Our Homelands PART 2

Before we start the one-shot, I want to explain why it is so late. There will be some darker themes in my explanation, so here is your trigger warning. If you want to skip this and go straight to the one-shot, I won't be mad.

First off, the following two parts are the size of three big chapters, and that takes more time...

But the real reason is that I'm struggling. If you have followed me for a while, you may know I suffer from clinical depression, PTSD, anxiety, and more. It comes mostly in waves, and sometimes things trigger it, sometimes it just happens naturally. I was going through a really rough patch for a few weeks, and I learned something a few days ago that stopped everything for me.

I learned that on November 16, 2020, one of my childhood friends took his own life.

He was the kid everyone knew, who made everyone smile. We had an inside joke that I could never pronounce his last name correctly, and when I had no friends, he sat with me in the library now and then, just to make sure I was okay. I lost contact with him when we went to high school, though I knew he was still in the area. We saw each other at the occasional football game or party, and it was like nothing changed. But then I learned from a phone call a few days ago from one of our mutual friends about his decision. I never even knew he was struggling, struggling in the same way I do.

I've dealt with grief before in my life, but this is something I can't even properly put my head around. IRL, I struggle to emote properly and let people know just how much they mean to me, and I have that nagging thought that keeps gnawing away at me.

If I stayed in contact with him, if I let him know what effect he has on this world, could it have changed the outcome?

I hate the feeling of being powerless, of not being able to help or change something. But I know life is all about being powerless sometimes. A lot of my struggles goes into my writing. One of the ways is with Sophie. Last chapter, Sophie had a major panic attack.

That is because I write my characters as if they live and breathe just like us, and Sophie has been through shit. But in the original KOTLC books, she never showed any signs of her PTSD, and I grew tired of it. All of the characters just feel like cardboard cutouts. I want characters to scream and cry, to be angry, and have people around them who know how to help and heal each other. Because that is what real people need. And though my friend had that, it still wasn't enough to make him think he deserved to stay.

I'm still going through denial and this has only worsened my depression. Not only is one of my childhood friends dead, but I'm burnt out and tired from school and my home life. And I don't want to go back to the dark places in my mind that I fought out of. This story makes me so happy, and so do all of you. You have no idea how much I love to see you all enjoying the story of Amalia Hera Morretti.

I see almost every single one of your comments and questions, and I try to answer all of them. Your theories make me smile as you all try to figure out the mysteries of this world I created. So you can imagine my surprise when when one of my readers contacted me, asking to create an AAD community book. It's called AAD and GOMLS Community, Assemble!  Which is the snazziest name I've ever seen. Though I won't create an AAD community book myself, this reader took it upon themselves to create one! So don't only interact with my book, but theirs as well!

It seems like a really fun idea and I'm excited to see what you all come up with!

After this post and part 3 coming out tomorrow, I'm going on a one to two-week hiatus to try and settle down, try to recharge, and deal with not only my depression but my grief. I know I've been gone for a little while, but this is an official and short hiatus. This one-shot part is the size of three normal chapters to kinda make up for it and finish this bit of the Homelands short story. But, I still want you all to read and comment! Tell me everything you think about my stories, all of your theories and criticism. Make posts on my board, comment on chapters, talk with one another! Discuss what is going to happen to Sophie and Ruy's relationship or the best Soruy moments, or how they are going to take down Mephala, or conquer the Neverseen! I will try to respond to them, even on hiatus, though I might be a bit slower.

Please, if not for them then for me, tell someone you think might be struggling how much they mean to you. You don't know when they will be gone.

I miss you, Johnny.

Thank you for all your love,

Mallory <3

(Turn down the music if you play it, it gets intense pretty fast and it's just meant for the background. But it fits the vibe)

Sophie and Ruy fell through the whirlpool and landed on their feet in a solid black room, sopping wet and out of breath.

The landing didn't hurt, but there wasn't a shed of light in the entire room.

Sophie only knew Ruy was still there because of his panting.

"Why didn't it hurt?" Sophie whispered.

"The material the floor is built with." Ruy quietly answered, "It absorbs all of the shock and disperses it."

Sophie gaped as a small exit split through the room of solid black, blue light shining through.

Sophie and Ruy glanced at each other, only seeing the outline of their bodies from the blue light.

But they stepped through into the light.

"Oipho," Sophie cursed in Inalian, gaping at the long glass tunnel running along the ocean floor. The bright white light reflected into the water, lighting it all up so you could see the various fish and sea creatures perusing outside the glass tunnel.

Ruy just kinda blinked at it, "They've upgraded since I've been here last."

The tunnel was dead quiet, the only sound was the echoes of their footsteps and gentle sloshing of the ocean breaking far above them. The moonlight broke through the ocean's surface to reflect long beams that dissipated right above the tunnel, you could very faintly hear the sound of the Santa Monica pier above.

"Game face on, Blondie" Ruy whispered.

Sophie let the amazement on her face melt away as the tunnel grew wider and other tunnels branched off, her expression growing cold and uninterested.

It was a pretty empty base, but those who were inhabiting it looked like they could kill Sophie just by blowing on her.

"Where are we going?" Sophie whispered.

"I have two places in mind." Ruy whispered back.

The tunnels turned into metal rooms with messy plans with menacing soldiers surrounding strategy tables. Or they were glass rooms lined with more weapons than Sophie can count.

The Black Swan had no idea these guys even existed. Just how large is the Neverseen operation?

Ruy nodded to an Omega that passed them, the Omega returning the gesture and not even sparing a glance at Sophie. The Omega didn't even notice Ruy slid their card out from their belt.

Ruy soon stopped in front of a large metal door and slid the card along the scanner.

"The archive," He whispered to Sophie. Ruy locked the door behind them and explained.

"This is the archive of all known Omega operations. Since we are looking for the Omegas in Inalia, we should look through the files since the Fall of Inalia." Ruy brought her to the very back of the room and hucked off his jacket, throwing it over the back of a foldable chair. Sophie squinted around in the darkness, finding a small strand hanging from a connection of lightbulbs. Sophie pulled on it, watching the lights flicker on.

But Ruy reacher over her shoulder, Sophie freezing at the warmth of him behind her, and pulled the string again.

"No good. No one is supposed to be in here." He whispered, the breath of his voice blowing against the back of Sophie's neck.

Sophie shimmied away, glaring at the various boxes and files.

Ruy wasn't kidding when he said the Omegas were kinda out of the loop. This reminded Sophie of the old archive of the library across the street from her house when she lived with the humans, dusty folders and dustier papers.

Ruy's hands flickering with blue light, a blue shield encasing his hand that shone a gentle blue light onto the folders he pulled out.

Sophie glanced at her hands, remembering the gentle blue and white lightning her father could summon.

The last time Sophie used her charger powers, she blew up a wild flock of Carvo birds.

Sophie took a deep breath, imagining her veins spanning across her arms and body. She imagined the little bits of electricity traveling to her hands, the flickering power flowing through her veins as water flows through a river.

Sophie resisted the urge to squeal at the sight of gentle white lightning adorning her fingertips, her own mini flashlight that lit up the rows of boxes.

Ruy glanced over his shoulder at the lightning the was now encasing her wrists and palms, Sophie trying thread the tiny bolts through her fingers. Sophie smiled at him victoriously, and he just turned back to his files, "Neat trick."

Sophie humphed, but started searching through the files, the light of her lightning illuminating the pages for her.

It was a series of operations Sophie had no idea about. Sabotages of Elvin records, displacement of Vatarian families in order to keep Inalia in the Neverseen's hands.

The Omegas took orders directly from the Lord Regent, and there were no incidents of any rebellion.

"Ruy, there is nothing here." Sophie mumbled. Ruy looked just as tired as her, and they didn't have all the time in the world.

Ruy ran a hand down his face, "I have one place in mind, but, I wouldn't recommend it Blondie."

Sophie groaned, running her finger over the tips of files from a box that was behind all the others.

"Well, we're already here, aren't we? Let's do it-" Sophie didn't realize she passed it at first, but she knew that symbol anywhere.

Scrawled on one of the little folders was an empty arrowhead.

The symbol of the Cyevan Assassins. And the family crest of the Morretti family.

Sophie blinked at the fairly large file before whipping it out of the box.

"Blondie, what are you-" Sophie splayed the contents over one of the tables, shifting through them.

"Woah," Ruy breathed.

It was her entire family.

Not just her father and aunt. But her grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, all going back far too many years.

A file on Great Uncle Claudio, the very man who told Sophie's father about their heritage.

Grandfather Damien and Grandmother Hypatia, Allesandro and Maria's parents.

Great Aunt Carlotta Morretti, former Assassin mentore, their second cousin Irena Morretti, the Assassin that liberated the lands south of Rensianca, Great Great Grandfather Armani, Assassin Mentore and master spy.

Gabriel Morretti, Celso Morretti, Diomedes Morretti...

Sophie flipped through all of the pages in a flurry, her eyes widening and her breath catching more with each name. There was one thing in common with them all.

Deceased.

Morretti, deceased, Morretti, deceased, Morretti, deceased.

Sophie remembers what they say about her family.

"They were hunted like dogs."

"Slaughtered like animals."

Sophie felt sick. Ruy smartly slid the large file away from her.

"They have files on everyone in my family, going back generations," Sophie mumbled with her head in her hands, the lightning adorning her hand not even bothering her. Ruy flipped through the massive folder himself, scanning over the various names and files.

Sophie took deep breaths, the lightning growing stronger. She often forgot how big her family was once.

Ruy cringed looking through the files, "Soph, these don't belong to the Neverseen."

Sophie spun around, "What?"

"They always watermark any documents that belong to their archive," Ruy snatched another file he was looking at, holding them for comparison. He was right, they were different. The one about the Morrettis had smaller print, more off-color paper, an unfamiliar watermark on the side of the page, but the Neverseen were signed off on it.

"But why is it here?"

"One of their allies I'm guessing. An ally of theirs that really doesn't like your family."

"But who-"

Light filled the dark archive room, the creaky door announcing someone's entry. Ruy and Sophie dropped to the ground, peeking through the boxes on the rickety shelves.

"I'm telling you, Jericho, I saw someone in here." A voice whispered.

Sophie and Ruy glanced at each other, and Ruy gently grabbed her wrist. He led her through the maze of shelves, both of them not even allowing their boots to scuff the floor.

"You're a paranoid person, I am a busy man. The Omegas in Inalia asked for reinforcements-"

Sophie froze in her spot, even though Ruy kept tugging on her wrist.

"Reinforcements? Why-"

Jericho shushed the other Omega, his eyes trained on the back tables where they were previously working. Sophie kept her eyes on Jericho through the gaps of the shelves, even as Ruy dragged her through the room. Jericho's brown hair was buzzcut, his skin a dark brown that contrasted his green army jacket and black pants. His eyes were an aqua blue that harshly scanned over the room. Sophie looked at Ruy, who was turned to the propped open door. He gripped her wrist a little bit harder, shuffling both of them back as the other Omega in the room looked around a bit. Jericho's eyes looked tired, his eyebags were dark, but he was an absolute beast. Made of pure muscle and power, every step he took made her shiver.

"Someone is in here, you're right," Jericho muttered.

For a few moments, Sophie and Ruy remained as still as a mouse tucked behind one of the shelves. Ruy's grip on her wrist tightened as he stopped breathing, trying not to make a single noise as they tracked Jericho's footsteps.

Ruy reacted before Sophie could. He threw himself over her, his shields quickly humming to life over them as Jericho's hands slammed down upon them. Jericho growled as he shook off the pain of Ruy's shields, but the Inalians were both running.

Sophie and Ruy somehow lost each other as they darted through the maze of shelves that went so high it looked like they touched the ceiling. Sophie glanced through the shelves to see Ruy outrunning the other Omega. But where was Jericho?

Sophie skidded out of the shelves, the exit in sight.

But then Jericho grabbed her shoulder, yanking her back.

"Blondie!" Ruy called out, but the other Omega wrapped their arms around his neck and pulled him back into a shelf, knocking it over. Sophie felt the lightning ignite her blood, and she threw Jericho's arm off her shoulder, spinning on her heel to collide her lightning drenched fist right into his jaw. Jericho stumbled back, flipping over a desk and landing on the concrete floor with a smack, lightning searing his face. Sophie slid across the concrete to where the other Omega had Ruy in a headlock.

"What the hell-" From the floor, Sophie wrapped her legs around the Omega's knees. Ruy got the memo and elbowed the guy in the stomach, loosening his grip on his neck and sliding out. Now that Ruy was free, she locked ankles together and brought her legs down. The Omega came down hard, crashing into a table and unable to fight out of the corkscrew Sophie had put him in. He tried to wrassle out of it, but this Omega didn't seem to have the muscle mass of the others, and Sophie was stronger than him.

Sophie rolled over the corkscrew and moves her knees around his neck. He gasped and sputtered for air, but soon he stopped fighting, going unconscious. Sophie got up, gasping for breath.

"Let's go, let's go-" They both darted out into the random hallway and tried their hardest to blend back in.

"What's your plan?!" Sophie hissed to him as they sped walked through the hallway.

"I have another place in mind, but we don't have any time, they are going to raise alarms-"

A piercing screech made everyone jump and made Sophie look over her shoulder.

"Too late," She muttered. Jericho's hand was still on the alarm button as he glared at them, blood dripping down his head. His eyes widened at Ruy, and he snarled.

"Ignis."

"Fuck the plan- go! RUN!" Ruy barked at her. Sophie and Ruy dodged out of the way of Omegas and sprinted, side by side.

"STOP THEM!" Jericho screamed.

The mission started as a silent infiltration mission, and now Sophie and Ruy were running from a bunch of seething super soldiers.

"This could not have gone worse!" Sophie yelled as she ducked underneath a pair of arms trying to grab her, kicking their knees out from underneath them. Ruy rammed his fist into the face of an oncoming soldier, using his shields to slam others into the wall behind him.

"Just keep running!" Ruy yelled.

"Well, duh!" Sophie barked.

They turned the corner and Sophie cursed.

A dead end.

But Ruy ran to the wall at the end of the hallway feeling around the wall, and finally pulled out a small panel. He put in a code, muttering to himself.

The wall split into a massive glass room, easily the size of an army base. At the very back was a raised office space, sleek and secretive.

Ruy grabbed her by the waist and practically threw her in, following behind and clicking on the keypad on the other side. Jericho and the other Omegas skidded around the corner just as the door began to close. Jericho wore a face of pure anger, sprinting towards the two of them. but the door closed right in his face. Ruy wrote in the lock code and slamming the keypad, breaking it.

Sophie and Ruy panted, trying to ignore the angry pounding on the other side of the door.

"I want an executive order to open this door!"

"But sir-"

"I WANT IT NOW!" Jericho roared.

Sophie glanced at Ruy in worry, but he waved it away, "This hanger is old, it will take them at least 20 minutes to open it."

Ruy straightened and pointed to the office space near the back.

"That's an old office that belonged to the former commander of this place. They were the ones in charge of this Omega base during the time of the Fall of Inalia. We might get some files from his old shit." Ruy jogged over to the office, clicking his tongue in disapproval at the lack of stairs.

"They must have broken, they were pretty rickety." He muttered to himself.

Sophie shrugged, "We can just take a running start and jump-"

Instead of wasting time on that, Ruy picked Sophie up by her waist as if she were weightless, casually sitting her down on the raised platform before backing up a bit and jumping onto it himself. Sophie blinked, knowing her cheeks were going a bit red.

"That door bought us some time, but we still are on the clock. Let's get moving." Ruy muttered, quickly going over the documents on the desk.

"How did you know where this was?" Sophie asked, opening a desk cabinet.

Ruy was quiet for a few moments, "When I used to visit Jericho, we snuck away into here. Jericho is the one who told me about the old Commander's stuff."

"Ruy, you have to admit, we have locked ourselves in here."

"Not exactly."

"What do you mean not exactly?"

"You're going to think I'm crazy-"

"Just spit it out."

Ruy sighed and looked over his shoulder, to a rickety old elevator in a glass tube that runs to the surface of the water.

Sophie looked at the tube, then back at Ruy, then once more at the tube.

"Well, I don't think you're crazy." Sophie sighed.

"You don't?"

"No, I think you're completely mental. Insane. Mad. Nuts-"

"Do you have a better idea?" Ruy barked.

Sophie grumbled Inalian curse words that would cause Maria to smack her upside the head.

Oh gods, Maria.

When she finds out that Sophie snuck out in the middle of the night to go on a dangerous escapade, she wouldn't rest until Sophie got smack with her sandal and had a 2 hour talking to.

"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." Ruy asked.

"Just thinking about how to survive the wrath of my aunt when I get home." Sophie mumbled, turning back to the documents. Ruy hummed, smiling a bit trying to keep his laugh to himself. Sophie looked over a shoulder and snickered, Ruy's laugh tumbling out of him as well.

They continued to search in comfortable silence, making the occasional quips here and there.

Sophie never really expected to feel comfortable around a former Neverseen soldier, but with Ruy, it started to come naturally. Once that guard he kept around him came tumbling down, he felt like someone Sophie grew up with.

Sophie grumbled, her hands on her hips, and Ruy called over the bookshelf he was searching behind.

"Aw, what are you complaining about now?" Ruy mocked, his voice low and teasing.

"Do you want a list? Right now, I'm complaining about not finding-" Sophie stopped, a smile breaking her lips. "Nevermind. Ignis, get over here."

Ruy slid up behind her, looking over her shoulder at the thin file.

It was a small report, Sophie nearly overlooked it. But it held a brief excerpt about the Omegas stationed in Inalia. It also held a small list of certain chemicals and elements.

"They get distracted easily?" Ruy asked, reading the report.

"No, they get distracted by certain scents. It seems they were constantly injected with certain chemicals to enhance their training. The chemicals they used apparently had a very distinct smell, and can cause different reactions in the Omegas since the chemicals hit different emotional nerves in their brains." Sophie turned to Ruy, not even surprised by how close he was to her, "It's how the Neverseen is able to control them so well. The smells of the different chemicals. They knew the Omegas would be rowdy because of their emotional disconnect and their harsh training. This is how they better control them. They discontinued it after a while, it seems the Omegas became too emotionally disconnected for even what the Neverseen needed. But the Omegas stationed in Inalia were most likely still hooked on these chemicals when they were thrown into duty."

Ruy ran a hand through his hair, "Okay, I see where you're going with this. But, Blondie, these elements and stuff are really hard to get a hand of."

Sophie leaned back as she rolled out her shoulders, "This is the only weakness that could give us the smallest advantage-"

Sophie's words turned to bile in her mouth, a searing pain arching up her leg. Sophie screamed as she smacked the parapet, her entire lower body stunned.

Ruy caught her right before her head hit the ground, cursing as he dragged her behind a large crate. Sophie couldn't fight against her panic as the sound of angry Omegas filled the hanger. Sophie couldn't feel anything below her waist, which caused a painful sensation of pricking needles across her upper body. She was shot with a melder, she had to be. Ruy tried to peek out from behind the crate but was forced to duck back when a jet of water nearly took his head off. He tried again, this time with a shield protecting his face.

"Damn..." He muttered. Sophie struggled to keep upright with her legs stunned, but she still barked, "What is it?! We were only in here for 10 minutes, you said it would take them at least 20 to open the door!"

"They found an old janitorial entrance. It was rusted shut, how the hell did they get it open?!" He muttered. He took a deep breath, a plan clearly formulating in his head. But then he looked back at Sophie.

She couldn't run.

Sophie felt a chill unlike any other when she realized what he was thinking about. If he gets caught, the Omegas will most likely drag him back to one of the Neverseen bases and hand him back into the clutches of his mother. He can't afford to get caught. If he brought Sophie with him, their chances of escaping would only get slimmer.

"Ruy, it's okay, I'll find another way out-" Sophie yelped as Ruy gently lifted her arm, careful to avoid her stunned legs.

"Can you still use your powers?" He whispered, his exhales ruffling her hair.

"It'll hurt like a bitch, but probably," Sophie whispered back.

"Good, can you do that shadow thing you did on Hellen's Pass. Where you pull them over us?"

"Sure, but not for that long. The pain can cause me to lose focus and reveal ourselves if it gets too bad."

"We don't need a lot of time. I need you to also read their minds, tell me what their next moves are going to be."

"I can do that... Ruy, what are you planning?"

"I may be an empath and psonipath, but there is one thing I can do better than both of those. I can pickpocket. And the first rule in pickpocketing is to distract and confuse your targets." He took a deep breath, cringing as another jet of water tried to pull them out from behind the metal crate, "Are you ready?" He whispered.

Sophie nodded, and Ruy sent one of his blue shields into the crate, throwing it across the room and into two of the Omegas. Sophie immediately veiled them in the shadows. And they didn't move, didn't move a muscle.

The Omegas stared in confusion at the empty spot where Sophie and Ruy were crouched. To them, it was just an everyday shadow.

"Spread out! They are here somewhere!"

"Stay close to the walls, it will be easier for me and the shadows that way." Sophie whispered to Ruy.

Together, the two of them began their extremely slow walk towards the rickety elevator. Time and patience are the virtues of the truly skilled, Sophie read that in one of her family's records once.

Time and patience indeed.

Sophie kept the shadows constantly over them, like a thick mist that no one else could see through. Not only that, but she scanned each one of the Omega's head, plotting out their next moves in their head and helping Ruy avoid them. Sophie still felt nothing in her lower body, but Ruy helped her the whole way, also using his Empath powers to keep her calm in order to focus on their cover.

"Stop." Sophie muttered and Ruy stopped in his tracks, keeping Sophie's arm wrapped around his shoulder. Right on time, the hydrokinetic Omega turned the corner around some crates, practically right in front of them. Sophie couldn't even breathe as the Omega walked past them, she knew Ruy was holding his breath too. But Sophie's shadows made them practically invisible in the dark hanger.

Sophie tracked the Hydrokinetic's mind again, waiting for them to pass far enough away.

"Keep going," Sophie murmured. They were almost halfway to the elevator now.

Jericho was in the center of the room, his analytical eyes roaming over every little thing.

"Quick, go left!" Sophie whispered. Ruy moved right in time as a hulking Omega turned right in front of them, the two Inalians avoiding them in a matter of seconds.

They were almost there, almost to the elevator.

"Are you sure this thing even works?"

"Gods, I hope so." Ruy whispered.

"You don't even know if it works?!" Sophie hissed.

"Just... I'm working on it, okay?"

Sophie did another scan of the minds of the Omegas. They seemed mostly unaware, but something still barked at Sophie.

Her Pancras form.

Sophie allowed the brown in her irises to wash away, her canines pointing a bit. Sophie this time ignored what her telepathy was telling her, and instead focused on her instincts told her.

Oh, shit.

Sophie didn't even bother to be quiet as she yelled, "Shield, shield! PUT UP A SHIELD!"

Ruy didn't question her, holding her by her waist to use his other hand to immediately throw out a shield. The wind nearly cracked through Ruy's shields. Sophie had to wrap her hands around Ruy's neck to keep herself upright, struggling to see the madness ensuing.

"How did he-"

"The shadows make me nearly impossible to detect, Ignis," Sophie cringed as Jericho launched another lashing of solid wind into Ruy's shields, "Keyword, nearly. I'm not a vanisher. A trained eye can spot the rippling we create when we move in the shadows. And he kept his mind so empty that I didn't know he was going to attack until my instincts kicked in."

Sophie held onto Ruy with one of her arms, using the other to reach behind them and smack the elevator pad. Cables and wires hung loosely as the elevator wheeled down to their level, but Sophie had worse things to worry about than if the damn thing was breaking a health code violation or two.

The elevator hummed to life, the doors rolling open. Ruy quickly shuffled in, holding Sophie next to him as he desperately pressed the close doors button, Jericho sprinting towards them. Jericho was once again defeated by a door slamming in his face.

"Damn it Ignis!" Jericho screamed, pounding on the doors. Sophie leaned up against the elevator wall, using the handlebars to keep herself upright.

Gods, this elevator wasn't moving very fast.

Sophie really wanted the feeling in her legs to return. Sophie was slowly losing feeling in her fingers as well, the numbing sensation slowly traveling up her arms. When Sophie was in the Lost Cities, she was hit with a melder once. Biana somehow reversed the effects. But how...

Sophie's photographic memory could remember things in detail, but she still had to go digging for the memory itself.

She remembered Biana placing two fingers underneath her temples, then an excruciating pain shooting through her body as Biana pressed them hard into her skull.

Damn, this was going to hurt.

Sophie lost almost all feeling in her fingers by this point. She needed help.

"Ignis, quick, help me out here." Ruy shuffled towards her, and Sophie gently guided his two fingers to beneath her temples, keeping her hand on his.

"You're going to help me reverse these Melder effects."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" He asked.

"One,"

"Wait, Sophie-"

"Two,"

"Can I know what is about to happen-"

"Three-" With the final number, she jammed Ruy's finger's into her temple, that familiar yet awful pain coursing through her. Sophie resisted her urge to scream, instead slumping to the ground.

Ruy gaped, staring at his hand then back at her, before he finally moved to her side.

"What the hell- are you okay?" Ruy panicked.

Sophie wiggled her fingers, then her toes.

Sophie smiled a bit, the pain subsiding.

"I'm alright. Feeling should return any second now."

Shakily, Sophie stood up with her own two feet. She was a bit wobbly, Ruy moving to catch as she stumbled a bit. But soon, she could stand steady on her own two feet with no harm besides a killer headache.

"I wonder if any of the stores around here have advil?" She muttered.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Ruy asked, still keeping a hand on her shoulder in case she topples over again.

"Yeah, no, I'm fine." Sophie glanced through the glass elevator shaft, the open elevator showing them just how close to the surface they were.

And then the elevator slowed down even more.

"Aw, what now?!" Sophie groaned. Ruy and Sophie peeked over the edge of their rickety elevator.

"Is he... climbing the elevator cables?" Sophie asked.

Jericho had somehow pried the doors open, using one of the loose cables to haul himself higher.

Sophie turned to Ruy, her jaw hanging open, "Are you sure he's not just fucking crazy?"

"No, he is fucking crazy, but he is also a crazy super soldier." Ruy glanced back down at Jericho, who was slowly making his way to them, "The Omega training absolutely ruined him."

Sophie cursed, looking around for anything that could help them.

They were so close to the surface. If they could just climb up the glass tube, they would be free.

Sophie focused on a certain thrumming in her head.

Climb, climb, climb, climb.

But with what?

Sophie didn't even realize the frost adorning her fingertips, something that happens when she is deep in thought.

Frost.

If their grip was strong enough... it could work.

Sophie leaned outside the rickety elevator and grabbed the roof of it.

"Sophie, what are you doing?" Ruy hissed.

Sophie probed the glass tube the elevator was ascending, deciding it was sturdy enough.

So, she carefully created a handhold of rough ice, her feet leaving the elevator.

"Blondie!" Ruy barked.

Sophie gave her handholds the texture of gravel, not sleek and smooth like normal ice. If she held on enough, she could use her ice to climb out of there.

"Come on," Sophie hissed at Ruy, creating another handhold higher up for her to grab onto. Ruy groaned, but followed her actions, shakily standing on top of the elevator.

Sophie created a long line of handholds for him as well.

"It's still ice, but they are textured a bit to help with grip. You're going to have to hold on tight."

Ruy apprehensively grabbed the ice handholds, slowly following Sophie up the glass chute.

Carefully and quietly, Sophie and Ruy climbed all the way up the tube. Jericho couldn't see past the elevator, couldn't see Sophie and Ruy climbing up the glass chute.

Soon, Sophie and Ruy finally made it above the sea's surface, and the tube extended all the way to the pier. When they made it to the top, the glass tube's doors didn't open. But with a few kicks from Ruy, it slowly rattled open.

"Where did you go?!" Jericho screamed, shocked they weren't in the elevator.

Sophie and Ruy darted out of the tube, Sophie melting their ice handholds as the glass tube descended back into the ocean. Sophie and Ruy practically flew down the pier, away from the Hook. Ruy nearly ran Araceli over as they turned the corner into the well-lit area of the pier.

They both tumbled to the ground, Sophie skidding to a stop.

"Owww, ow, ow, ow," Araceli mumbled, a hand on her head. Ruy was on his feet, helping her up.

Araceli lit up seeing them again.

"Oh, hey! How did visiting the Hook go-"

"Fan out, put out the barrier. I don't want them teleporting or anything." Jericho hissed at the Omegas outside the Hook. Sophie and Ruy ducked behind a building, Araceli's eyes widening at who the Omegas were talking about.

Zoe and Atarah slid up behind Araceli, getting an idea of what was happening.

Atarah shoved Sophie and Ruy behind the curtain of a photo booth.

"You!" One of the Omegas barked, a woman who made Sophie look like a toothpick next to her. Zoe put on a big smile, but her fidgety hands behind her back gave her fear away.

"Hey, you here for the meteor shower too?"

"Listen, I'm looking for two people who run past here. Black-haired man and a blonde woman. The guy is around 6'0, the gal maybe 5'8. The girl had a tattoo on her shoulder and shoulder-length fake blonde hair."

Sophie scoffed, about to barge out of the photo booth to show her real blonde hair.

"Well, I did see two people like that run that way," Zoe pointed to the parking lot, the opposite direction Ruy and Sophie were running.

"Out of my way," The Omega humphed, making a beeline towards the parking lot. Sophie and Ruy waited a few moments before peeking their heads out of the photo booth.

"Does my hair look fake?" Sophie asked Zoe, her voice whimpery.

"No, it looks fine Sophie." Ruy stared at the small beacon they were setting up on the edge of the pier.

"We're not going to be able to teleport out of here with that thing up. It lasts for about two hours. They are searching for us." Ruy whispered to Sophie

"Merda." Sophie muttered.

Araceli pulled the two of them out of the photobooth and pointed to a diner near the Ferris wheel.

"In that diner, they have some private seating at the top of the roof. It is free French Fry Friday too, and they are open all night for the meteor shower. Wait everything out there. We'll cover for you if they come poking around."

"Thank you, guys!" Sophie said as they started down the pier. Sophie and Ruy darted between the humans and quickly slid into the diner. The hostess smiled at them, looking up from her little podium.

"Oh hello! Table for two?" She asked them.

"Yes please, on the roof."

"Sure thing, follow me." The diner was your typical 50s diner. Checkered tiles, creaky barstools with a clear view of the various games on the televisions. Sophie got a bit distracted by the Chargers vs Bronco's football game, but Ruy dragged her along after the hostess. Families were gathered around a big bucket of fries and burgers, caesar salads with soft drinks, and milkshakes.

"Here are our menus, and I'm sure you know today is Free French Fry Friday! Please let me know if you need anything else." The hostess winked at both of them, "Enjoy date night, you two,"

The Hostess scurried off to deal with other customers, and Sophie and Ruy scanned the area for Omegas, ignoring what the Hostess said about a date. No one was checking the various building rooftops or the rides. Most of the Omegas seemed to spread out on the beach walk and into town, thinking Ruy and Sophie ran off the pier and didn't blend in instead.

"Seems like we just have to wait it out." Ruy sighed, slumping down a bit in his seat.

"I left the file on the desk," He started, losing a breath, "I'm so sorry, the Omegas broke in and-" Sophie nudged his foot from underneath the table.

"Hey, chill out. Photographic memory, remember?" Sophie tapped her temples, her headache slowly dying away, "My mind is a steel trap." She said teasingly. Ruy chuckled a bit, turning back to the menu.

"We don't have any money, do we?" He sighed.

"Nope."

"Whelp, what are they called, French Fries? They are free tonight, let's just get those."

"Ohoho, you're in for a treat. A good batch of french fries can make anything better."

Sophie ordered a large fry with ranch, honey mustard, siracha, and all other sauces on the side.

Sophie and Ruy waited for their fries by scanning the area intently, trying to seem inconspicuous. Almost all of the Omegas were off the pier now, scanning the various small streets for them.

Sophie and Ruy couldn't get comfortable, their anxiety through the roof. None of the Omegas were even close to noticing them, and being anxious about it was probably giving themselves away.

"Quick, ask me a question. Like you did earlier."

"Uh-"

"Just do it. We are acting too antsy."

"Okay? Um... What is your favorite book?"

"I've always liked fantasy stuff, but human poetry has always been my favorite." Sophie's leg bounced as she nervously shuffled in her seat, glancing around her, "I always wanted a copy of Where the Sidewalk Ends, never got my hands on it though. I also have always wanted Game of Thrones, that is, after I left the Forbidden Cities and grew up a bit. It is a pretty intense book." Sophie answered, spitting her words out too fast to look inconspicuous anyway.

"No, I know Game of Thrones. One of the Neverseen scouts came home with the first two books in the series after a scouting mission in the Forbidden Cities. I stole both of them. Why have you never read them?"

"I was pretty busy in France. Being a human super genius, active dancer and musician, annoying sister to Amy Foster- it can get a bit overwhelming! And the elves didn't exactly have hardcore fantasy novels that I could read."

Ruy scoffed, "Sounds like an excuse to me."

"Oh shut it. Another question, shoot."

Ruy thought for a moment, "What's your favorite color?"

Teal was her most common choice, the one she went to for so long. But... what was really her favorite color?

Sophie shrugged, "I don't have one."

Ruy put a hand on his chin, giving her an annoying smile.

"What?" She asked.

"You're lying to me."

"How did-"

Sophie cringed, remembering that he was Vespera's son. Vespera was an empath, and so was he.

Sophie grumbled, sinking further into her seat, "I don't know... I like blue."

"What kind of blue?"

"Just blue."

"Alvar mentioned that you liked teal when you were in the Lost Cities."

"Well, not anymore."

Ruy decided not to push it, instead asking her another basic question.

Sophie was a bit worried though. That fluttering she had with Fitz, that association with teal... it was starting to go away.

Why? Was she falling out of love with Fitz? It's only been a couple of months since she left.

"Soph." Ruy snapped.

"Hm?"

"I've been meaning-" Ruy was cut off as a big bucket of greasy fries covered with garlic salt was placed in front of them, surrounded by small dishes of the various sauces Sophie ordered.

Sophie squealed like a little kid, picking up a french fry and immediately popping it into her mouth. Sophie wiped the grease off on the table cloth and looked up to see Ruy looking at her, a small smile pulling at his lips.

"What are you looking at?" Sophie snapped, worried she had something on her face.

Ruy put his hands up, just reaching for a fry and apprehensively putting it in his mouth.

And his eyes lit up.

"Holy shit-"

"I know right?!"

Ruy took another fry, this time dipping it into the ketchup that was brought with it, Sophie dipping hers in the siracha.

With a mouth full of food, he snapped his fingers, "Oh so," Ruy swallowed his food.

He straightened a bit in his chair and awkwardly cleared his throat. Sophie looked at him in curiosity, a fry hanging out of her mouth.

"Listen, Sophie, I've been wanting to...gah, I just," Ruy slumped a bit, picking another fry, "I just want to apologize."

Sophie still hasn't eaten the fry hanging out of her mouth, her confusion only growing.

"I haven't properly apologized for what I did to you and your friends when I was in the Neverseen."

Sophie finally grabbed the fry from her mouth, munching on it awkwardly as she muttered, "It's okay, I mean, you didn't know what you were doing-"

"No, Soph, I did. I was just too scared to do anything else." Ruy waved it away, "Listen, you have every right to tell me to fuck off or something, but I just want to say I am so sorry. And I am really thankful you are allowing me to be a part of all of this."

Sophie didn't really know what to do. She didn't know what to do with her hands or her feet, her ears and neck felt hot too. Ruy was trying his hardest to take accountability for his actions, not putting the blame on anyone else. She wasn't really used to people being that honest.

"Thank you Ruy, that means a lot. I can't speak for my friends, but I forgive you." She said, smiling a bit. Ruy blew out a breath, stuffing some more fries in his face.

"Ugh, that feels like a million pounds off my shoulders." Ruy mumbled.

Sophie smiled a bit, her eyes turning back to the beacon that the Omegas put up. It's only been 30 minutes.

"Ugh, we can't keep blending in forever." Ruy groaned.

"Well, not if you keep moaning about like that." Sophie snapped.

But Ruy was right. Ruy explained earlier that he set one of the disposable crystals he stole to the outskirts of Inalia, right from where they teleport from in the Path of Hellen. And since Sophie can't teleport anymore, that was their only way home. Unless they could find a way to go back through the Notre Dame entrance before sunrise. Which was all the way across the world.

"Uh, Soph," Ruy whispered. They both peeked over the edge of the roof, cursing as two Omegas wandered into the diner. They both looked back to the beacon, knowing it was nowhere near empty.

"Shit, shit, shit- what are you doing?!" Sophie stood up, grabbing Ruy by the collar and throwing him behind some tacky separator, hiding behind it herself. Ruy tried reaching for their half-full bucket of fries, grunting for them like a little kid trying to reach the counter, but Sophie swatted his hand away and turned his attention to the Omegas now on the roof.

Damn, damn, okay, think Soph. Come on, think.

Sophie backed up a bit, shuffling onto the back of her feet, and she bumped into something warm.

Sophie froze, looking over her shoulder.

For a few moments, nothing was there. But then a pair of red eyes stared down at her, shifting into view as if he were invisible.

Sophie put her hand over her mouth, trying not to yell or scream. The dragon purred, watching as Sophie and Ruy pressed themselves against the shrub away from him.

"Did he follow you all the way here?" Ruy whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

"I think so..."

The Omegas began poking around and checking underneath the tables.

An idea popped into Sophie's head.

She shuffled on her but towards the dragon, who took a few apprehensive steps away from her. But she held out her hand, allowing her hair to go white and her eyes golden.

The dragon crooned in familiarity, staring at her pointed canines.

"Yeah, you remember me, don't you?" Sophie awkwardly chuckled. The Omegas were only getting closer, and an awful, truly moronic, idea entered Sophie's head.

"Please, please, don't kill me," Sophie whispered. Sophie shuffled a bit closer, and the dragon scuffled back. Sophie held out her hands in surrender, and she continued to carefully shuffle underneath his head, against his chest.

Ruy was looking at her like she was an absolute madwoman.

For a few dreadful moments, the dragon didn't move. But then, it purred slightly, lowering its head and shuffling his wings in front of her. Sophie remained completely still, screaming Inalian curse words in her head. But the dragon didn't move, wrapping his wings around Sophie a bit tighter.

He... wasn't killing her.

Sophie knew she probably shouldn't have done this, but she carefully ran her fingertips down the membrane of the dragon's wings, staring no longer in fear but wonder at the monstrous wings.

The sound of Omega footsteps pulled her out of her stupor. Sophie carefully pushed back the dragon's wings and held out a hand for Ruy.

He harshly shook his head, but Sophie rolled her eyes and snatched his wrist. Ruy yelped as Sophie pulled him into the dragon's wings, and the Omegas froze.

The dragon darted his head towards the Omegas, then to Sophie. Sophie whispered to him, even though she knew he wouldn't understand, "Please, hide us." She whispered.

The dragon's head turned in confusion, but Sophie whispered, "Please."

The Omegas darted behind the shrubs and stared at the empty space. The Dragon had turned invisible right in time, hiding Sophie and Ruy inside his wings. Her head pounded, and she didn't even realize she was squeezing Ruy's wrist harder and harder. And then she felt Ruy wince.

Sophie froze, looking down at his wrist.

Sophie honestly wondered how she never saw it before. They were surprisingly hard to see, but long scars ran along the inside of his arm. Sophie gasped, quickly letting go of his arm. The Omega's eyes darted to where they waited, but the Dragon kept them hidden. Soon, the Omegas huffed, going back down the rickety stairs.

Sophie and Ruy remained where they were for a few moments, waiting it out. But the Ruy pushed past the Dragon's wings back out behind the shrubs, rubbing his arms.

"Ruy, I'm so sorry-"

"It's fine, they're fine. They were from a few months ago. We should get going. The Omegas are still making a perimeter around the pier though." Ruy cut her off. He turned to the dragon, and then asked her, "Do you think he can get us out of here?"

Sophie turned to the Dragon, looking over his scarred snout and tired red eyes. But the glint in them... he trusted her. And she was beginning to trust him.

"I-I have another idea." She whispered.

Ruy was about to inquire further but instead cursed as Sophie carefully walked beside the dragon, and grabbed one of the spines on the crown of his head. It wasn't graceful by any means, but the dragon kept surprisingly still and calm as Sophie struggled onto his back.

Ruy gaped, his hands on his head as the dragon clawed the ground a bit, Sophie holding onto his horns.

"You're fucking crazy."

"Thank the gods I am, otherwise this would never work-" Sophie didn't get to finish as the dragon practically revved up.

"Uh, what is he doing?" Ruy asked.

The dragon almost ran Ruy over as he took a running start towards the edge of the roof. Sophie screamed as the dragon's feet left the roof and opened his wings. Sophie wrapped her arms around the Dragon's throat, which didn't even wrap all the way around, her eyes clamped shut.

"Gods, oh gods, stupid stupid plan, stupid stupid-" The dragon smacked Sophie with his tail wing, crying out a bit. Sophie let her breathing even out, and soon, she let her eyes flutter open.

"Malaka..." Sophie cursed.

The dragon was a blueish black, so he blended right into the night sky. The crescent moon reflected not only the dragon's scales but also the crystal blue water below as they rocked against the sands on the supports of the pier. Children laughed with their parents in the flurry of lights beneath them, the world souring with them as the dragon flapped his wings, descending higher. Sophie straightened out, laughing against the wind swarming around her.

Holy shit, holy shit... this was amazing.

The dragon growled in delight as he took a dive, not harsh enough to lose Sophie. Sophie felt her stomach in her throat, the wind howling around with her adrenaline pounding through her veins.

As the dragon threw out his wings balancing them right above the ocean waters, their reflection in the choppy waves, Sophie glanced behind her to Ruy still on the roof, he was smiling in amazement just like she was. Sophie gently ran her hand against the tissue of one of the dragon's scar, leaning forward to look into his red eyes.

"How about we get out of here?" She whispered. The dragon purred and soared back towards the roof. Ruy knew what was about to happen but didn't have much of a choice against it.

"Don't you dare-"

"Fetch!" Sophie laughed.

The dragon gently wrapped his claws around Ruy's torso, snatching him up and flying off into the horizon.

Ruy screamed as they soared across the California coast, holding onto the dragon for dear life, his legs dangling.

"BLONDIE! FOR FUCKS SAKE, HELP ME!" Sophie giggled and leaned down to help Ruy onto the dragon's back, right behind her.

"Oh fuck, oh damn, this is stupid-"

"Just shut up and enjoy it!" She was flying. She always wanted to fly, since she was a kid. Sophie clamped her hands around the dragon's horns tighter, giggling a bit. She. Was. Flying. Ruy wrapped his arms around her waist, holding onto her as the dragon howled with the thrill. Sophie felt the rough scar of his wrists brush against her, but she didn't say anything.

She glanced to the pier, where Jericho and the gathered Omegas stared in both anger and panic as the two of them flew away.

Sophie gave them the bird as the dragon took them away.

Ruy pulled the crystal out of his jacket, holding it out for Sophie. "It might be strong enough to teleport us, including the dragon, back to Inalia, so we can get back before sunrise-"

"Alright, alright, sure." She leaned forward a bit, patting the Dragon's cheek, "Maybe we can just enjoy the sky for a bit."

Ruy was quiet for a few moments, but he leaned back and looked at the stars. To the meteor shower that was happening above them. Soft streaks of solid white and blue light streamed through the sky, people gasping and hollering in amazement.

Sophie felt like she was high enough in the sky to touch one.

Sophie's smile was impossible to fight against, and Ruy failed to hide his own as they flew away from the pier into the star streaked sky.

Part 3 (The final part) Will be up either late today or tomorrow! And then I'll go on my hiatus, then we'll get back to the normal schedule with normal chapters.

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_Sibylline_