Chapter XXXIV

“Alright, thanks, Lilly. I appreciate you calling me. Take care.”

With that, Liz lowered her cell phone from her ear and exhaled softly, taking in everything Lilly had just told her relating to Alice. She had wanted a chance to speak with the girl, too, but after the tense afternoon between Eric and Damien, she decided it would be best to just let Lilly deal with it on her own. Not only was she much closer with Alice, but she had already been to Eric’s house before. Considering how much the boy valued his privacy when it came to his family, Liz was content to not overstep her bounds.

I just hate having to wait, she thought bitterly. After all this time, I’ve hardly done anything worthwhile. I’m just sitting on my ass, waiting for my death—the exact opposite of what Damien and I want to do. I know Eric says we’re powerless against them, but that doesn't mean I don’t want to try to fight.

She pocketed her phone and turned around to walk back through the kitchen and into Damien’s family room where the boy was sitting silently on the couch, his head in his hands and his foot tapping anxiously against the carpet. When she entered, he quickly looked up at her.

“So?” he pressed. “What did Alice have to say?”

Liz plopped herself down on the spot beside him and leaned her head against his shoulder, feeling the fatigue setting in once again.

“Honestly, she didn’t have much that we didn’t already know,” she admitted. “Nigreos and Album kept her locked up in some shack in the woods, tortured her to get our names, and ultimatly succeeded. Unfortunately, she was unconscious when Rina made her rescue attempt so we still don’t have any clue what happened to the monster or how Rina even managed to save her in the first place.”

“Great,” Damien muttered, his disappointment clear in his expression. “Not really sure what I was expecting, but I was at least hoping for something. I guess I should just be grateful that she’s alive, though…and that the monster is dead, for that matter.”

Liz nodded her agreement. As hard as it was to call it a victory with the loss of Rina, she couldn’t deny that the girl’s actions succeeded in preventing Alice from being used against them any more than she already had been, thus buying them more time to figure out their best course of action.

And that creature Eric and Lilly warned us about is dead. We never even had to face it. Whatever you did, Davens, thank you…and I’m sorry you had to die.

Liz swallowed, thinking back to the moment that had been haunting her for the last few days—when she took the stone from Eric back in winter to help defend Alice from her bullies. Most of her memories from that time were fuzzy now, and she figured it probably had to do with the growing number of erased victims, but what she remembered clearly was that her actions caused the stone to be used on Rina. It was her fault that the girl was ever involved and so she knew that her blood was on her hands.

Rina wouldn’t have died if not for me. And Damien…

She glanced up at her silent boyfriend, whose features were contorted in concentration, probably trying to find some answer that could help them stop Nigreos and Album before they lost anybody else.

I know he says that he would have wanted to die with us regardless, but now he doesn’t even have that choice. I can understand how Lilly feels when she talks about Natalie. Because of me, Rina’s dead and Damien could soon join her.

Though, as she thought about all that, something else that Lilly told her about came to mind, and she decided she may as well run it by Damien, if only to ensure that they were thorough.

“By the way,” she began softly. “Lilly mentioned something else Alice told her. She said something about…a paradise.”

Damien frowned, returning from his thoughts as she raised her head to look right at him. “Paradise? What do you mean?”

“Honestly, I’m not really sure,” Liz said. “Apparently, Alice was going on about how Nigreos and Album aren’t killing us when they erase us. Instead, she claimed that we were being sent to what Lilly referred to as paradise.”

“That’s odd,” he murmured, his eyebrow cocked. “Why would she think that? Were the Ijirians messing with her head or something?”

Liz nodded. “That's what Lilly thinks. Alice claimed that Album erased her and sent her to some place identical to the real world where nothing had ever gone wrong in her life. She said her friend was alive there and that her old group never split up. It was, in essence, an actual paradise for Alice. And she even claimed to have seen Vinny Mickelson inside.”

“Yeah, that sounds like some sort of trick.” Damien sighed, his earlier intrigue already vanished. “In fact, that would explain how they got Alice to open up in the first place. I figured the pain probably broke her, but…no, they just messed with her mind.”

“The only thing is…”

For a moment, Liz paused and considered what she was about to say. At first, she had agreed with Eric and Lilly about what this paradise was. However, as she thought about it a bit more, she started to wonder if Nigreos and Album had actually lied.

“Yes?” Damien asked, calmly waiting for her to continue.

“Well…I was just wondering if there might actually be some truth to what she said,” Liz finished. “What if paradise is real and those who have been erased aren’t dead, just somewhere else?”

Despite the fact that he was clearly unconvinced, Damien nevertheless decided to humor her for the moment. One of the things she respected most about him was that he would never shut her down. Even if he disagreed with her, he would still hear her out and genuinely consider what she had to say.

“Well, I guess we can’t completely discount the possibility,” he admitted. “But I do find it unlikely. I’m curious though. What makes you think they aren’t lying?”

“Well, it’s been in the back of my mind since Lilly first spoke to Nigreos the day they told us about all of this,” she replied. “Nigreos told her that erasure and death aren’t the same thing. I know we all brushed that aside as him trying to convince us to give ourselves up, but now that Davens has been killed, it makes me wonder if he was telling the truth.”

Damien frowned. “And why would Davens dying make you think they aren’t killing us?”

“Because she still hasn’t been erased,” Liz pointed out immediately. “I mean, Nigreos has made it clear that our existences need to be wiped out because they don’t want magic getting exposed to our world. They want to wipe the slate clean. That’s the supposed reason why they won’t just take the gem and leave. Their law dictates that no remnants of magic can be left behind.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Damien agreed, seemingly following her train of logic thus far.

She grinned as her confidence in her theory began to increase. “So you’d think that Davens getting killed would only make erasing her that much easier. Now that she’s dead, they just need to find her body and get rid of her. I mean, they found her no problem the night Eric fought them, so there really shouldn’t be anything stopping them. So why haven’t they? After all this time, why do we still remember Rina?”

She saw a flash of understanding in her boyfriend’s features and at that very moment, the gears began to turn in his head as he took everything in. “Well, she’s already dead so she can’t expose them, right?”

“You’d think,” Liz agreed. “However, if killing us was satisfactory enough, why not just kill us and not bother with erasing? Why would they be so insistent on erasing us if they could just kill us off and be done with it?”

Damien smirked as the answer clicked in his head. “Because they don’t want to cause a scene. If students just start dropping dead, they’re only to leave more traces of their presence than if they erased us. That much is clear from the chaos that Davens’ death caused. Although, they did attack the diner and the hospital so…”

“I was thinking about that actually,” Liz quickly said. “And I think the reason they did that was to disguise their kidnapping of Alice under some singular attack. I mean, one big crime like that won’t draw too much attention, but a string of murders would. Which is probably why they’re erasing everybody else. So…why not erase Davens?”

Damien slowly got to his feet and began to pace around the room, his eyes darting around as he thought it over. “I can’t think of any reason keeping her remembered would benefit them so…what if they can’t erase her?” he muttered. “What if once someone is dead, they can’t wipe them from existence, which would mean…”

“Maybe erasure and death really are two separate things,” Liz finished, getting to her own feet. “I know it’s too ideal, but if I’m right, then Mickelson, Brooks, Wright, and Fischer aren’t dead. They’re just in this paradise that they sent Alice, too.”

Damien grinned. “And it would mean that sending us there isn’t the end. Maybe we aren’t in checkmate just yet. And what if…?”

“We could break them out,” Liz added. “If somebody can be put inside then maybe they can be taken out. The only question would be how to go about undoing whatever spell is keeping them locked up. I mean, if Alice really is telling the truth then Album brought her back out again. It’s not a one way trip.”

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For the first time in weeks, a spark of true hope was shown in Damien’s eyes. “If you’re right… Holy shit, we might actually be able to do something about this. We might not be screwed! But…” He paused, his features tensing. “I can only imagine two potential ways of releasing somebody from this paradise. One would be having the Masters willingly let them go, which I doubt would work. And the second would be…”

Damien let the thought hang, but she knew what he was going to say. She wasn’t far from that same conclusion either.

“Killing them,” Liz whispered. “Somehow…we would have to kill Album and Nigreos.”

That was the part that caused her to worry. Even setting aside the question of whether either of them could actually take a life, it wasn’t a simple task to kill the Masters. They knew very little about their powers and the only victory they currently had in a fight against them was through Eric’s protection.

“The only one who has the power to reasonably kill them is Eric,” Damien said softly. “But…can he do it? I mean, I know he wants to do whatever he can to protect us, but I don’t know how easy it would be for him to take a life.”

Liz nodded. “I know. And even if he could bring himself to kill them, I think that would hang over him forever.”

“Well, regardless,” Damien went on. “We don’t even know if this is true. We’re doing a lot of assuming as far as why they haven’t erased Davens and whether killing them would even release those locked away. However…” He smiled, walking forward and pulling her into a hug. “It’s a lot to think about, and I want to think you’re on the right track. I hope you’re right. And I think you are.”

She embraced him back, finding comfort in his soft touch and in the sound of his heartbeat. “I hope so. After all, if Eric’s right then thinking is pretty much all we can do right now.”

In all the days she’d spent waiting around and fearing for her life, she had run so many possibilities through her mind. She didn’t want to be useless. She wanted to make things right after dragging so many people into this hell. And now, after so much effort, it felt like she may have found what she was looking for—that little spark of hope that they so desperately needed.

Getting caught up in the moment, she pulled her head back and reached up to gently press her lips against Damien’s in a gentle kiss. He seemed taken aback for a moment, but was quick to kiss her back.

“Let’s do this,” she whispered as she pulled away. “Let’s see what we can learn and let's find some way to take our lives back. We’ll stop them, Damien. We have to. I believe in us. If this paradise really exists, then let’s bring it to an end. Let’s defeat Nigreos and Album.”

Damien chuckled and smiled with determination. “Absolutely. Let’s kick their asses.”

***

“I was waiting for you to finally get here!” Eric called across the clearing, feeling the heat from the blaze burning behind him. “I thought it was a good idea for us to chat again!”

Nigreos and Album were standing at the edge of the barrier, the latter looking mildly amused and the former clenching his jaw in obvious frustration. He knew they wouldn’t be expecting such a bold move from him and that was what he had been banking on. Burning their base to the ground would only be a mild inconvenience, but it was his way of making a statement to them. Rina’s death and the erasure of Evan and Jay would be their final victims. He was done cowering in fear. Alice was safe and so they didn’t have anything they could use against him anymore. He was free to act and now, he was determined to settle the score through any means possible.

I regret having to lie to Lilly, but I know she wouldn’t have approved of me acting on my own! I have to do this! I have to prevent anybody else from getting killed!

The image of Rina’s body laying slumped against that fence came to his mind, only further feeding the hatred he felt for them. He may not have ever been close to the girl, but she was still an innocent life that was only involved because of his actions. Nigreos and Album had killed so many people that were dear to him and so he was going to kill them, all consequences be damned. They couldn’t harm him with magic and, judging by Album’s limp right arm, while she may have been able to reattach it, she did not have use of it. He kept his magic steady, the wind swirling around him to keep the heat and smoke from harming him as he faced the two Masters.

“Nothing to say?!” he snarled. “You want me, don’t you?! I thought you’d be gloating again! Or are you afraid of me now?!”

“Afraid of you?” Much like the previous encounter, it was Album who replied first. “Why would I be afraid of a child like you? Do you think we care about this rundown little house? Why would we? All this serves to accomplish is showing us that you’re no more clever than a child throwing a temper tantrum.”

Ignoring her snide remarks, Eric scoffed and grinned challengingly. “Not afraid, huh? How’s the arm, Album? Feeling any better?’

She returned his grin with one of her own. “It’s fine, Reiner. And once I return to the Citadel, it will be good as new, with no remnants of your attack left. You’ve lost the element of surprise and now, I have no reason to be afraid. In fact…”

Her left fist began to glow, light swirling around it as she raised it toward him. “If you’re so anxious to wrap this up now then let’s do it. Come at me, boy.”

“Album!” Nigreos snapped, stepping in between the two of them. “Don’t be an idiot. This isn’t the time or the place!” Then, ignoring her furious look, the Master of Darkness turned his attention toward Eric. “You’re acting on emotions, Reiner. I can tell that much. You’re upset that Brooks, Wright, and Davens are all gone. And from the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry that Davens died. She slipped away while I was fighting Brooks and I wasn’t able to find her before she passed.”

Fighting Brooks? So Jay really did turn against them?

However, as much as that confirmation gave him a little comfort to know Jay returned to himself in the end, he was instead interested in something else the man had said.

“So you’re still pretending that those you erase aren’t dead?” he demanded. “Is there really any reason at this point? We’re not buying it!”

Nigreos shook his head with exasperation. “They aren’t dead. On my life, I swear that the only people we’ve killed were those at the diner and hospital, and Davens. Everybody else is merely in another realm.”

“Paradise, huh?” Eric spat.

Nigreos smiled. “So Mendez told you, did she? Yes, paradise. Everybody we’ve erased in Wilham is there, safe and sound. Soon enough, Clark, Tao, Harper, Mendez, and Hill will be as well. There’s nothing you can do to stop us, but I promise that they will be safe! And if you come with us to Ijiria, you can either live in your mother’s homeland, or we can have somebody else erase you and allow you to be with them.”

To Eric’s surprise, Nigreos sounded almost desperate to convince him, but the boy only found pleasure in how on edge he was. “No,” he replied sharply. “I’m not going anywhere with you! Either release everybody you’ve supposedly locked away or I’ll kill you right here and make you bring them back!”

“So confident,” Album mused, stepping to stand beside Nigreos as she regarded him. “You can’t kill us. You aren’t powerful enough, even with that cursed protection you have.”

“I’ll find some way!” he roared. “I’ll take you both down no matter what it takes! You’ve killed my mother, you killed plenty of innocent people here, and you’ve taken so many of my friends away from me! You’re monsters and if I don’t stop you, you’ll kill more people! So I will stop you!”

“You won’t,” she retorted. “You lost this battle the second you activated that stone. No matter what you do, no matter how confident you may sound, it won’t change the fact that this story only has one possible ending—your death and the loss of everything you love. You will lose, Reiner. And I look forward to that day.”

“You—!”

He brought his mana to his fingers just as her body turned into pure light, but despite having expected an attack, Album instead disappeared in a flash of light, departing through the barrier and vanishing.

“What the—?!”

“You act like you have won, but all you really accomplished was destroying our base,” Nigreos called out. “And now, you’ll no longer know where to find us. We might not be able to attack you, but you can’t stop us from retreating.”

Wait, no!

“Proto!” he snarled.

“Until next time, Eric Reiner.”

Just as he launched toward the spot where Nigreos was standing, the Master faded into shadow and disappeared into the trees, causing Eric to fly out of the barrier and crash into the ground. He hurriedly got to his feet and frantically scanned his surroundings, expecting the Masters to try and attack, but they never reappeared and he was left sitting in the dirt as he realized just how foolish he had been. He had acted on his emotions, just as they had said, and had gone after them without thinking, only to lose his only advantage over them.

No! What have I done?! I thought I could end it! I thought I could fight them and finish them before they could hurt the others! I didn’t…

He suddenly jumped to his feet as the barrier that had been concealing the house vanished, revealing the burning shack and releasing the smoke into the air above. His eyes went wide.

Shit! The fire will spread to the rest of the forest now!

He rushed to try and put it out, wanting to get rid of it before the fire department showed up. As he rushed toward the blaze, trying to recall every water spell he knew, he could only look upon the fire as the embodiment of his failure.

What have I done?

***

After Damien walked Liz back to her house, he returned to his own to find his father still not home. He imagined the man was probably out at a bar and for the moment, Damien was glad. While his relationship with his dad wasn’t too strained, they definitely weren’t close, and him rarely coming home had been beneficial for him in the past. He spent much of the time after Liz left thinking about what she told him, and now, he truly felt as if they had a plan of action.

This could be it. If she’s right, then we might be able to save everybody who’s been erased. We just have to find some way to crack open this paradise and get them out.

It irritated him greatly that he couldn’t remember any of the people trapped inside, but he knew that most of them had been important to him. Eric had told him quite a bit about Mickelson since his erasure and Damien knew that he had once been a member of their club. If that was true, then he was a close friend and somebody that he was supposed to cherish. That’s why it was crucial that he save them. He wanted to remember his friends and he didn’t want to forget those he still had.

Especially Liz. I refuse to allow myself to forget her! No matter what happens, I need to retain my memories and keep fighting back! Which is why I have to do this!

Damien turned and walked up the stairs, heading toward his father’s bedroom. He cautiously pushed open the door, wanting to be careful not to leave any evidence that he was ever there.

If we lose then it won’t matter whether I’m eventually caught or not, and if we win, I’ll figure out some way to prevent him from finding out. I’ll do what I have to do.

Damien quietly closed the door and moved inside. There was a large, king-sized bed against the back wall and to its right was the door to the master bathroom. The boy walked inside and made a b-line for the walk-in closet to his left. The inside was full of his father’s shirts ranging from sports jerseys to dress shirts and slacks. But, of course, he wasn’t there to steal clothes. Damien crouched down beside a small, blue safe in the corner and began putting in the code. The only reason he knew it was because his father had told him in the case of any emergency where he would need to defend himself.

And Dad, while I’m sorry that I can’t tell you about it, that time has come. Not only is my life at risk, but so are the lives of everybody I care about. So, I have to do this.

With the safe unlocked, he opened the door and peered inside to see numerous handguns placed within, and on the door were various forms of ammo for the different types of weapons that his father kept concealed there. Damien hesitantly reached in and took one of the 9mms, feeling its weight in his hands and remarking on how it was heavier than he remembered. He swallowed in disgust, having never liked firearms or the terrifying power they came with. Unlike his father, he never wanted to touch a gun and had declined going out to the shooting range on numerous occasions. He had hoped to never have to fire one at all, let alone to potentially kill.

But I don’t have a choice. If killing Album and Nigreos is what it could take to save everybody, then somebody needs to bear that burden.

He took a deep breath.

And I’d rather it be me.