Casey leapt forward, grabbing onto a tree branch and lifting himself. He darted across the treetops, swinging with vines and scurrying up trees. Werren dawdled his way through the jungle, slashing bushes and plants that got in his way with his tendrils. He took deep breaths, puffing his cheeks up and sighing. He wiped his palms on his pants, leaving stains of sweat—every few steps he would grab the collar of his shirt and fan it.

Casey stopped and looked down.

"Not much further! Keep going!"

Casey ran off as Werren leaned against a tree, licking his lips constantly as his forehead scrunched.

"Hope so..."

Casey soon broke through the jungle, coming to a clearing. He looked back seeing Werren slowly trot his way toward Casey.

"Almost there!"

Werren saw the light from the opening and pushed himself further. Once he broke through, he fell to his knees, the sun harsh on him. As he knelt, staring at the ground, he heard footsteps approaching him. Looking up, he saw Blues standing above him, looking down at Werren with a soft smile.

Werren blinked rapidly a few times before his vision became clear, Casey was standing before him.

"Oh."

Werren sighed and rubbed his eyes before getting to his feet. Around him was a campsite made from wood and moss. The tent was completely wooden and the campfire was overgrown with moss—red flowers sprouting out to mimic a lit fire.

"Is this it?"

Casey sat on one of the wooden fold-out chairs.

"Sure is. Man, I could sit for a bit. All that jumping around has puckered me out."

Casey leaned back, soaking in the calm atmosphere.

Werren looked around, his face analysing everything yet unable to make any logical reason for this.

"So where's Father?"

Casey looked up.

"Oh no. Father isn't here. He's much further in the jungle. This is just our first stop."

Werren's shoulders slumped.

"Well... a break doesn't sound too bad right about now..."

Werren sat in the chair beside Casey.

"I could really go for a..."

Casey held out a can of beer. Werren hesitantly took it.

"Thanks?"

Casey chuckled, holding a can up and inspecting it.

"No problem! Just found them lying around so... thought we could get some use out of it."

Werren looked concerned.

"Are you old enough to drink?"

Casey tilted his head.

"You have to be a certain age to drink? I drink all the time!"

Werren looked shocked and snatched the can from his hands.

"Well, you shouldn't! Just stick to water..."

Casey scratched his head.

"But you just said there was an age limit for drinking!"

Werren looked around before realizing.

"No. Ugh. There's an age limit for drinking alcohol. This is alcohol."

Casey hummed in realization.

"That makes sense. I do wonder what that's doing here though. Never seen any of this stuff before."

Werren looked around at the camp.

"Yeah... it looks familiar."

Werren looked down at the can of beer. His eyes widened.

"Best before August 29th 22EE... huh. This beer is long overdue."

Werren studied the can more.

"I haven't had this brand for the same amount of time. Been a while..."

Blues crushed his can and put it in a plastic bag.

"That's why it tastes so bad then..."

Werren looked over to Blues—who was now sitting where Casey was.

"The manufacturer went bust last year though so only the ones in circulation are left."

Werren put the cans down.

"Probably get more value selling them than drinking."

Blues nods.

"Where's the fun it that? If I wanted to make a profit of all things I wouldn't have become a priest."

Werren scoffed.

"So day drinking is fine but making a little money is too far? Some priest you are. Oak would kill you right now, you know that."

"Thank god he isn't here then. No one is. I'm not much of a priest without anyone to preach to so... I'm basically off duty."

"Didn't think a priest could be off duty. Plus, I'm here."

Blues laughed.

"You wanna hear one of my sermons? Ahem, When the clock first chimed the tone rang through the ears of thousands. It marked a new-"

Werren groaned.

"Okay okay. I get it."

Blues chuckled.

"I do like it out here. I've been meaning to get out more. Away from... all of that."

Werren looked around, the forest softly murmuring around them. Life not paying any attention to them.

"I... don't mind it. Would rather be doing other things."

Blues shook his head.

"C'mon. You're always cooped up in that house. You need a break! Whenever you come on Sunday you look like, excuse my language, shit!"

Werren bounced his leg.

"I guess..."

"Trust me when I say this Werren. Being alone is the worst thing you can do right now."

Blues stood up.

"C'mon. Let's go."

Werren watched Blues walk off.

"W-What? Hold on!"

Werren ran after Blues.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see. I brought us here for a reason."

They walked through the forest, the winter chill slowly gnawing at them.

Werren walked behind Blues.

"So why are you out here? You said you needed to be away from stuff so... what is it? What stuff has gotten Blues all spooked."

"Oak, the church, other dumb stuff... I'll tell you later."

An awkward silence fell over them. Werren cleared his throat.

"Victoria."

Blues froze up. Werren burst out laughing.

"Seriously? That was easy to get out of you."

Blues turned away, his face red.

"Shut up! So what if it's about her."

"I was just curious. Usually, you ramble on about her."

"Oh, Werren! She walked past me today! Oh, Werren! I spoke to her and she smiled at me! Oh, Werren! I kick my feet every time I think of her!"

Werren snickered.

"So what is it?"

Werren nudged Blues.

"C'mon. Tell me.

Blues adjusted his glasses.

"Okay. Fine. Oak saw me and her hug a couple of weeks ago, ever since then he's been stricter, harsher and hasn't let Victoria see me once!"

Blues turned to Werren with a worried look.

"I mean I'm not that bad! R-Right? Surely I'd make a fine fit for her."

Werren put his hand on Blues shoulder.

"You're fine. There's a reason why I left that place long ago. Oak has never been the romantic type. Nor has he even been the type to endorse it. If there's one thing he does truly care about it's his daughter. I give you nothing but luck."

Blues sighed.

"Wow, so reassuring."

Blues looked up.

"We're here!

Werren looked confused but as they reached the top of the hill he saw a giant signal tower covered in rust and moss.

"Looks ancient. Why are we here exactly?"

Blues put his hands on his hips.

"Since I'm off duty, I want to try and contact the church with this. Its against regulations to use technology while on duty but being off the clock means this is free game."

Werren put his hand on his forehead.

"You have to be joking. What even is your plan here?"

"I can't contact Victoria directly but the church does have its own radio station that they use to host on-air confessions and prayers. If I can contact the host, Jingle, then I'm hoping she'll let me speak during the show."

"And what is that going to accomplish?"

"Victoria keeps a radio in her room to listen to the broadcasts so once I am connected I can confess my love to her! Oak can't get in the way of that!"

"You really are just a teenager trapped in a 30-year-old's body. What's next? Gonna throw pebbles at her window to get her attention?"

"Just watch! All we need to do is... get the tower connected... and fixed."

Werren dusted off his hands.

"Alright then. Not like there's anything else to do out here. Where do we start?"

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Blues laughed nervously.

"About that... I have no idea how to get any of that working."

Present day

Werren looked at the can and sighed.

"We really are going back to the past huh?"

Casey looks up.

"Yep! Interesting memory there. I guess that's where this campsite came from. And the alcohol."

Werren slowly nodded.

"It was one of the only trips I had taken. At the time I hated it. Didn't want to be there in the slightest. Looking back... I'm not too sure what to make of it. The before and and after of that trip was... not great. I would never want to go back to then knowing what would come after..."

Casey sits up.

"What happened before and after the trip?"

Werren's eyes go dull.

Casey takes his silence as the answer.

"I understand. There's time that I don't like to look back on but... I just can't help but think about it. Before Father came to me I spent a lot of time alone. I can understand where your friend was coming from, being alone is scary."

Casey looked to Werren.

"As for after the trip... I suppose we'll find out soon enough."

Werren looked surprised at Casey's words.

"And here I thought you weren't smart. You're a pretty wise kid."

Casey looked offended.

"D-Did you just call me wide?!"

Casey clutched his stomach.

"I'm not that big..."

Werren chuckled. A hearty chuckle that made Casey join in.

"You're alright kid."

Casey looked content.

"We should keep moving. Don't want to keep Father waiting."

Casey got up and Werren followed.

"Hey, what do you know about Father?"

Casey thought for a second.

"Hm. Father... I know he's smart. And Kind. He's very big and... he understands."

Werren nods.

"I would like to meet him."

Casey jumped around joyfully.

"Oh, you will love him! He's so great!"

Werren's face fell blank.

"He sure was..."

Meanwhile...

MEEP MEEP!

Will tapped the steering wheel, his head drooping before snapping up over and over again. Meda stared out into the jungle, rows and rows of cars all waiting to go.

Will groaned.

"Traffic usually isn't this bad..."

Meda kept looking at everything, observing the behaviours of the animals driving.

"So are the animals here hyper-intelligent or is it Father doing all of this?"

Will looked up.

"Huh? No, all of this is you."

Meda snapped toward Will.

"What? How have I caused this?"

"I told you!"

Will cleared his throat.

"Sorry, didn't mean to yell. Anyway, the island reacts to your past. It morphs into something resembling your past life."

Meda nods her head.

"I get it now. I guess it's taking the shape of Empire Trova."

"Tell me about it. We have time and with this traffic, we won't reach your next memory for a while."

Meda leans her head on her hand. The darkness of the jungle dissolved as shining lights coated her vision.

"It was a metropolis. On the Northeastern coast of Narawaradan, far from SHS control. It was the deepest pit of hell that one could be subjected to. On the outside, it was a jewel in the desert that covered 80% of the continent. It was the only liveable part of that entire piece of land. I use the term liveable lightly, if you didn't know somebody who knew somebody who knew somebody then you'd be dead the first week."

Meda looked down, her face reliving memories from that time.

"It was all about money there. No freedom. No thoughts. No people. No god. You feel alone."

Will exhales loudly.

"Damn. Why did you leave? Besides the obvious."

Meda turned to him.

"I... I couldn't stay. I had to leave for the sake of the people I was close to."

Meda clenched her fist.

"I miss it."

Will turned to her surprised.

"Oh. It's one of those places..."

Will looked up at the sky.

"I have a place similar to that. I never want to think about it. I never want to go back. I hate it. But I can't help feeling like I... want to go back."

Meda's gaze softens.

"You ran away. From where?"

Will giggled.

"Of course, you got me that quick. Deductive. Very deductive."

Will leaned back.

"My home. Before I found Father. Never looked back when I left. Father helped ease the pain. I still think about it, often."

"I wish I could go back. Chances are I'd be killed if I did."

"Lucky for you... we can go wherever we like here!"

As they drove forward, they soon left the confines of the jungle and entered a grand city. Skyscrapers made of trees and streets paved with mud. Fireflies flickered in streetlamps and the night sky appeared above them. Meda looked amazed.

"Wow... It's..."

Meda's eyes gazed at the city around her.

Will nodded.

"Great isn't it?"

They continued to drive down the road, the bustling city life filling every inch of the streets.

Meda sat back.

"It feels nice... to experience this city without the fear of death every second. Like how it used to be when I was a kid."

"I've never seen a place like this before. I can see why you miss it. Pure eye candy."

"On nights when the city was dimer you could count almost every star."

Will turned to her.

"Sounds beautiful..."

Will then saw another car come into view.

"MEDA! DUCK!"

Meda's head spun to see a wooden car driving alongside them. The car was packed with Necrobeasts, all abominations of sewn-together animals slathered in green paint. They rolled down their windows and stuck out guns made of wood. Meda ducked as they unloaded hundreds of acorn bullets into their car.

"What the hell?! You didn't tell me Necrobeasts would be hyper-intelligent as well!"

Will kept low.

"Don't blame me! I told you that everything is based on your past!"

Meda sighed.

"Then they're probably just low-level mobsters."

Meda turned to Will.

"Take evasive action. Make sure I'm not hit."

Will panicked and looked back and forth between Meda and the road ahead.

"W-What!? Are you insane?! What are you gonna do exactly?"

"Get them off our ass of course."

Meda waited for a break in their gunfire before standing up and leaping from Will's car to theirs.

Meda landed hard on the roof of the Necrobeast car. Behind her she heard the engines of more cars, she glanced back to see two more cars tailing them. She took out a strand of her hair and threw it into the window of the car she was standing on. As the other two cars soon caught up they began to shoot at her.

Meda dove back into Will's car.

"Thanks."

Will struggled to keep the car stable.

"Holy crap! This is crazy!"

Meda used her powers to charm the driver of the first car. Before the driver snapped out of its frenzy it rammed the car into a pole, exploding on impact.

"One down. Two left."

"Don't use your powers, you idiot!"

Meda turned to face Will but instead saw a man in a suit driving.

"I'll keep the crystal safe. Deal with our company."

Meda scanned the man's face.

"Aliqaar? What are you..."

Aliqaar turned to face Meda, he had a stern look.

"Stop talking and hurry up! Do you want to die?!"

Meda looked down to see a gun in her hand.

"No... shut up! I'll handle it."

Meda stood up and fired multiple shots into the window of one of the cars.

She was met with more gunfire. She ducked down and reloaded. The two cars driving on either side of her car. Meda took a deep breath and leapt onto the roof of one of the cars. Aliqaar spun the steering wheel and rammed into the other car giving Meda some space.

Meda fired blindly through the roof of the car before being whacked across the head with the back of a gun. She looked up to see a mobster in a red velvet suit holding a gun to her. She swiftly kicked the mobster's ankles, knocking him to his knee, before going to punch him. The mobster caught her punch and tossed her to the ground. Meda held her gun to the bottom of the mobster's jaw, her finger pulling down on the trigger hard.

Mobster's head snapped back, dodging the bullet. He smacked Meda with his gun again before holding it to her forehead. Meda swung her gun around and fired into the stomach of the mobster. He shot, the bullet grazing Meda's cheek. She stood back up and punched the mobster's newly acquired bullet wound. He groaned in pain as Meda grabbed the side of his head and pushed him off the roof of the car.

His body tumbled across the street, the snapping of his bones audible. Meda took a deep breath when a sharp pain hit her stomach. She looked down to see the tip of a knife sticking out of her stomach. The blade was forcibly ripped out as blood gushed out of her.

"MEDA!"

Aliqaar pulled out his own gun and filled the mobster who stabbed her with bullets.

Meda clutched her stomach and dove into Aliqaar's car. She winced in pain as blood was getting all over the car. The gunshots got quieter and quieter as the city lights blurred. Soon darkness enveloped Meda.

Present day...

Will paced back and forth.

"I don't know what happened! She went into a memory and I followed with, I didn't think she would have a knife thrust through the stomach!"

Prin's flowers analyzed Meda, their roots attaching and digging into her body. Her flowers connected themselves to Meda's body, acting as a connector between Meda—someone not in Prin's network—and Prin's ability to monitor all those who have ties to Father's island. Through the flower's health, Prin could accurately determine how fatal Meda's injuries were.

Will looked over Prin's shoulder.

"So? What happened?"

Prin groaned

"Back up."

Will backed away.

"Sorry. I just didn't see any physical wounds on her when she came out of the memory."

Prin took off her glasses and walked over to a garden bed. Prin's entire body was made of moss, tree trunks and vines. She inspected a few of the flowers before standing again.

"You're right. She doesn't have any actual injuries. Her brain just believes that she is dying."

"She'll be okay then."

Prin shook her head.

"Not exactly. Her body believes she's dying so it's going into a dying state. She will die."

Will shouted.

"WHAT?! W-We need to stop it! How do we fix her?!"

Prin pinched her nose bridge.

"Stop yelling. It isn't helpful."

Will hunched down.

"Sorry..."

Prin looked over at Meda.

"Well, during that memory she was stabbed. Of course, it was a memory so the fact she's sitting here right now means that she survived that encounter. All we need to do is keep bringing her along her memories until we reach the point at which she's saved."

Will nods.

"Alright! So I should go get the car?"

Prin waves her hand.

"Yes. We will continue down her path to Father."

Will's head perked up.

"We?"

Prin crossed her arms.

"Yes. I will accompany you."

Will pumped his fist.

"Heck yeah! A Will and Prin duo adventure."

Prin glared at him.

"This is no adventure. Take this seriously."

Will gave a thumbs up.

"Don't worry! I'll take it seriously."

Will ran off to get the car.

Prin sighed and looked to Meda.

"Hang in there Meda. Father has use for you yet..."