Once I stopped writing, I put my pen inside the journal and closed it, before silently putting the journal inside a drawer. Then, I got up form my chair, went to my bed, and reached under it to grab my belt with multiple pockets containing different pieces of technology.

Once I attached it around my waist, I went to the tent flaps, before stopping dead in my tracks.

Why am I doing this? I know for a fact my parents would disapprove if they found out I was sneaking out like this… and for what? For a kid that you’re supposed to be enemies with one day?

My heart skipped a beat just at the thought of him.

No, that can’t be the reason. I just like having him as a friend. Nothing more.

I took a deep breath, and stepped through the tent flaps, and immediately realizing that some of the lanterns in other nearby tents were still on.

Laying my hand on one of the belt pockets, I crouched down and snuck over to the right exit of the camp.

He’s just a friend. Just a friend. That’s all he is, and all he ever will be. I’m straight. I have to be…

Yeah. About as straight as a wet noodle.

…

Wait. What was that voi—

Crash!

Next thing I knew, I fell on the ground and trash was scattered all around me.

Crap.

“Hey! What was that noise?!”

Crap crap crap crap!

My hands were reaching for my belt like my life was in danger. I grabbed a blue-striped disk form the front left pocket on the belt, and pressed the button in the middle. When it didn’t do what I needed it to, I hurriedly spammed the button to the point that I could’ve broke it.

C’mon! Work you piece of crap!

Then, lanterns in various tents around me started to light up, before they were moved to the flaps of each tent, signifying that everybody was getting up.

Just when I thought I would get caught, blue electricity started shooting out uncontrollably from the disk, and after a couple seconds, my hands disappeared.

I looked down at the rest of my body, and saw I had turned completely invisible.

Yes! Finally!

Then, the tents started to open, and people began exiting their dens.

“What was that noise?!”

“I think it was those damn raccoons again! We really should do something about them soon. They’re pilfering through our garbage.”

“That’s what raccoons do. Everybody knows that.”

“Ugh!”

Everybody started going back to bed, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

That was close.

…

Actually… what was that voice? It certainly didn’t sound like my normal thoughts… it actually kind of sounded like the one in my dream…

Then I saw that I was at the end of the camp, so I thought Eh, I’ll try to figure it out later. Right now, I need to get to the forest before this disk runs out of power.

35 minutes later

After traveling through the forest for a long time, I eventually spotted an abandoned school, which was made completely out of stone, wood, and the occasional window. Except all the windows that did have glass were shattered.

The schoolhouse was about two stories tall, with a giant bell at the top. And judging by the state of the wood, the school had t be at least a few hundred years old.

The entrance of the school had a set of stairs going up to glass doors with handles stretching across the doors. And in front of the stairs were two columns, which likely had statues on top of them.

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One of the columns was standing perfectly still, while the one to the right was broken in half, the top half laying on the ground next to the other half. And Rowan was sitting on the half of the column laying on the ground.

“H-hey S-Steve!”

I jogged over to my friend, and he raised his hand up for a high five. But because I had to make it awkward, I went for a hug instead.

It took a second, but eventually Rowan hugged me back. A few seconds later, I released the hug, and, looking up at the school, I said “Wow. I’ve never been inside a school before!”

“H-how come?”

“Well, it’s kind of hard to stay in school for more than a year if you can learn an entire semester’s worth in just one day.”

“O-oh. R-right.”

…

”Hey, is everything alright,” I asked concerned, putting my hand on Rowan’s shoulder despite every bone in my body wanting me not to.

“Y-yeah, it’s j-just…”

As I waited for Rowan to think of what to say, I hopped onto the column and sat down with him.

“Y-you know the b-birthmarks on our necks?”

“Yeah.”

“W-well… t-truth is… my d-dad told me why we h-have them. W-we’re… we’re reincarnations.”

“Oh… really?”

“Y-yes. B-but… I don’t have just one birthmark. This burn branding? It’s s-secretly covering up a-another.”

“Oh… I see.”

“T-that’s not all. T-the beings w-we’re reincarnations o-of… we can t-talk to them. H-hear them talk to us.”

“Oh. Oh! Wait a minute! I’ve actually been hearing a voice in my dreams! You don’t think…”

Rowan nodded.

“Oh my word, it all makes sense,” I said, stand up from the column as I started to pace back and forth.

“I’ve been starting to hear a voice outside of my dreams recently. So I think that means soon I’ll be able to talk to it and ask it questions! Maybe it will know why there’s more than one reincarnation of the same being?”

“Y-you don’t understand. I-I’m a reincarnation of two separate beings. At the same time. My father is also a reincarnation of one of them.”

“Question. Do you know their names?”

“Y-yes. M-my father told me t-their names were P-Pemo and Raen.”

For some reason, those names sounded familiar. so I put my hand to my chin and tried to figured out why.

“Oh wait… Pemo and Raen! There anagrams… sort of. Pemo means Hope, but scrambled up and with a letter removed.”

“S-so… does t-that mean that Raen is a-actually called Fear?”

“Yes! Good job.”

Shrugging, Rowan said “J-just seemed like it’d o-only be logical, s-since the other is c-called Hope.”

I looked at Rowan, and he was purposely avoiding eye contact with me.

Seeing this, I asked calmly “There’s something else, isn’t there?”

…

“I-I’ve been able to talk to t-the voices so f-far. O-only recently, b-but still.”

“Really? What have they told you?”

“I-I don’t wanna t-talk about it.”

I grumbled, slightly annoyed.

“Eh… yeah, I understand. Some things you need to keep to yourself.”

“Y-yeah…”

…

“So, we going in or not,” I asked excited.

Rowan giggled, then stood up.

1 hour earlier

Once I finished eating breakfast, I excused myself from the table, and went to the backyard, to look upon the crater.

Maybe Steve could figure out what caused it? Maybe he knows something I don’t?

…

I sat down and rested my head on one of the wooden bars. It was a little uncomfortable, but frankly, I could barely stand whenever I thought about Steve.

He is smarter than me… I bet he could figure it out.

Wow. You really have an inflated opinion of him, A voice said.

I looked behind me, and saw nothing. I looked spastically in every single direction, and couldn’t find where the voice came from.

Have you found him yet? another voice asked.

“W-Who is that? W-where are y-you?”

Call me Raen, the first voice greeted. They had a deep, mildly terrifying tone.

I believe I’m called Pemo, the second voice said, though he seemed to be unsure. His voice was high, energetic, and full of life. Opposite of Rean’s, it was exciting to hear.

“O-oh. You’re… the b-beings my father told m-me about.”

And now he’s talking to himself. Great job Pemo, we’ve turned him insane.

I groaned, this time thinking instead of saying What’s wrong with you?

You mean what’s wrong with us. We’re the same, after all.

Don’t listen to him, Pemo calmly instructed, You’re a nice, passionate kid.

Not really. His father’s committed genocide and ruined people’s lives. He doesn’t exactly have the best genes.

Shut up! He doesn’t need to know about that!

Wait. What did you just say?

Don’t listen to him. He’s trying to confuse him.

That’s what the truth does. It confuses you. We know that more than anyone.

What the hell are you talking about now, Pemo asked.

Shh, there’s a kid here!

Oh, quiet. He’s heard cussing before. Besides, you’re just calling me out because you like torturing me.

You know me so well.

“Son,” I heard my father say from behind.

“W-what,” I replied, turning around.

“We need to talk.”

Oh shit! Rowan’s in trouble! Raen sing-songed like a five year old.

“A-about w-what?”

My father sighed, and sat down next to me.

“I know this isn’t something to ask of you… but I need you to anyways. Can you tell me anything you pick up from Steve relating to the Berkan army? If someone’s sick, causal bits of information? Anything?”

“I-I… that’d b-be betraying him. H-his trust.”

“Yeah, well, that’s just who we are. Who Raen is. You just need to accept who you are.”

Pemo tried to say something, but his voice was strangely muffled.

“What if I’m not? What if I can be good?”

“As I keep on telling you, evil will always overcome good. If not now, then eventually.”

I looked down at the ground in shame.

Then, the doorbell rang, and our mother went to ope it, only for a man to burst through, go to the sliding glass door, and open it before running to my father.

“Sir! I have news!”

“Alright. Report, soldier.”

Then, the soldier looked down at me, and asked “You sure I should say in front of him?”

“Yes. It’ll be fine.”

…

“Rob and Elizabeth have escaped the prison. Do you want us to try and recapture them?”

“No,” my father answered immediately. Almost like he knew his answer before the soldier asked the question.

The soldier nodded, then calmly walked out of the house, closing both doors he rushed through behind him.

“So… when are you going to see Steve today?”

How does he know, I thought, trying to hide my utterly perplexed state.

“A-around m-midnight.”

Robert nodded.

“I need to go.”

“O-okay. I l-love you!”

My father was turning around when I said that, and stopped completely for a few seconds, before continuing to walk away.

Soon.