Chapter 10 - And When She Cried

The broken city groans. Deep winds pierce through the windows of broken homes and dreams, through the many machines that wander the foul streets of The Timeless City.

She finds herself dreaming that endless dream, but is it really a dream? Or a vision?

Near Lake Child Park, she stood on the street, alone, afraid, the very wind would pierce her skin and freeze her bones as a living machine stood in front of her.

Humanoid. Metal. Violent. He stood there, watching her, judging her, every movement she might do would kill her on the spot. He knew that. She knew that. And yet nothing. Nothing for an entire hour, just standing still and not moving a muscle.

And so he began to move. Slowly at first, and then rapidly, he started to run on all fours, he was no humanoid, he was an animal, a monster, a machine.

And he plunges at her.

And she wakes up.

The city dreams of riches and spoils. The dark sky gave no light, neither did the city except the occasional street lamps. She had woken up. How long was she sleeping? Did she sleep at all? Not even the cat was awake. It was just her. Her and…the figure in the corner.

It was childlike. Small figure, black silhouette, bright yellow eyes. They stare into hers, and give off…familiarity. Of course. Who else could it be?

"P-Pippy?" Silvia whispered as the silhouette nodded, slowly approaching as what light that shone from the streets revealed her form. She was like a manifestation of space, and her eyes were not eyes but two bright burning yellow stars. She was a star herself.

"Yes. Pippy is me. I watch you. Watch Kade. When sleep, is vulnerable." she explained in her usual tone of voice as Silvia slowly nodded, getting up from the bed as quietly and slowly as possible as she slowly approached the figure, who backed up a little.

"Pippy saw dream. Nightmare machine. Tailor. Attack. Bad dream."

Silvia just nods. The city was quiet. Everything was quiet tonight.

"Pippy…what is Castle…hiding?" she asks, approaching her again as Pippy backs up. "Pippy unable to answer. Question is too direct."

"P-Pippy, if this helps mister with his investigation, you s-should tell me…"

"Pippy not allowed. Stars won't allow. No more questions. Sleep"

"Pippy…please…what were they hiding from him?"

Silence. Defenseless silence as the young star sighs in defeat. "Fine. Pippy answer. Castle. They hide facts. Fact is of Kade. Kade was al-" and immediately, another figure came out of the shadowed corner, hugging Pippy from behind with a hand over her mouth. "Shhh…only The Wrong Man may know. Only The Wrong Man can learn. Silence, young star…"

The figure was just like Pippy. An adult made of stars, with bright blue stars for eyes as he looks at Silvia. "Only Good Men can guide The Wrong Man. Let him discover the old again. Silence, Silver Wanderer…." and just like that, he disappears into starry dust that fades away as Pippy shrugs. "The stars give their answer. Pippy no help with secrets…Pippy sorry" and so she disappears as well into starry dust. And then the dust fades away.

"Only…Good Men?" She kinda just stood there for a minute or so, confused, what did they mean? What secret was the agency hiding from Kade? Her thought bubble popped when she heard the bed moving a bit, looking back to see Kade waking up a little, looking over to Silvia. "Silvia, dear…" a quick yawn as he sits up, tired eyes so full of wonder still. "Why are you awake? Was it the streets? I know, it is a lot busier up here at night…" he said with a small chuckle.

Silvia shakes her head at first, she wanted to tell him about the star people, yet silence was brought onto her mouth before she nodded. "I…heard the noise of machinery but it was just the…the, uh…cars! It was just the cars" a believable half truth, she had mistaken the sounds of cars and other machinery for the Living Machines , but of course she lied as well, she was used to the cars already now thanks to Pippy’s words of comfort last night.

"Ah, those, yeah it's just a couple cars driving by now and then. Frankly, I find them calming, but maybe I am just used to 'city life' as some people may say…" another chuckle as he sighs.

"Mister…er…Kade…can I ask a question?" Silvia asked, it was sudden, she didn't know why yet she felt…like she had to ask. "Ask away, Silvia, my ears are hopefully open" he pats the open spot on the bed next to him as she nods, coming over and sitting beside him.

"If only…people with high enough Knowledge can pass through the access points…like the l-lakes and elevators and stuff…what Knowledge do you possess?" she asks. Kade tilts his head, closing his eyes as he thinks for a while. "Well…you aren't wrong, I must have even a little something to be able to pass through…but I don't have a clue…except…let me tell you about myself proper, dear, maybe it'll put you to sleep, heh" he clears his throat a bit as he looks out the window.

"I don't really remember my early childhood, only Castle and mother can tell me what it was. We were born and raised in this city, my father died to…something no one would tell me about, but he saved my mother and inevitably me when I was still in the womb. And…uh…things happened I guess. I aced schoolwork so easily so I had so much time to imagine, so I imagined about a Wonderland, a city of…creatures and fictions…" slowly, a small idea forms into his head.

"You know…when I perceived that Smoke Picture or whatever Molly called it…the city had such a familiarity to it…like I was there…but…I wasn't? I swore I remember being told about me just dreaming and imagining a world like that, almost ordinary, just filled with magic and other intelligent species and all that nonsense…"

Silvia wanted to help, but…she again feels that tight grip on her consciousness, preventing her from helping him. But why? Why do the stars not allow her? So as an alternative, she speaks up.

"W-We can talk about that another time…so what about your…Knowledge?"

"Ah, of course, forgive me, as for what I think of my Knowledge…well…for almost my whole life, I've been having strange hallucinations and hearing strange voices that knew more than me…but…it makes more sense now as a Knowledge, doesn't it? The blue string that you and only you can see, and whispers of stars…yet they never spoke to me as much…it was only yesterday that I heard them speak much longer sentences for the first time in a long time, when it told me about the those trio of youths that spied on us…or when it told to look to place, but it has been quiet lately now. And…the string, the blue string you can see and yet not even Sugar can see is strange…and it keeps appearing when I think about you hard enough…like now" he closes his eyes as the name 'Silvia' echoes in his head again, and when he opens it, there it was, the blue string of unknown material, propping from his right index finger to her left index finger. “I always saw it, and I always followed it, and it always lead me to places, to someone…”

Silvia lifts her hand to watch it stretch and dangle. "Maybe this is a Knowledge or part of it…to find the lost…hm…what if I…" he thinks hard again, yet the string hasn't changed. "Deduction is a great skill to have…to find those who I've lost…those I've interacted with maybe? Touched? No, not touch, I was thinking about a nurse who gave me medication before, touched her hand slightly yet nothing…as for the voices?"

He knocks on the side of his head gently. "Hey! Anyone in there?" but no answer. "Sucks for them, missing the opportunity to talk with the splendorous me, oh how foul"

And she can feel that grip loosening.

"I…also hear stars in my head…whispering…but this star is…more talkative…" Silvia said as Kade smiles brightly.

"Hah! It is like the stars gave us a fate to meet! But why? Of course I know why…okay, I don't actually BUT I am reliable so I like to think it is that!" he pats her on the head as he sighs. "This is quite exciting to me, all this life thinking about…the fiction, the unnatural, those cryptic myths and stories, real! I always believed that, Silvia, that those dreams were real, and god damnit, I'm gonna make sure it stays real when we deal with that clock tower guy and…and save people! God, I am too full of spirit to rest…but it is way too late to have these kinds of speeches, but it is never too late to give a promise!" He looks at her with fire in those ocean blue eyes.

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"One day, Silvia, you'll be walking in those towns and that Time Loss City, without fear in your heart or the heart of others! And you'll be smiling! I promise that! This rising detective ain't stopping till that city is safe for you!" another grandiose little speech as he laughs quite a lot, quietly.

And Silvia couldn't help but giggle with him as she nods, small tears form in her eyes but she wipes them away. "I…thank you, Kade…" she said as he nodded with that silly smile.

'Always liked hearing your own voice, detective…and of others…' the voice spoke in his head again as he smiled brighter.

'Well that’s me! Kade Gears Wonder, you hear me? I am saving that damn city, and I am making it safe for our Silver Wanderer!' he shouted to the stars in his head as he flops onto the bed.

"Oh, there goes my energy, let's get back to sleeping duties, Silvia, we have our own operation to do right now, after the Sleep Criminals!" he said, chuckling again as Silvia nods, flopping herself onto the best as well besides him as he pats her on the head one more time. "Blessed be your soul…" a small whisper as he closes his eyes, and so did she.

The gentle embraces of people hug their minds, one a mirror, another a group, both with a purpose.

And they slumber once more, Hiss opens her eyes slightly to look down at them before closing again, a small smile forms on her mouth as she whispers quietly to herself.

"Bless your souls…"

To See Through Different Eyes...

The night passed slowly, too slowly, the streets were still quiet, and it even got darker as they worked from their office, finishing typing into a typewriter as they removed the freshly typed paper, reading it over again.

"I miss you everyday but I promised her I would protect this place until it is time for Kade to learn…blah blah blah…same letter everyday but he never sends me one back, how tiring…"

Castle sighed in their office as they stood up, folding the paper neatly, putting it into a letter they set aside before just taping the front.

"Oh Celeste, how much longer do you have to hold onto it? It is getting tiring not being able to do anything magical!" they said as they put the letter away into a cabinet, and then as they did, they would suddenly sense a very magical presence in their room as they turned around, hand pointed as a spear manifested, the very tip right at the neck of a…very small individual. She looked just like Silvia, but made of stars, and her bright yellow star eyes stared at them as they sigh.

"Silvia, dear, you scared the stars out of me, please don't do that next time…" the spear disappears into a black dust as 'Silvia' shakes her head.

"Not Silvia! Am mirror of Silvia! No confuse me, now tell Pippy everything! All secrets, no hidden!" the small Starry Child said, very demanding towards Castle as they sighed again.

"So you are the second figure I felt from Silvia. I found it strange she had enough Knowledge for two entire people but I see she has a guardian of some sorts…well, 'Pippy', I am not going to indulge your curiosity unlike her…maybe unless you beat me at a game of Thero's Chess, hm?"

"Thero's Chess? What that, never heard, only normal chess."

"A simple modification to the game, really, it is the same as chess but the right side of the boards act as if they continued to the other side, so a Bishop goes to the right, hits the side, and continues wherever they please, or until they hit a wall. How about it?"

"Deal. No going back, Pippy will win" she said very confidently as Castle chuckled. They sit back down on their office chair, moving the typewriter away onto another table as they grab a rather spectral looking chess board, it was a very mythical and magical design…and has actual magic that allows one to move the pieces with just a command, and of course, the blue and red spaces on the right side transport pieces, if they please, to the left side, on the green and yellow spaces.

Castle manifests a badge in their hand as they use it like a coin, it had a King piece on one side and a Rook piece on the other as they flip it. It lands King up as Castle nods, setting up the black pieces on their side, while setting up the white pieces on her side. Pippy would sit down at the desk on the other side, although there was nothing to sit there, she floated as if she was sitting on a chair.

And as Castle sits back down after prepping the pieces, they set down the final piece, an hourglass with silver sand.

"Oh, and…typically in The World Below, we play with the Scholar Sand. The more time you spent thinking, the more time I get, so I could make quick and risky moves to time you out, or make it fair and take my time…it is about 5 minute worth of time on both side" they would point to a button on the hourglass's top, showing a button as Pippy nods, pressing it as the top sand began to fall as she didn't think too much.

"Pawn E2 to E4" she commanded as the board did as she asked, moving the pawn for her as the hourglass spins automatically for her as Castle thinks.

"So, who are you, Pippy? Pawn E7 to E5" their pan moves accordingly.

"Starry Person. For Silvia. Help her. Who you? Bishop F1 to C4" and so the bishop moved accordingly.

"Castle Ling Yu, just an amateur photography student turned into a glorified assistant and detective. Knight G8 to F6"

"Why hide secrets from Wrong Man and Silvia? Pawn C2 to C3”

“Because that is what Celeste told us. No one else but me knows the why, but even I myself do not know the true why. Sometimes I wonder if I really know the mind of Celeste Vuur. Queen D8 to E7”

“Hmph. Silence brings violence. Putting Wrong Man and Silvia in trouble. Knight G1 to H3”

“And pray tell me, what kind of trouble?” Knight B8 to C6”

“Of-”

Another hand covers her mouth, that Starry Man again, covering her secrets as he whispers. “Queen D1 to F3”

“Ah…you again…a bit unfair to go against 2 people now but…how about you speak to me, hm? Why do YOU keep secrets? Pawn D7 to D6”

“Because all is determined, detective” they said, the voice was deeper at first before a higher pitch one came by to replace it, with a much more different way of speaking. “Because that’s the way of it, Castle. We are strictly forbidden from any and all interactions with our Sire, which includes all other such Stars like the little Mirror. Pawn D2 to D3”

“Bearers of fate, I see, and I would assume this very situation is part of this ‘future’? Knight F6 to G4”

Pippy would remove the hand as she got up on this ‘invisible’ chair she sat on as she turned around to face the star eyed adult. “It not have to be this way! Why make suffer!? Follow fate!? Bad people, bad people! Queen F3 to G4!”

“Because it will ruin everything, little Mirror. We do as we must, and so do you. To be the little Mistress’s little Mirror, to be herself”

Castle would let them keep going as they whispered, “Bishop C8 to G3 takes Queen” and it moves, appearing onto the spot of where the White Queen was as it dissipates, on the side of the board, a small counter kept check of taken parts.

“But WHY!” Pippy was very visibly infuriated. She wanted both Silvia and Kade to know everything, but the starry adult refused to give up anything. “Why keep secrets! Put them in danger! Why, why, why! Bishop C1 to G5!” her once yellow star eyes turn bright red as the starry adult could only shrug. “Unknown factor”

“Knight C6 to A5” Castle said, the timer on the hourglass stayed about the same, they played quick but both clearly had thought, even if it is muddled by a child-like mind as well.

“Seems like even fate spinners have their issues with each other?” Castle asked as the starry adult did a visible sigh. “Each one has a version of what they want to tell. Of their history. To guide the stars. Knight H3 to A5 takes Knight” the knight moves 2 steps above itself before it moves right, going through some ‘portal’ onto the left side, taking a knight.

“A version of history to tell. One wants to indulge all secrets, the other stays in the shadow, whispering words of fate, is that correct? Queen E7 to G5 takes Bishop”

“You are correcto, detective~!”

Pippy…stayed quiet as she sat back down, her bright red star eyes now turned into a moody blue as she whispered. “Pawn B2 to B4…”

“Queen G5 to C1 Check” Castle said immediately as they sighed.

“Bad people, bad people…” Pippy whispered, seemingly close to crying as Castle reached out to pat her on the head, but the starry adult already did it first as he whispered. “King E1 to G1 Castling. Such is the weight of it. To watch those you unconditionally love go through events you have foretold. Have faith in them, Mirror”

“Queen C1 to D4. I can imagine why, do you think I take pleasure in this, Pippy? To watch the child of my bestest friend have to solve his own mystery? I do not. But Celeste wishes so. And I will respect her wishes.”

“Horse A5 to B7 takes Pawn…” Pippy didn’t answer, she simply kept playing, the starry adult watched her as Castle continued.

“King E8 to C8, Castling. I do hope you understand me as much as I understand your friend here, Pippy…”

“I…just want them safe…and happy…” she said as the starry adult comforted her with a hug, his own blue star eyes turning moodier.

“Don’t we all?” Castle said as the starry adult disappears into stardust.

“Don’t we…all…” she whispered before she too disappeared into stardust, ending their game prematurely as Castle sighs, pressing the button again on the Scholar Sand Hourglass, the sand balances itself to 5 minutes at the top and bottom again as Castle gets up, waving their hand a bit as the board fixes and puts itself away with the hourglass as they grab their coat, putting it on as they went to the door, grabbing their keys off the wall as they leave the office, whispering to themselves.

“Checkmate”