Chapter XXXV

As Vinny Mickelson walked down the streets of the erased realm’s Wilham, he couldn’t help but marvel at how real it all seemed. Even though Lilly had explained everything both to his erased self and to his real self, he still found it hard to come to terms with it all. Of course, he believed her. Between The Switch and the terrors he saw at Ralph’s Diner, he knew magic was real and that it had power beyond his understanding. Yet the idea that an entire replica of his home could be created like this was almost fascinating, in a twisted sort of way. So much had happened in the time he was gone and now he needed to catch himself up with it all. He was told about Ijiria, about the Masters named Nigreos and Album, and of the battle that they waged against the Magic Club in the weeks after his erasure. Eric had magic of his own, and now even Lilly had powers that could potentially put her on the level of the beings that stuck them within that realm.

There’s so much to think about. There’s so much I missed and as everything fell apart, I was stuck here, oblivious to the pain my friends were going through. Vinny looked down at the street, his hands in the pockets of his shorts. But I’m back now so I’ll do whatever I can to fight these Ijirians. I’ll make up for lost time.

Vinny then shifted his gaze to Lilly, who walked a little ahead of him as she continued to lead him to their destination. She was very different, but not in a bad way. There was confidence in the way she moved and talked that hadn’t been in the Lilly Harper he remembered. Her experiences had shaped her into a different person, and he found himself in awe of who she had become. She was ready and willing to risk her life taking Nigreos and Album on, and the look in her eyes made it clear that Eric had a certain effect on her.

And it’s no wonder considering everything she went through, he thought, recalling what had happened the previous night.

When he’d entered Rista’s apartment, he’d found her arm bandaged up and her skin red and swollen in places, with a sleeping Jay laying across her lap. She’d done her best to explain it all, but soon enough, Rista arrived and quickly went to work putting the balcony and sliding door back together, as well as attempting to heal the two of them. Yet, while the magic had worked on Jay, none of Lilly’s wounds would close up, and Rista couldn’t figure out what was going wrong. Even now, while her swelling had gone down, Lilly’s left arm was bandaged, and despite the summer heat of the morning, she had a light jacket put on to cover it, as if wanting to hide it from the others. With everything that had been going on, Lilly had promised to explain more the following morning, so thus far, they hadn’t had a ton of time to interact.

“So how are you feeling?” he asked. “Is your arm any better?”

She looked back at him and smiled before shrugging. “I mean, it doesn’t hurt as much, but it’s still hard to move it. I just wish Rista’s healing could have worked, but I’ll just have to make due. Like I said last night, I’ll be fine once we get out of here.”

“Good, good,” he muttered. “I’m glad. When I headed back to the apartment last night, I had hoped it would be a fun reunion. Hadn’t expected to find you and Brooks half dead and the apartment a complete mess. Honestly, what have you guys gotten yourselves into?”

She snorted and eyed him wryly. “Hey, don’t act like you aren’t part of this. You liked screwing around with that gem the most, after all. Or well, other than Eric, at least.”

“Well, of course I couldn’t compete with Eric! That guy was obsessed with magic!” Vinny smirked. “And I mean, how couldn’t you be? This stuff is freaking amazing, even if most of it is evil and dangerous.”

Lilly cocked an eyebrow as she regarded him. “You know, you’re taking this all far better than I thought you would. I mean, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Oh, don’t worry about me,” he assured her with a wave of his hand. “I think it has to do with the fact that you already explained it to my other self, but none of this really surprises me. After all, you already showed me magic when you kicked Damien’s ass, and I’ve spoken with Pine, and been told all about this realm. So in that sense, I guess I have to thank you. If you’d kept ‘asshole me’ in the dark then I’d probably be freaking out right now.”

Lilly laughed softly and shook her head. “God, you’re way too laid back about that stuff, Vin’. But regardless, I’m glad to have you back. Maybe with you back to normal, we might be able to get through to Damien a bit more. I just wish I knew how you regained everything.”

“Me, too,” he admitted. “I’m pretty sure it had to do with my date with Alice, but for the life of me, I don’t know if it was our kiss or just being with her that caused it all. I started getting flashes of my real life pretty much from the start, so it’s possible that the kiss was just the last straw.”

Lilly furrowed her brow in thought as they rounded another corner and came to the rather small apartment duplex. “Then maybe if we elicit strong enough emotion, we can break the spell?”

“That’s my theory,” Vinny replied. “And it shouldn’t be hard to snap Damien back to normal. Liz’s siren song has always been stronger than anything. Get her to seduce him and he’ll be back to his proper self in no time!”

He flashed her a thumbs up and a broad smile, to which the girl shook her head once more, as if exasperated by his lighthearted tone. Yet, despite that, she was soon laughing once again.

“God, I’ve missed you, Vinny,” she said. “I didn’t realize how much your dumbass ideas really put me at ease.”

“Dumbass ideas?!” he exclaimed, feigning offense. “Whatever do you mean, dear Lilly?! My ideas are nothing but brilliant! Even the most renowned scientists would marvel at the genius that comes out of my brain!”

Lilly snorted. “Sure, whatever you say, you moron. Now, let’s get going.”

She led him up the steps of the duplex and toward one of the doors, and as Vinny glanced around, he found himself suddenly anxious about the interactions to come. Lilly was taking him to the workshop of Eric’s father, who was currently working on an anti-mana serum to combat Nigreos and Album. That alone was stunning to Vinny, who had never heard much about Scott Reiner, let alone met him. But what put him on edge even further was the fact that Evan Wright would already be inside.

At the end of the day, Vinny knew that Evan’s presence in the erased realm was because of him. He was the one who used The Switch on him and Rina, so the blood that was split by the Masters could be traced back to him. That was the one thing he was trying not to think about, yet as they arrived, he knew there was no way to get around it. Lilly had already told him what happened to Rina back in the real world.

She was killed by Nigreos, and she was only targeted because of what I did to her back at Christmas. How much damage did I really cause by doing what I did? I know I always spouted off that it was for the greater good, but still…

“Have you considered how what you’ve done has affected everybody around you?”

Ever since Damien confronted him so many months ago, Vinny had been forced to face and accept the consequences of his actions. He wanted to believe that he had helped Alice by going after Evan and Rina, but in the end, Jay tried to kill himself, and Evan and Rina became targets of the Ijirians, all because he wanted to be the hero that would protect his friends.

But blood was split because of me. Damien was right. In the end, he was always right. I knew that the day I found out Jay jumped, but it's even clearer to me now. Rina’s gone, so there’s no way I can ever make amends for what I did. I can’t change the past…

“Vinny?”

The sound of Lilly’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he quickly turned a smile her way to ease her concern. “Yes, friendo?”

“You good?” she asked, to which he broadened his grin and nodded.

“Of course. Never been better. Now, we shouldn’t keep them waiting. In we go!”

Lilly frowned but did as he suggested and knocked on the door, and within a few seconds, it was pulled open not by Scott Reiner, who owned the place, but by a face that was both familiar to Vinny and very different. It was Liz, but she didn’t look like her normal self. She wasn’t wearing glasses and her ever-present headphones were absent. Instead, she wore makeup and contacts, with far more feminine clothing than her normal preferences. His other self had known this Liz Tao, but with his memories back, he couldn’t help but gape.

“Hey, Harper,” she greeted. “Oh, and you came, too, Mickelson? I honestly didn’t think you were gonna bother.”

He was thrown off, but that didn’t mean he was going to stay that way. He wanted to get her back to normal just like Lilly did, and he knew the only way to do that would be to try and get her and Damien in a similar situation as him and Alice. So, he once again smiled like his usual self and ran his hand through his blonde hair.

“Dear Liz, what is with your lack of faith in me?” he demanded. “Why wouldn’t I come to help my dear friends? And cut this Mickelson nonsense. I’ve known you for far too long for you to be using my last name! I don’t know what game you seek to play with me, but I will not fall victim to your schemes!”

He was a little sad by her lack of a comeback as she just stared at him, her eyes wide like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Normally, Liz would have had something witty to fire back with, so it was hard to conceal his disappointment.

“U-um…what?” she stammered. “Harper, what’d you do to him?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. He got his memories back on his own, so now he’s back to himself. Weirdly enough, this idiot here is the Vinny I’m used to. He’s finally stopped brooding.”

“Hey, Lilly! I was not brooding!” he complained. “I was just a tad sad, is all. But now I have no need to be, for I have returned to my proper self! Now Liz, tell me, where is Damien for I much desire to have a word with him!”

Liz just continued to glance between the two of them, as if still struggling to find the right words to say. “T-this…is the real Mickelson?”

“Vinny!” he corrected.

“Er, right, Vinny,” she muttered. “I just… Wow, I don’t really know what to say.”

“Well if you’re struggling to find the right words to say, how about I help you,” he suggested. “Just admit that you are the inferior club member when it comes to me, and praise me as the greatest. How about that?”

As Liz’s clear discomfort grew, Lilly finally decided to put a stop to his teasing. “Alright, shut up, Vinny. Liz, are the others already here?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. You guys were the last ones to arrive,” she answered. “Though Natalie isn’t here, but I guess you’re not bringing her?”

Lilly shook her head. “No, I couldn’t get her mom to let me take her out today, unfortunately. She wasn’t very happy about that but it couldn’t be helped. Anyway, thanks for coming to give us a hand.”

Giving Liz a brief pat on the shoulder, Lilly motioned for Vinny to follow her and moved into the apartment. Deciding he’d teased “Erased Liz” enough, he moved to follow after his friend, but was stopped by the sound of Liz’s voice.

“Vinny,” she called out. “How did you do it? How’d you go back to normal?”

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He paused and glanced back at the girl, seeing a bit of the familiar determination that he was used to. “Oh, nothing too crazy. Emotions are quite powerful, I believe, so if you tap into them, you’ll be able to pull your real self out. As for me, I simply shared a nice moment with the girl I love. So perhaps invite Damien to your place and see what happens. Put that siren’s song of yours to good use and get him back.”

He gave her a wink then turned and continued on down the hall before arriving at the workshop. The room was a cluttered mess and that wasn’t helped by the fact that there were now eight people crammed into it. Evan, Brad, and Rista were gathered off to the right, beside the overfilled closet, while Damien was standing by himself in the opposite corner. In the center of it all was a giant workbench where an older man in a tank top was sitting with Lilly and Jay beside him. Vinny knew without having to ask that it was Scott Reiner who was peering into his microscope. Upon his entrance, the man glanced back at him and scowled.

“No! Stop bringing more people!” he snapped irritably. “When I said I needed help, I didn’t mean for you to bring your whole fucking club! There’s not enough room in here!”

Wow… Well he’s certainly pleasant. No wonder Eric never talked about him.

“Come on, Mr. Reiner! You’ve just met me! How do you know I won’t be the most useful one here! I’m actually quite good at science,” he lied.

While Lilly, Jay, and Rista already knew that his memories had returned, Evan, Brad, and Damien must have still been in the dark, since they just stared at him with a similar shock to Liz. Vinny glanced to his right and looked at Brad before grinning and winking at him as well.

“Good to see you still in one piece, Fischer,” Vinny went on. “It’s been far too long since we’ve hung out. I’ve missed you, buddy.”

Brad’s features turned irritable as he put his face in his hands. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. When did you come back, Mickelson?”

“Last night actually,” he replied. “It was quite the experience but I feel great! Honestly feel like I could go run a marathon actually! I’m so rejuvenated and energized!”

Brad sighed then glanced over at Lilly, who just nodded, as if to confirm that he really was back to his old self. As for Evan, he hadn’t said a word, which was surprising to Vinny. Considering how their last interaction had unfolded, he had been prepared to be cursed out, but he just stood silently and stared at the ground, almost as if he just wanted to ignore him.

“Well anyway, if you can’t help, get out,” Scott snapped. “I don’t need a bunch of useless teenagers in my workshop! You’ll make a mess of everything!”

Vinny raised an eyebrow as he glanced around the dirty room. Oh really? It looks like that’s already been taken care of. Pretty sure you don’t get much messier than this. Though he kept that comment to himself, recalling how Lilly had warned him how easy it was to agitate Scott.

“Actually, I was just getting ready to head out,” Jay quickly said. “Rista, you ready to go?”

The Ijirian nodded and stood up straighter. “Yeah, let’s get this done with. Then, maybe I can try to take some time and search for this damn mana port. If we don’t find that soon, none of this is gonna matter.” He irritably indicated Scott’s table, clearly growing impatient with their lack of progress.

“Yeah, you’ve said as much fifty fucking times now,” Scott growled. “Just leave some more blood samples and I won’t care what you do.”

“They’re already in the fridge,” he called over his shoulder and he hurried out of the room, not bothering to give even a single look back at them.

Vinny figured Jay would go with him, but to his surprise, the boy stopped and looked back at Evan, who was still quietly standing beside Brad. “Hey, Wright. You come with us, too, okay.”

Evan glanced up and narrowed his eyes. “What? Why? Why would you need my help putting Mendez’s memories back.”

“I don’t,” Jay replied bluntly. “I need you for something else. Just trust me. I promise it’ll be worth it.”

“But—”

“Go with him, dude,” Brad interrupted. “Mr. Reiner needs some of us to get out of here anyway so it’ll make his workshop less crowded. And maybe pick us up some snacks on your way back.”

“What am I, your snack boy?” Evan spat, yey even with his annoyance clear, he just rolled his eyes and conceded. “Fine. Whatever. Let’s make this fuckin’ quick, Brooks.”

With that, he marched out of the room, not even addressing Vinny as he slid past him and back into the hall. In a way, Evan ignoring him was a relief, but at the same time, he knew that it was only pushing off the inevitable. They would have to talk one way or the other, for the peace of mind of them both.

Jay soon followed the other boy, but unlike Evan, when he reached where Vinny stood, he looked up at him and smiled. “It’s good to have you back, Mickelson,” he said. “And don’t worry, we’ll take care of Alice. I’m sure she’s going to be stressed when her memories come back, so I’ll need your help to explain everything, okay?”

Vinny nodded and patted the boy on the shoulder. “Of course. Take care of yourself, my friend.”

“Yeah, you, too.”

With a quick fist bump, Jay then continued out of the room as well, trading places with Liz as she entered, still looking a bit unnerved but seeming to have mostly recovered as she headed over to where Damien was still sitting, watching the interactions with obvious confusion. With only six of them left in the room, it didn’t feel as crowded, and Lilly was quick to get to business.

“So, what’s the deal with serum?” she asked Scott. “Rista explained some of it over the phone, but he was a little unclear. Do you need anything?”

The man shook his head, leaning back in his chair as he scowled. “Nah, I don’t think so. It didn’t work, but I think that might just be due to the age of the serums we tested with. Like I said, I ran out of Abi’s blood a long time ago, so I’m hoping that if I use Pine’s and make new ones, it should work.”

“And why do you think that’ll work?” she inquired.

“Well, when I used the old serum, there was a very faint reaction,” Scott explained. “See, the mana output was hindered by just a little bit, so it’s got some level of effectiveness. All I gotta do is hope that making new ones will work. I have other ideas I could try, but the more tests I have to run, the longer it’ll take, and I know Pine’s getting fucking impatient.”

Lilly sighed. “Well, we are running short on time, so if it doesn’t work, we’ll just have to hope The Angel can do its job. And if we can get Eric back, maybe you can use his blood and keep testing in the real world.”

“Maybe so,” he grunted. “But if you’re going after Noctis, I want to help. There’s no fucking way I’m sitting out on this. Even if I can’t fight the bastard myself, I’ll be far more satisfied knowing it was my creation that helped do him in.”

“I understand that,” Lilly whispered. “So, like I said earlier, if you need anything, just ask me. I’ll do whatever I can.”

For a moment, Scott just looked at her, as if trying to determine something, before chuckling softly. “Thanks, Harper.”

Vinny watched the interaction with pride, once again marveling at how different Lilly had become. He’d missed so much while he was trapped in this world, and even now, it was hard to comprehend it all, but he understood what needed to be done. He didn’t know Ijiria, and he only ever saw Album once, but he remembered watching the people at that diner getting mercilessly slaughtered and he remembered the terror he felt when she plunged her arm in his chest. He understood how dangerous they were, so without truly knowing what they were up against, he was ready to take them down, if only to save the people he cared about.

I’ll do everything I can for the club, and for Alice…

We’re coming, Eric. Just hold on for a little while longer.

***

“So what exactly do you bastards need me for?” Evan demanded as he followed Jay and Rista down the very forest path that never failed to send shivers down his spine. It was the one he had been on the day Nigreos and Album first attacked him, and if he headed deeper into the trees, he would eventually reach that decrepit shack that had only ever brought him pain. Because of this, he was growing more and more anxious the further into the woods they went. “Seriously! Stop hiding shit from me! It’s not funny!”

Rista didn’t even acknowledge his complaints as the Ijirian continued to survey their surroundings, cautious as always. Jay, however, did glance back at him with a grin that made the boy feel like he was being teased.

“Just trust me, Wright. It’ll be worth it,” he assured him.

Evan narrowed his eyes. “Will it? I doubt Mendez will be terribly happy if I’m one of the first things she sees after coming back to normal.”

“Oh she won’t,” Jay corrected as he pulled his phone from his pocket, as if to check something. “You don’t have to go all the way to the hideout. In fact, this should be far enough. Thanks!”

“W-wait, what?” he stuttered, baffled and even more confused than before. “What do you mean this is far enough? Far enough for what? Stop fucking with me, Brooks!”

But neither of them paid him any attention as they made their way off the path and into the woods, and before they got too far away, Jay turned back and gave him a thumbs up, almost like he was trying to encourage him to do something.

Why do I feel like I’m getting my ass pranked? he internally grumbled. And why is Brooks all chipper so suddenly? I mean, I know Harper said they exorcized that monster or whatever, but I’d still think he’d be a bit nervous to do this… Ah, whatever, it’s not my problem.

Part of him considered following after them, but he meant what he said about not wanting to be present when Alice regained her memories. So, he begrudgingly turned around and began making his way along the path, wanting to just get back to Scott’s workshop so he could continue watching him work. He really wanted to know whether that serum was going to be successful, so he began to pick up his pace. Yet, he soon slowed down again as he recalled the boy who had arrived just before he left.

So Mickelson got his memories back?

He didn’t know how to feel about that. It was one thing to put his hatred aside when dealing with a Vinny Mickelson that didn’t remember their incident last Christmas, but it was another matter entirely to face the Vinny he knew from his version of reality. That boy knew what happened between them, as well as what he did to Rina.

What the fuck am I even supposed to think? I’ve hated that arrogant asshole for so long, and now he’s suddenly back and I have to work with him? What kinda fucked up reality is this? How can I even look him in the eyes after everything he did to me?

But he could no longer pin the blame on Vinny alone. He knew that he was responsible for it all as well. If he hadn’t dragged Rina into his own personal rivalries then she wouldn’t have suffered what Vinny did to her and she would never have had to know about Ijiria. She could have still been alive.

Why did I even get her involved in the first place? I hated Mickelson, but she didn’t even know the guy. Sure, she had her issues with Mendez, but that had nothing to do with me.

But even if he couldn’t admit it to himself, he knew the real reason he had egged her on. He’d always had feelings for her for as long as he’d known her. He thought she was pretty, and fun, and just enjoyable to be around. Naturally, there would have never been a relationship between them since she wound up dating Steven, but that never stopped him from trying to get close with her and make excuses to talk with her. She’d spoken a little about how Alice had once betrayed her, so when Vinny started dating her, Evan saw that as a prime opportunity for them both to get a little revenge. Rina could make Alice pay for turning on her and Evan could teach Vinny to know his place.

What a fucking pathetic reason. And where did that pettiness get me? He looked up at the midday sky and the trees around him, taking in his surroundings with a grimace. It got me here. Somehow, I survived when Rina didn’t. My motives were so petty and I wasn’t even the one to pay for them. Why did Rina have to suffer the punishment meant for me? Why couldn’t it have been me? Why couldn’t Album have killed me when I gave her the chance?

He knew it was simple luck. The Masters had never wanted to kill any of them. Erasure had always been their fate, and Rina had simply gotten away and died before they got the chance to erase her.

If we had known… If we had known erasure wasn’t the end, then could we have survived? Was there anything I could have done differently?

As these thoughts were going through his head, Evan heard the sounds of two girls chatting further up the path, and only spared a quick glance up as they got closer, only to stop and gape.

“Oh, Wright,” Rina stuttered, having only just noticed him. “Um, good morning.”

Beside her was Audrey Moore, but Evan hardly paid her any attention as he stared only at Rina. Ever since regaining his memories, he had avoided the erased realm’s version of Rina because he had known he wouldn’t be able to handle facing her. She wouldn’t know anything about him other than his reputation, so she would certainly not like him. She wouldn’t even have the emotions of the real world to influence her reaction, so it didn’t surprise him when she shrank back, as if creeped out by him. She didn’t even look like the girl he remembered. She wasn’t wearing any makeup and her hair was tied back. There was even a different look in her eyes, telling him that this version of her was far happier than the one he knew.

Brooks, you asshole. You knew she was coming, didn’t you?

“Er, Wright?” Rina murmured nervously. “Are you okay?”

Biting back the pain he was feeling, he forced himself to nod. “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, Davens, you startled me.”

“Oh, uh, sorry.” Rina looked nervously at Audrey, who was already motioning for them to go. “Well, we’re gonna keep moving, so take care.”

The two girls quickly rushed past them and continued down the path, and Evan knew it would have been smarter to do the same. He knew saying anything to her was pointless, yet Jay had somehow set up this encounter to give him the chance to face her before the erased realm ended.

If he didn’t do something, he would regret it. Therefore…

“Rina,” he called back, refusing to look over his shoulder but the sound of her footsteps going quiet confirmed that she was listening. “I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorry for dragging you into my problems and I’m sorry I wasn’t able to protect you. I wasn’t good enough. I know that. I just hope, wherever you are, that you can forgive me. I’ll try my best to be better.”

He never looked back nor did he wait for a reply. This wasn’t Rina Davens so any reply that came from her would be meaningless. But he put his words out there, and if there was any form of afterlife then hopefully the real Rina could hear him. He wanted to be better, if only to atone for the past.

I feel a little better now. I’m ready to take this place down. Thanks, Brooks. I owe you one.