason he felt... relief. A weight simultaneously lifted from his shoulders while being reminded it was there to drag him down. He was not alone in this goal, someone had the sense to work with him. There was no other way to fight back the looming destruction; this was not something meant for one man to shoulder. This was something everyone needed to be united in. He closed his eyes briefly, recentering himself. Balance... Yes, that was the answer. A maliciousness so dark that it sought to destroy everything could not be fought back by one man, even if he had all twelve of the spheres. What good were they if they were not in harmony?

“Is that acceptable?”

He opened his eyes and nodded to Dimidas. "I know what you speak of... And I know how to drive it back. I am unfortunately stuck on the way to Berlin." It would be a risk to divulge the spheres to him... but what other choice did he have? This man was risking a lot to reach out to him, he deserved some trust. "There are twelve spheres that give off dimensional energy. I think we need all twelve to drive the darkness back. I don't think one person needs all twelve either. As long as all the holders are in harmony and stand together... This isn't something for one person to shoulder alone. It's never that easy. Everyone has to stand together... I think we all need to stand together against the darkness. The good news is... I have an ally with at least one sphere. The bad news is... I have little idea on where the others are, besides the bastard that crow faced bastard-"

Balance waivered and leaned on the crutch of the lie - I am fine. James took a deep breath and schooled his features before they shifted to anger. "We will have to take this one step at a time. And the first step is dealing with the issue in Berlin. Then... maybe... we can try to find the others..."

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

“Good… I see. I am in your debt. And you say you are already aware of the threat? I heard there have been similar entities cropping up in the past few months, and you say there are more like them? And these… Spheres? What exactly will happen when you bring them together, and do they do anything individually?”

This was beginning to become quite interesting to say the least, information right out the gate. Now that was his kind of intel gathering, no need to research. They just say it up front. Dimidas would lean forward, pitching his ears to what James had further to say on the topic.

”As for Berlin, I doubt it will be resolved so quickly. Jericho has multiple prototypes in his hands, and the mass production units are anything beyond what the Mass Production Huckebeins are capable of. Safe to say, it will remain at a stalemate for quite some time.“

The Lunarians could tip the balance, if they were willing enough to help. But given the technology used in the Ascalon, the Antennora, and that rumored new member made it harder for Dimidas to see anything but a stalemate.

”With my current position I doubt I will be able to simply leave this faction either, there’s a lot I don’t know about it or who I am working for. It’s best that I remain here for the time being, it would serve us well I believe.”

Dimidas would then bring up a full set of dossiers onto the screen, a couple of names included were high ranking officials of Endymion, Selene among them. There were also a few smaller names, the group Ultimate Cross, and one of which belonged to a small group of junkers in Australia. What was he planning with this wacky list of characters?

”In the meantime, I’ll share with you a list of people who I believe will share a similar cause to us. I’m sure you’re familiar with a couple of faces already, but others not so much. If you can, I hope that we can both garner their support before the coming storm. Last time I revealed plans such as this, it was already too late. So best to speak of them now or forever hold my peace. Are you up for this?”

 

[Hitura Rael]

"The Pale Lady has been freaking out about it for a while apparently." He was not about to divulge more... that would involve telling this man about the sphere's abilities he held, and he was not ready for that. More trust was needed. "I am aware of -a- threat. Given I fought a fucking giant zombie crab whale not too long ago I'm sure there's a myriad out there. But the one the Pale Lady is freaking out about is the biggest one and wiping out entire worlds sounds about right for it."

James leaned back in his seat and ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know what each one does. I don't know what will happen if they're brought into synch. All I know is... I'm supposed to bring them into synch." With no guarantee of Berlin going well... The spheres given to him by the Archer and the one won from the eldrich horror could be the key to tipping the scales. Not being able to communicate was disorienting, eliminated coordination among allies... Perhaps with that a small strike team could tip the balance...

"If you want to leave, we can arrange for you to be taken captive. We can make it convincing too. But if you think you need to stay... We'll make the clashes convincing and I'll do my best to make sure you don't get killed. Knowing what you fight with would help, some way to identify you on the field." An inside man would be a great boon... He'd have to make a thorough report once they reached Berlin. He scanned through the names, nodding at them. "I'll reach out to who I can within Endymion... I don't know when I'll be able to reach out to the rest. I'll likely have to go hunt them down."

James nodded without hesitation. "I'm in. The danger we're in supersedes everything else. These are petty squabbles of kids on the playground fighting over a sandbox compared to what looms in the darkness. Send me what you can, I'll reach out to as many as possible." Trust had to be given. There was no choice, this was bigger than Berlin or death cults, after all.

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

“The Pale Lady? I’m not familiar with that name either, is that something you can tell me more about?” Well, it was worth trying to ask about the Spheres but that seemed to be a no go for now. They must be quite powerful to fall into the wrong hands it that’s the case. But what he said was… worrying to say the least.

”Entire worlds? That’s… beyond what I would have imagined. Regardless, it’s still best to prepare for such an eventuality in the event they do arrive. As for what I’ll be piloting…” Dimidas would send a file on the Wildschwein Mk-III plans he had. Mainly just a render of the finished design. “Here, I’m still looking for a better machine but at the moment this is what I have.”

Then came the concern regarding the dossiers, he would rest his chin on top of the backs of his hands as he thought for a moment. “Alright, you can handle the Empress as you have a direct connection to her, the Director however is a different story. I doubt his ability to lead given what I assume to be the dissolving of Task Force Upsilon, but he has the resources and will be critical to securing enough for another force to take Upsilon’s place.” He would lower his arms as he leaned back into his chair, placing them back on the arm rests. “You can leave UX and the junkers to me, money and a few good promises are all they need for now. I hear those junkers at least run a very good shop despite being isolated from the rest of the world, even restore old military hardware that never saw the light of day. Sometimes all you need is some old world steel to defend yourself.”

”I will be sure to update you if any other group of people catch my eye. The Combine are out of reach for the moment, so it’s best to shore up what we have here near Earth. That will be all then. I thank you for giving me this opportunity, James.” He would slightly bow towards the monitor, showing James he had his trust and respect through the small gesture.

 

[Hitura Rael]

"The Pale Lady is a deity on the moon." No need to tell him anything more than the briefest of lore. That was a need to know highly classified thing, after all. And they didn't get along, she and James. She was far too hasty and in general... he didn't like her. But he would protect her, grudgingly.

"Entire worlds makes sense given a deity is terrified of it." He nodded, thankfully impressing upon the other man the direness of the situation. James ignored the files for now to focus on the call. "I'll have my partner look them over later and find a way to mark you to all the units deployed to not bang you up too much." Perhaps when they extracted him, if he proved himself dedicated to the cause of dealing with the storm on the horizon, they could give him a machine of his own or fund one. That was something in his power right?

James nodded, "Yeah, I'll handle sis and Sullivan. Let me know if you need help with the Junkers." The shift in his face screamed interest in the topic, once Dimidas mentioned the old world military tech. James couldn't help it. Old junk was interesting. Soldier, knight, prince... Whatever title people used for him, "nerd" was the most fitting title of them all. James nodded his head toward Dimidas, "Thank you for reaching out. You're putting yourself in danger for it. That takes dedication. Maybe... long shot we can get your boss to listen and join hands rather than continue at each others throats. Worth a try, right?"

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

“I see... So, even gods can cower in fear. Well, then I see no reason why we will fail.” He said a bit jokingly to lighten the mood, Tilde was quite good at it until fairly recently. He’d have to ask her what was going on, when she comes back from being spirited away somewhere that is.

“Just leave the marker for yourself. It’ll be more real if your men try to fight me. I’ll try not to be too rough with them, no guarantees of course. It is still a war after all.” Of course, he knows that in a battle of this scale, casualties are inevitable. Body count will go up, injuries will pile on, and things will of course go boom. No way around it. “I hope you understand, it’s merely a fact. The calculus of war exists whether we want it or not. I would like to keep it that way for the time being, some people are still itching for a fight. Give it some time, they will be easier to calm down eventually if this goes on longer than expected.”

”Affirmative, will call you if I need further assistance. As for danger, I can handle it, I was quite literally born for it. If I come across anything of great note, I will send it your way.” Well… long shot it was. He didn’t know what Jericho wanted at all. He seemed like the type to be quite deadest on his goals the day he met him. Whatever it was he was fighting for, it would take him a lot of convincing to join forces. “Well, hopefully. Any other concerns?”

 

[Hitura Rael]

"Gods only cower when they go to war with stronger gods." The joke seemed lost on James. Rumors from the Lunarian Kingdom would have placed the boy as a jokester, regularly pulling pranks within the palace and on Selene or meetings. James nodded along at the marker comment, "Of course." He'd agree now but he was going to discuss this meeting with the Director, for sure. "I would appreciate you not die in this coming battle. Finding allies for this is scarce enough. You don't look much older than me either."

"I'm going to try to talk this situation down before anything though. Any information you can give me on the head of this organization would help. Even down to the 'he's a dick and he doesn't pay us overtime' kind of details will help." Knowing the enemy would help, and in worst case scenario... they could come up with some minimal deployment tactics and block communications with the Crab. He missed Johana already. "No other concerns. Stay alive Dimidas."

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

“Don’t worry, I’m a very hard man to kill. If you ever find my body on the ground, I’m just playing dead.” He sounded quite confident in himself at that, he hoped there won’t be any further complications. Otherwise, he wouldn’t know what to do if he happened to die. What of the memory of those who fought with? What then?

”Curious about my age I see. Well, I’m in my mid-20s, 24 to be more precise. Is it unusual for you?” He wasn’t sure why he made that comment, but he thought he’d clear that up to eliminate any concerns of his. Speaking of other concerns, Jericho. He knew next to nothing on what the man wanted, other than that… “As for what I know on Jericho, he catapulted himself through the ranks by getting things done. The day I met him, he was very clearly a man of action, not one who sits around in an office waiting for the frontlines to move. And as far as I know, most of the tech we use are from old abandoned Directory projects. So he likely knew about most of them or hand his hand in them before the Directory’s collapse. No specifics on anything other than that. So very likely, if he’s already garnered this much support before Endymion’s formation, he’s quite charismatic in a way. Even I find myself to be drawn to him somehow… what was it that he said?”

It would take Dimi a moment to recall what exactly he had said to him the day they met. Everything was still clearing up after that adrenaline rush of confusion at the time.

"Still, you must understand - the mere possibility that I was able to activate this mobile weapon is cause for celebration, to say nothing of the fact that it was ultimately capable of executing a spatial transfer. This is the future. This is hope. If I can complete these designs, these paths, then humanity can finally be placed beneath a unified aegis, and the threats that would have us trampled beneath our own soil could be brought to an end. If you have any sense - any willingness to protect life, then we will not be opponents. This is neither the time nor the place for things to get worse."

The future? Hope? If anything, his goal was just the same. That was why he joined. But that… monster of a machine. There was something off about it. It seemed to be the antithesis of hope. A harbinger of absolute order, an immovable object. Could it be that it was the method that differed rather than the goal? “He seemingly wants the same thing as we do, except I have this feeling I can’t put my finger on… That being how he will carry it out.” He couldn’t say for certain how he would do it. But if the method was spacial transfer… then his goal certainly lies beyond this time and place.

”Regardless, I will remain vigilant and remain our bridge. If he wishes for us to come to terms, I will contact you as soon as I am able. After Berlin, I plan to do more digging into just what he’s planning and who’s involved.”

 

[Hitura Rael]

"Don't get too cocky, that will get you or someone else killed." Okay so he was wrong. Dimidas was older than him. That stung, everyone seemed older than him. And yet everyone seemed to be looking to him to lead or be a pillar. He shook his head and bit his bottom lip, as if fighting against something sour in his mouth to keep his expression from showing it. He missed just being a knight, little responsibilities... The only standards to work toward being those his Dad and those stories he chased had laid down.

"No. Not unusual at all. I'm getting pretty used to being the youngest idiot on the field leading the older folks foolish enough to follow him." Maybe he could work something out with the Director to learn from him, let Sullivan lead while he took second in command or something. He was going to get more people killed at this rate.

He rubbed his chin in thought, then wrote down what Dimidas had said about Jericho. A doer, not one to wait around. Perhaps it would be best to assume that he knew they were on their way. Still, this was good, it meant an agreement may be able to be reached. This waste of life could possibly be avoided. Even if he had to defy the Director he would find a way to stop this brawl. He couldn't let anyone else die because of his failures.

James nodded at Dimidas, "Okay. I'm open to discussion with him as soon as he's ready. I want to avoid unnecessary blood shed. Each life lost is a tragedy and one less to stand against the coming tide. I have this feeling we'll need... everyone we can get. Stay safe Dimidas."

James ended the call and immediately brought up messaging screens. First, he called Jo, she was closest and least likely to berate him for entertaining the discussion with the enemy. Then, he reached out to Sullivan, who was the most likely to yell at him for it, let alone not checking in after the fight with the giant golden fart cloud making zombie crab whale thing.

To Johana, he was more open. "I know you're probably tired of my face and voice at this point. I wanted to keep you appraised of the situation. I just got off a call with a member of Jericho. A young man, obviously older than me, claimed to be an outsider from another world, which given my sister met a fish and I spent some time with a wolf-girl I believe him. He said his world was consumed by darkness and that whatever did it is coming for our world. Which, knowing what I do, I believe. He wants to create a unified front to fight it and is seeking allies. I vaguely told him about the spheres and omitted what we currently have. He gave me some information on Jericho's forces and mass produced machines. He's predicting a drawn out stalemate. He gave me a list of figures to reach out to and pull into the alliance. I'm going to try to negotiate some kind of peacefull solution with Jericho. What he told me... doesn't give me the greatest of confidence but there's a chance and I have to take it. If you have any insight or information on the guy, I'd appreciate it. I'll keep you appraised of the situation."

To Sullivan, he hid things. "Steelheart checking in. The enemy has been neutralized, we suffered a casualty of a third party ally against the Black Crow. Their sacrifice enabled us to eliminate the Black Crow but consensus is he is not dead, somehow. We are en route to meet up in Berlin. I was contacted by one Dimidas of the Jericho Faction. He seeks an alliance against a great threat that destroyed his world. He provided information on Jericho. A doer, not a coward. Idealist probably. I am going to attempt to reach out and negotiate some sort of peace between us and get him on our side against the coming storm."

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

Dimidas sighed as the call ended. Despite the call only lasting a few minutes, his body was… exhausted. Something had sapped his strength, but what? He didn’t get tired from talking, that was for sure. He was all but certain that certain prospects filling his mind began to put a strain on his mental well-being. He went back, reflecting on what Tilde had told him when they first met. She and Jericho may have shared something in common with each other. He would think back to Greece, where they first met each other, and where he acted very much like a lost pup.

"Providence has seen fit to bring you here, to liberate you when all others perished. You survived because you were different. I don't care what happened to you before, because what transpired in a dead world doesn't matter to anyone. Not anymore."

She believed that fate is what brought him here. While he was no believer in religion, he couldn’t help but agree that it felt like someone pulled some strings to ensure his survival. But why did she believe that what happened in the world before was irrelevant in the present? Whatever he could have seen, if it could be made clearer could be of aid to everyone for a possible coming storm.

”Today, your new life begins.”

A new life, yes. That would seemingly go for her as well.

Dimidas moved over to a file he had on his device regarding the intel he had gathered on Tilde so far. An old habit which she would be unhappy of, but it never hurt to do some homework.

It all started out simple. A new star, rising up to the stage. She was bright, bubbly, young, and naive. Not to mention she was an instant hit. Performance after performance led her to places the young star could have only dreamed of. She was wanted, no she was needed by her fans and group. She poured out everything just to sing, even one time being recorded as being quite bold to sing without the rest of her idol group mates. By then it was clear she ran the show. But then something… unexpected happened.

Young EX-Calibur Star in Horrific Accident

A terrible headline to say the least. What followed as nothing short of a tragedy.

“Late last evening, EX-Calibur group member Matilda Cortaine was caught in a car accident after a performance earlier in the night. The accident in question ended up crushing her legs. However, that was not the only thing that was damaged, the accident also greatly traumatized her vocal chords. It is possible that she no longer has the ability to sing, much less talk. She was rushed to the hospital and is said to be currently unable to perform. It is unclear if the young star will ever make a return to the stage.”

The whole article read like an autopsy report. It was almost like they were proclaiming she was dead. But any ordinary human being would think the same if they read her condition to be as such. But even he knew, people such as that were still living. He knew that even devoid of most senses, a person could still stand and fight. No mention of her was made in any later articles it seems, and barely any in previously made ones. Suffice to say, the fact that she’s here showed she had a fighting chance. Another life of her own as she stated herself. Was she offered something? Did she not care about the people here and now… but rather what the future held?

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

”I must be getting it over my head…” Dimi planted his face into his two palms. Frustration and confusion filled his hidden features as his fingers cradled his forehead. He wanted to understand her, what drove her mad, what made her chose this path. But he had yet to put the dots together. Just what exactly she wanted, what Jericho offered.

Dimi lifted his head off his hands as he stared down at the pair of rings adorning his chain necklace, as it stayed rested in his hands. “Please… talk to me Ash… How can I do it? How can I save everyone if I can’t even understand them?“ His voice began to strain slightly as his eyes began to well up slightly with emotion. “You deserved this chance as much as I did… Why did you throw away your life for mine?” A few drops of tears fell upon his hands, the callous skin becoming slightly softer as the dew of his tears came to rest.

”Why?” Dimi asked silently to himself.

”WHY?”

Dimi suddenly begin the wail, for the first time since he arrived all he could think of was the grief of that moment. It all but echoed in the back of his mind, but the feelings of that moment were bubbling right to the surface.