Terra looks between the mother figure who broke her trust and the man who started the apocalypse, but isn't the villain he seems to be. She doesn't know who to choose but can't hover her clenched fist over this keyboard forever. She thinks of everything that's happened until now: noting the professor's distance and Gabriel's overenthusiastic kindness. One wants to build a utopia in which only humans rule. There will be no magic anymore, and with their main source of energy gone, the environment will have time to recover. The other got rid of the humans to take the world for themselves, but now they're saying there may be a way to bring them back peacefully. However, that could easily be a lie. Both sides have massive flaws, and she trusts neither of them.
"Terra, you know the right choice," the professor repeats.
"Yes," Gabriel echoes. "You're too kind to kill a whole race of people."
Her heart threatening to pound out of her chest, Terra looks at Eila. Her little sister has been speechless the whole time, but now she wants to say something. She leans in, whispering so only Terra can hear.
"No matter who you pick, I still love you."
Terra holds her breath. Eila is telling her to follow her heart, but isn't that what got them in this situation? The logical thing to do would be to plug in this drive, end the fanice, and return humanity. That has higher odds of keeping both she and Eila safe, but…
Can she live with killing thousands of innocent people?
Plus, if what Gabriel said is true, they might be able to save everyone, without bloodshed.
But if he's lying…
Terra wants to scream at the unfairness of this choice. If the professor were up here, she wouldn't hesitate. That must have been her plan. Terra wasn't supposed to be up here with the fate of humanity in her hands.
She looks at her two choices again. In Gabriel's turquoise eyes, she sees a firm conviction for what he believes is right. He even reaches out one of his hands, as if saying, "Come with me." She looks at the professor next. Her gaze is enraged and disapproving. It's as if she's saying, "I swear, if you pick them, I will disown you." It's a far cry from the calm, calculating professor she's come to know.
Terra feels for her. If she had lost as much as Professor Faramund did to both fanice and humans, she'd want revenge, too. If Terra were in Gabriel's shoes: watching him lose family member after family member to humans, she might have helped in The Vanishing.
"Terra, plug in the drive already!" the professor shouts. "Don't make me come over there and do it for you."
"I will kill you if you try to interfere," Gabriel threatens. "Terra, stop this, and I will help you rescue the humans. I promise."
Terra's whole body shakes, and she struggles to keep her hand around the drive. She never thought the fate of the world would be up to her. What she decides to do will change not only her future, but her sister's as well. It will also alter the course of Planet Viatrix's history… forever. She begins to feel nauseous, but then, Eila holds her free hand. She stares straight into Terra's eyes, conviction in her gaze. "You said real life wasn't like the stories. I get it now. All we can do is what we think is right. Terra, do what you want for once."
She takes a few deep breaths. What I want? she thinks. Her whole life, she hasn't given a damn about what she wants. It's always been about protecting her sister and then pleasing the professor. Terra has never considered her needs, but maybe now is the time to try. She looks at both of them again.
"Professor, you lied to me. You told me your mission was for justice, when it was vengeance you were after all along. You used us, ridiculed us, and refused to tell us what was really happening with the world. I believe that deep down, there's still a person who cares for us, but I'm not sure we can reach her anymore."
Gabriel looks relieved at that statement, but Terra isn't done. "And you…" she starts. He flinches. "You kidnapped all of humanity against their will and shoved them into another dimension, without, I don't know, letting us know you exist? I'm certain the environmentalists of Nadura City not only would have heard you out, but they would have been on your side. Yet you didn't even give them a chance. Now, you're telling me you want to help save them. That's a drastic change of tone. How do I know you're not lying?"
He opens his mouth to speak, but Terra continues. "You've both put us into a world of hurt, but… Gabriel, you could have killed Eila before the professor arrived, yet you didn't, and even now… you aren't harming her, even though you know she would be a more than effective hostage. That's got to mean there's some truth to your words." She loosens her grip around the drive. "There's one thing you got right, professor. I am too emotional. I'm not good in a crisis, and I'm a pushover more often than not. I can't kill an entire race of people to save another. I'm sorry." With that, she throws the drive to Gabriel. He catches it, instantly squeezing it into dust.
"NOOOOOOO!" the professor screams. "How could you? I took you in as my own. I loved you, and this is how you repay me?" Her eyes glow red, and pink particles appear in the air. Then, the screens showing acts of magic are torn from the walls and thrown in their direction. Terra grabs Eila and tries to shield her with her body…
But then the attack stops.
Terra looks up to see Gabriel standing in front of them, wings outstretched, and arms held out. All the screens stop moving and fall to the floor with a huge CRASH.
The professor isn't done, though.
The attack was only a ruse, as she has disappeared. The three of them look around, trying to figure out where she's gone. Then, out of the rubble and smoke of the crashed objects, she emerges right next to the main computer, a new drive in hand.
She attempts to plug it in, but Terra lunges at her, and Gabriel makes the drive fly out of her hands. It falls to the floor next to Eila, and she picks it up. The professor looks at the little girl and gestures for her to throw it toward her, but Eila frowns, and hands it to Gabriel, too. "Thank you, little one," he says. Despite the confidence he projected earlier, he seems genuinely surprised that they chose him. Terra is shocked too, but mostly, she feels overwhelmingly guilty. Professor Faramund was like a mother to them. What will become of her now?
Step step step step
To add insult to injury, Michaela and her guards finally arrive. "Sire, I'm sorry. That woman's infernal devices immobilized us, and…" When those violet eyes fall on the girls, her face falls. "What are they still doing standing? Allow me to—"
"No need," Gabriel says. "They're on our side now. As for her…" He turns to the professor. "Stop resisting, Damira. It's over."
Based on Professor Faramund's face, it is far from over. Still, Terra has no idea what she could do against four fanice. She said the trick she pulled to stop Gabriel was her last one.
"Professor…" Terra says. "Please, surrender. We can resolve this peacefully."
But Damira Faramund is having none of that. She pulls another device out of her pocket, and before the fanice can react, smoke fills the room.
"Disperse the smoke!" Gabriel commands. "Don't let her get away!"
In seconds, the smoke is pushed to the cavern's roof, but now the professor is nowhere to be found.
"Search the caverns!" the king orders. "She can't have gone far."
"Yes, sire," Michaela says. She signals to her guards, and they sprint down the tunnels immediately. "What about the girls?"
The king turns to Terra and her sister, and her heart skips a beat. She doesn't regret her decision, but they're now at the mercy of the fanice. All she can hope is that Gabriel will keep his promise.
When he looks at them, the light leaves his eyes. "Take them to the dungeons."
…
Did Terra just hear that right? The king ordered them to be imprisoned. Her heart sinks. Has she made the wrong choice, after all?
"With pleasure," Michaela responds. She moves to arrest them.
"Wait!" Terra shouts. "We had a deal. You said you wouldn't harm us if we chose your side."
"And I'm not," Gabriel says. "Still, I have a duty to keep my people safe first and foremost, and you two nearly ended our species—not to mention all the other crimes you were involved in. We will talk once I've sorted things."
As Michaela ties them up, Terra continues to protest. "No! This isn't what I agreed on. I thought you said you kept your word!"
"Shut up, halfing!" Michaela yells. "Geez, you've always been so annoying."
Gabriel glares at the girls but does not correct her 'halfling' remark. "Keep them in the dungeons until further notice. Our top priority is tracking down Damira. She's the true threat. Until then, I want the server room cleaned up and guarded 23/7. Don't let a single unauthorized person in."
"Of course, sire," she says.
With that, the girls are taken to the dungeons. Terra looks at her sister on the way, but Eila won't meet her eyes. She really has made a mistake, and now it's going to cost them everything.
…
Now at the mercy of the fanice, Terra and Eila are escorted up the tunnels. Only Michaela is with them, but she has more than enough power to stop them should they step out of line. As they weave through the mess of pathways, the head of the royal guard doesn't say anything at first. Terra looks back at her, trying to read her facial expression. Those violet eyes glare at her, and Michaela frowns. "I don't know if you've got some backwards plan, or if you're just stupid."
"What do you mean?" Terra asks. It's hard to look back and walk at the same time, especially with her hands being tied.
"You managed to fool King Gabriel long enough to attack our entire system. Why didn't you go through with it?"
Terra stares ahead, her eyes wide. Is Michaela sympathizing with them? No, she could just be confused as to why they backed out of their plan at the last minute. Still, this is an opening, and she's going to try to look as good as they can. "Professor Faramund told us that drive was an ethical way to stop the fanice, but she lied. Despite what you've done, I cannot kill the fanice. You don't deserve that."
"I see," she responds. "and why did you side with the humans? They've done us no favors."
Terra grits her teeth. Michaela still doesn't know the truth about them, so it makes sense that she's confused. She's not sure why Gabriel didn't tell her, but she's not about to reveal that they're humans. She needs to give her a believable reason. "What Gabriel and Azrael did," Terra explains, "forcing those people into another dimension, that's wrong. They deserve to live their lives, just as the fanice do."
She scoffs. "You really are stupid. You could have had everything: the new world, a new life, the king… but you screwed all that up for a species of people who will always see us as lesser than them."
"You're one to talk," Terra retorts. "You've been insulting and looking down on us this whole time."
Michaela rolls her eyes and looks ahead.
As the cavern halls slope upward, the head of the royal guard doesn't say anything else. Terra thinks of breaking the silence but decides against it. She has no idea why Gabriel didn't tell Michaela they are fully human, but she doesn't want her to find out. They're in enough trouble as it is.
Next, they reach Faecliff Village. The royal guards fly around the empty cottages, searching for the professor. A few of them glare at the girls, and some even ask what Michaela is doing with them. She explains they're being imprisoned and orders the guards to continue looking for Damira. So, they swiftly get back to work. Terra swallows. She hopes they don't find her.
Finally, they take a path down a different set of tunnels, and the three of them arrive in the dungeons. These steel lined halls are the same as months ago, and as they pass the cells, Terra notes most of them are still empty, except for three.
And the people in those cells are the last ones she thought she'd see again.
The crimson winged fanice who killed Terra leans agains the steel bars of his cage. His henchmen are in the cells on either side of him. "Oh, would you look at this. Finally, the justice system actually does something for once. Welcome to hell. You both deserve it."
Michaela opens a cell across the hall from him and throws the girls in. "Don't attempt anything sinister, Abaddon. That will make your sentence worse."
"What?" Abaddon asks. "You mean, we're not getting out of here? Aren't these two here because they murdered King Azrael? We didn't do anything wrong!"
"Those charges are still pending. As for you three, you will only be pardoned if the current king approves it. When he visits later, you can plead your case."
"Are you kidding me?" he shouts, but Michaela is already heading back down the hall. "Get back here! We are not on the same level as these halflings. We deserve better!"
Ignoring the man, Michaela locks the cell door and whispers to the girls. "Don't you dare think of using magic to escape. It will not break these bars."
Terra wasn't even thinking about that. That's not even an option for she and Eila.
With that, Michaela walks back up the tunnel. Terra's heart sinks, and she holds an arm in front of her sister. Did she just leave them… alone with these madmen? The same men who killed her? She makes eye contact with the crimson-winged fanice, and his eyes are a bloody red: not the same shade as royalty, but terrifying, nonetheless. He smiles wickedly, and flecks of pink appear around him.
He may not be able to break out, but can he still harm them from his prison?
Before they can find out, two guards come down the hall and stand on either side of the girls' cell. Immediately, the fanice stops his attack. Terra exhales in relief. Michaela didn't leave them alone after all.
"We'll be watching all night," Camael, one of the guards from earlier, says.
"Yeah, don't try anything," Angelo, the other guard, repeats. He pulls some rolled-up grass out of his pocket, lights it, and begins smoking. Terra breathes in the earthy scent. He was always smoking while guarding their cottage, but it's impossible not to inhale in these narrow tunnels. Eila begins coughing.
Terra leans against the bars. "Hey, can you not do that in here? These caves are too cramped."
"Don't care," he responds. "You're lucky the two of you haven't received the death penalty. What makes you think I'll listen to your complaints?"
Terra backs away, realizing she can't reason with them. Instead, she notes the furniture of their cell, or lack thereof. There's a dusty wooden table, a rusty sink, a closed-off toilet stall, and a filthy mat on the floor. It has a flattened pillow, wearing away from years of disuse. It looks like this cell hasn't been cleaned in years. Then again, with how few prisoners there are, it makes sense. Terra and Eila try to get as far away from the bars as possible, so they won't inhale smoke. Then, Terra flips over the mattress and strips the pillow of its case. It looks cleaner that way, so she moves on to the sheets. She pulls them off the mat and shakes them out. Dust billows in the air. That does not help the air quality.
Meanwhile, Eila tests if the sink works. She turns it on; surprisingly, crisp clean water flows out of it. She takes a few sips. "Not bad," she comments.
Terra sighs. At least they have water. They won't die of thirst in here. She collapses onto their pathetic bed, staring at the tiled ceiling. After a few minutes of turning the water on and off, her sister joins her. For several moments, they sit in silence.
Then finally, Eila speaks with barely a whisper. "Are you okay?"
She shakes her head. "No, why would I be?"
Her sister frowns, and she looks down.
"What about you?" Terra continues. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this. I don't know if I made the right decision."
Eila's eyes swell with tears. "Wh-What's going to happen to us now? What will they do to us? What will they do to Miss Faramund? I can't believe it… we… we betrayed her. We betrayed Miss Faramund." She begins to cry. Her soft sobs echo throughout the dungeon, but the fanice do not even turn around to check. They really have no sympathy for them.
Terra wraps her arms around her sister. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry. You don't deserve any of this."
…
As Eila sobs into her shirt, the two of them lie down, trying their best to make use of the space they have on the tiny one-person mattress. She holds her sister all night, and they hardly get any sleep. When the next day arrives, an additional guard comes down the hall, serving the prisoners breakfast. They are given a very floral-smelling salad and a piece of fruit. Eila gulps down the whole fruit in one bite and doesn't touch the salad. Terra refuses to eat any of it. They wait for hours as the guards change shifts and the other inmates eat their food. Then, finally, the crimson-winged fanice, Abaddon, heads to the front of his cell, gripping the bars.
"Hey, halfling," he calls out.
Terra ignores him.
"Come on, I'm talking to you. The least you can do is answer."
She glares at him. "What reason do you have to talk to me?"
"I don't know. Pity, I guess? You look so dreadfully bored in that cell."
Terra rolls her eyes. She's not the bored one, but she doesn't have the energy to correct him.
"So, if you're not in for killing the king, what are you in for?" he asks.
"It's none of your business."
"Don't be like that. You know, you had it so good. You were allowed on the surface, treated like full-blooded fanice, and the prince even has a soft spot for you. How did you muck all that up?"
Having enough, Terra shoots out of her seat and storms to the bars. "You don't know a thing about me."
"I know enough to see you screwed up. Badly, too. Do half fanice have lower intelligence as well?"
Fuming now, she opens her mouth to scream at this hooligan, but then she stops herself. This man is trying to stir her up for entertainment. She won't give him the satisfaction. Terra returns to her seat next to her sister, and Eila leans on her shoulder. She rubs her back, even as Abaddon protests across the hall.
"Hey! Get back here! I'm not done talking to you. You need to answer for your crimes! You will—"
Step step step
But before he can continue, the sound of boots hitting the stone floor echoes down the hallway. "Who needs to answer for their crimes? That's not your decision to make." It's Gabriel.
Terra and Eila shoot out of their seats, but as the king arrives in front of their cell, they stay where they are, not daring to get close to the bars.
He leans in, placing his hand on the wall. "You two have made quite the mess."
Terra pushes her sister behind her. "So what? You started this when you ended the world."
Gabriel frowns. "We didn't end the world. We saved it."
"Tell that to the millions of people you imprisoned."
The king sighs. "If you truly feel that way, why did you take our side?"
Terra thinks of dignifying that question with an answer, but Gabriel might not like it. She didn't do this because she agrees with what the fanice have done. It was a simple matter of right and wrong. Despite the fact that they're enemies, many of the fanice are innocent in all this. They were tired of being kept underground, and this was the only way they saw to fix things: to improve their way of life. Is what they did wrong? Absolutely, but that doesn't justify killing all of them.
"Why are we here?" Eila asks, coming out from behind her sister. "You promised you would help us. Were you lying? I thought you said you keep your word."
This statement seems to rattle Gabriel. He grits his teeth, and his turquoise eyes look at the ground for a second. "I will. In due time, but there's an urgent problem I must fix first."
The little girl places her hands on her hips. "What is it?"
"It's why I'm here, actually. If you two can help me with this, I swear I will attend to your matter." Terra does not like the look on his face. It's cold and calculating. She's seen glimpses of this side of Gabriel throughout their time together, and now she's starting to wonder if this is who he truly is. Every word uttered is intentional, and he has no empathy in his gaze. He grips one of the bars, and a flicker of rage sparks in his eyes.
"Where is Damira Faramund?"