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Chapter 15: Legacy

  WESTERN NAZENDEL EXPRESSWAY

  EVERNIGHT, NAZENDEL - 9:34 PM

  Nick and Elena stop by the toll gate connecting Roscher to Evernight, now barred with hundreds of soldiers lined up for security.

  “This is… where it all began,” Nick states as he and Elena walk together along the empty road, save for one car right at the very gate.

  “And that’s where it'll all end,” Elena responds, nodding her head towards the Eternal Tower in the background.

  “The hell is this about, though?” asks Nick, referring to the extremely tight security.

  “I don’t know,” Elena answers as the car from earlier was denied entry, reversing back.

  “I’ll go ask them. You stay here, your face has gone public. We can’t risk anybody identifying you,” says Elena as Nick nods, moving towards the trees. She signals towards the vehicle as it stops beside her. A middle-aged woman rolls down the window.

  “What do you want?” asks the woman.

  “Hi, I was just wondering why you were denied entry?”

  “Evernight’s been put on lockdown, nobody can enter or leave. Just like this damn shithole of a country…” the woman crifies.

  “Oh… Thanks,” Elena replies as the woman continues driving off. Nick steps out of the shadows as Elena shakes her head.

  “No good. Evernight’s on lockdown.”

  “Shit… Do we have to force our way through?” Nick asks, contempting his next move.

  “I’m sure we can think of other alternatives…”

  “What about… we enter through Doslight?” suggests Nick.

  “Doslight?”

  “Yeah. Doslight’s connected to Evernight, isn’t it? The security’s complete garbage there, too, as far as I know… Unfortunately I’m not too familiar with how to get there…” Nick states.

  “Well, it’s worth a shot. At least we can say we tried, instead of just staying here doing nothing,” Elena replies as Nick nods.

  “Let’s head back to Nexos, first. We’ll need to pack some stuff for this journey. We don’t know how long we’ll be on the road,” says Nick as the two fly away.

  EVERGREEN RESIDENCE B

  NEXOS, AETERNUM - 1:36 AM

  Nick and Elena enter the house one st time as Nick’s scan finishes. The door opens and the two step inside, only to be greeted by Celeste, curled up on a sofa in the living room.

  “Cel…?” Nick calls out as she looks up at him. Her eyes were red, her eyeliner a complete mess. It was clear that she had been crying by herself.

  “Nick…? You’re back?” Celeste optimistically asks, wiping a tear with her thumb.

  “No, I… just stopped by to gather my things,” Nick crifies as Celeste looks down, disappointed.

  “Where are the others?” Elena softly asks.

  “We… decided to head back to our homes. We need to take… a long, long rest,” Celeste answers as Nick heads upstairs. Elena sits beside Celeste, holding her hand to comfort her.

  “Celeste, I’m so… sorry. About everything. Nick and I will be leaving for a bit to fix our mistakes, and everything will be back to the way it was. I promise,” Elena assures Celeste as she tightens her grip around her hand.

  “If that’s the case…” Celeste says, turning her head to look at Elena.

  “...then take me with you. Please,” pleads Celeste as Elena looks at her dejectedly.

  “Celeste… Nick and I agreed not to involve you guys any longer. That’s a huge part of why he’s leaving. It has nothing to do against you, or Luke,” Elena expins.

  “Why? We were already involved the moment they arrived at our doorstep. Why is it that only you two get to share the burden of our collective sins?” Celeste retorts as she lets go of Elena’s hand, recognizing the tter’s hypocritical excuse. Though she refused to admit it, her conscience was the only thing preventing her from accepting Celeste’s offer. She witnessed how happy the four were before Eternal Drive’s assault on Neverglow; she wanted to bring their smiles back at any cost.

  “This isn’t about taking the burden for ourselves. I know you want to help, and I really appreciate your understanding… But I can’t let you come with us. I can’t let anyone else get killed because of me,” Elena says, remembering her mother’s death and her father’s genocide. She refuses to involve any more people, even if they have goals that coincide with hers. Nick, however, is a special case as there is no point in trying to convince the hardheaded archer; Elena can only accompany him to ensure his safety. Celeste stares at her with doubt written in her face.

  “What about us, Elena? I worry for you, too. And Nick…” Celeste responds, tears swelling in her eyes.

  “...he’s the closest thing I have to a brother in this world. If I were to lose him, too, then…”

  Elena embraces Celeste before the tter can finish her sentence. Celeste rests her head on Elena’s shoulder as she whispers in her ear.

  “I know… I’m not as strong as you guys and I’ll most likely be a burden to you both. All I ask is that…”

  “I swear to you, I will do everything in my power to protect him,” Elena whispers back as a smile begins to form on Celeste’s face having been assured Nick’s safety. Elena smiles back as Nick returns downstairs with a bandage under his eye to cover the wound Zack had given him st night. Carrying a backpack on each hand, Nick sets the bags on the floor as Elena helps Celeste dry her eyes with tissue. Approaching the two, Nick decides to speak up.

  “Cel, I-”

  “It’s okay Nick, I know I can’t stop you from doing this. You’ve always been this fucking naive,” Celeste cuts Nick off, gncing towards the wall beside her.

  “You know, this isn’t goodbye forever.”

  “And if it is?” Celeste asks, redirecting her eyes towards Nick.

  “...”

  A brief silence overtakes the room as Nick stares at a portrait of his family on the wall Celeste was staring at.

  “...At least we got to say goodbye,” Nick responds as Elena looks away. She too, had the chance to say her goodbyes. They were, however, nowhere near as civil as the one she was currently witnessing.

  Nick reaches into his pocket as he continues to speak.

  “Thank you, Celeste. For always being there for me. For always putting up with my shit. For being my best friend,” Nick says as he pulls out a small, diamond-studded heart out of his pocket. He reaches out, handing it to a surprised Celeste.

  “This is…”

  “A piece of the bracelet I gifted my sister the day she died. I want you to have it,” states Nick as Celeste shakes her head in refusal.

  “I- I can’t-”

  “At this point, Cel, I’ve known you longer than her,” Nick continues as Celeste admires the small ornament in her hand.

  “You’re right. I don’t know if I’m gonna make it out alive after this ordeal. I don’t know if this is gonna be the st time we say goodbye. But if it is, I want to let my sister know just how grateful I am of her.”

  Liquid drops stain the carpet as Celeste fails to control her tears. It was the first time Nick had acknowledged her as his sister after living together for thirteen years. The two were siblings in every right but name, and they individually acknowledged that. However, even though they thought of each other the same way, the topic of family was too sensitive an issue for the both of them that they ended up never publicly acknowledging each other as siblings, preferring to introduce themselves as roommates to strangers. Tonight however, brought a welcome surprise.

  Celeste gets up from the sofa, tightly embracing Nick as if it was indeed the st time they would see each other.

  “You better come back… bro,” Celeste tells Nick as he hugs her back.

  “Yeah, that’s gonna take some getting used to… sis,” Nick replies, letting go as he and Celeste chuckle. Elena gives the two a bittersweet smile from the sofa, happy yet simultaneously envious of them.

  “Are you gonna say goodbye to Luke, too?”

  “I don’t know if I can face him right now, after the whole Neverglow incident.”

  “Yesterday, when you were asleep, he told me that he doesn’t hold it against us,” Elena informs Nick.

  “Yeah. Luke holds a grudge against Eternal Drive, but he would never hold one for you. We’re… a family, after all,” says Celeste, supporting Elena’s statement.

  “I hope so. Last night… didn’t go so well. I wish I could bid him farewell too, but we don’t have much time before E-Drive makes its next move,” Nick replies as Elena nods.

  “Alright, maybe I can pass him a message… But what about Zack?”

  “I…”

  The heated confrontation with Zack suddenly repys through Nick’s head.

  “...don’t have anything else left to say to him.”

  “Are you sure? This could be your st chance to tell him anything. Make the most of it, Nick, while we still have time,” Elena asks as Nick shakes his head.

  “No, that’s… I’ve said what I needed to say,” Nick affirms as he picks up the bags.

  EVERGREEN RESIDENCE B

  NEXOS, AETERNUM - 2:10 AM

  Having bid farewell to Celeste, Nick and Elena leave the Nexos residence for what may be the very st time. As the two step onto the street, a bright yellow light shines onto them. Nick immediately manifests a dagger onto his left hand, as his other hand was occupied carrying a bag. He quickly retracts the dagger however, after noticing the source of the light.

  His signature white sedan was sitting directly in front of him, with the headlights turned to full beam. The lights dim, as the face behind the wheel becomes increasingly recognizable. The driver steps out, tossing Nick his keys.

  “You really thought I’d settle for a message?” Luke asks as Nick smirks at him.

  “Not even a direct one at that,” Luke continues, sitting on the hood of Nick’s car.

  “Cel was the one who suggested forwarding it,” reasons Nick, who opens the trunk and pces the two bags inside.

  “And Cel was the one who informed me about you being here.”

  “Yeah… No wonder she started asking about you,” Nick replies, closing the trunk as Luke gets off the hood and faces him.

  “Listen, Nick… I know you’ve always wanted to be independent, but are you really sure about this?” Luke asks.

  “I’ve given it a lot of thought, even back when I was still in Aurus. I don’t want to involve you guys any longer. You saw the news, right? I’m the one they want,” answers Nick, determined to take the brunt of the guilt.

  “Ehh, Zack too, but… you don’t pn on working with him, do you?”

  “I’m gonna need some space from him. I know, st night wasn’t the first time he acted like that. But I’m gonna make damn sure it’s the st,” Nick decres, sick of Zack’s attitude.

  “Enough talk about Zack. How the hell did you retrieve this? I thought it got destroyed back at Lutherford,” a bewildered Nick asks, referring to his car.

  “I revisited Neverglow to see if I could salvage anything. Lo and behold, this was still intact, and in one piece at that,” Luke expins.

  “Courtesy of yours truly,” Elena comments as Nick smiles. Unbeknownst to Nick who was busy fighting Trent at the time, Elena had put a barrier that protected his vehicle during the Lutherford battle.

  “That’s when I got a text from Celeste, and I figured I might give you a parting gift,” Luke continues as Nick sighs in relief.

  “I don’t know how to thank you, Luke.”

  “You can thank me by promising me one thing,” Luke says, putting his fist on Nick’s chest.

  “Give them hell,” Luke requests as Nick determinedly nods.

  “And, uh… could you drop me off at Neverglow? I left my ride there to deliver this to you,” Luke follows up, patting the vehicle’s hood.

  NEVERGLOW

  LUTHERFORD, AETERNUM - 2:36 AM

  Nick stops his car upon witnessing the unsightly destruction. The former flower shop that held countless memories had been reduced to rubble, the various pnts, vines and flowers either burnt or withered.

  Nick feels a sharp pain in his chest as he recalls a precious memory.

  7 YEARS AGO

  NEVERGLOW

  LUTHERFORD, AETERNUM - 3:48 PM

  Teenage Nick, Celeste and Luke are gathered around a table on the second floor of Neverglow. Zack approaches the table, carrying a huge box. He pulls out the contents of the box, revealing three very familiar weapons.

  On Zack’s left hand is a rge, metallic greatbow. On his left rests a steel bar with several sections lined up vertically. Around the bar are eight rings, which he sets down on the table alongside the rest of the weapons.

  “I think it’s about time you learned how to use your powers,” Zack decres as he takes a seat between Luke and Celeste, on the opposite side of Nick.

  “Woah…” Luke says under his breath, in awe at the objects presented to him. Zack hands the three their respective weapons; Nick the bow, Celeste the rings and Luke the bar.

  “I’ve been working on these babies for an entire year, so if you got any compints, feel free to make your own,” says Zack as Nick caresses the bow, admiring the workmanship. The sharp edges are as thin as paper, while the grip is as comfortable as a bike’s handle.

  “Do you remember what we did st year? The limit testing?” Zack asks the three.

  “Yeah. I still have a scar from that,” Luke answers, pulling up his right jacket sleeve, revealing his arm with a huge red patch sprawled around it.

  “Exactly. I had those limits in mind while making these. In particur, I made sure that you can control your abilities much easier,” Zack replies, signalling Nick to hand over the bow. Nick complies as Zack detaches the bow into two daggers.

  “I know you’re a good shot, Nick, but you gotta learn how to fight in close quarters. I figured that I could make the most out of your strength and weakness with this,” Zack states, returning the bow. He takes Luke’s bar next, which begins lighting up in a light, mundane rainbow hue.

  “As for you, Luke…” Zack says, waiting for the bar to fill up every charge. When the bar is fully lit, Zack aims it out the window, shooting a ser towards the sky.

  “...your power is far too destructive to use in close combat. Obviously my demonstration isn’t the best since my abilities were made for long-range, but you get the idea,” Zack continues as he returns the bar to Luke as Celeste hands him her rings.

  “So… you’re meant to wear this, but they don’t really fit me. Nevertheless…” Zack tells Celeste as he tapes one ring to the wall. He puts his hand out the window, firing a ser. The ring fires another ser as well, incinerating the tape and falling to the floor. The three teenagers look at each other enthusiastically, excited at the prospect of becoming full-fledged demedioms.

  “Are you gonna train us?”

  “No. You train yourselves,” Zack answers, immediately shutting Nick down, who looks at him disappointedly.

  “By the way, I hope the three of you aren’t scared of scalpels,” Zack continues, returning the weapons in his box.

  “Why?” asks Celeste.

  “Next week, I’ll be performing surgery on the three of you so you can summon and retract these weapons at will,” Zack answers as the teenagers look at him, horrified.

  “What? I spent an entire year of my life on these. No way I’m gonna let you break them that easily,” Zack concludes, closing the box.

  7 YEARS LATER

  NEVERGLOW

  LUTHERFORD, AETERNUM - 2:37 AM

  Luke waves goodbye to Nick and Elena, riding off in his motorcycle. Nick takes a brief moment to pause before driving towards Doslight. Elena takes notice of this, prompting her to ask Nick of his condition.

  “...You’re having second thoughts, aren’t you?” Elena asks as Nick returns silence.

  “I understand. It’s normal to be doubtful; we’re headed straight towards the heart of the beast to do something no man has ever done.”

  “I’m not doubtful, Laine… It just… hurts to say goodbye.”

  “You said it yourself, didn’t you? At least you had the chance to say goodbye,” Elena replies, mencholically looking down.

  “Who weren’t you able to say goodbye to?” Nick asks as Elena looks out the window, smiling as she reminisces.

  “I had a friend back in the castle. She and I would sneak out after hours to spar together. I remember my uncle would open the courtyard for us, and keep watch for anybody coming while we were sparring.”

  “Why couldn’t you do it during the day?”

  “The courtyard was always occupied by soldiers training. She wasn’t… exactly welcome in that area, so I had to sneak her out,” Elena expins.

  “She was… an amazing person, and an even better fighter. I was trained all my life, yet somehow she managed to keep up with me after minimal training,” she continues.

  “A real prodigy, huh?”

  “Prodigy is an understatement. She’s phenomenal at fighting… but she was never destined to be a fighter.”

  “How come?”

  “Her parents forbade her from becoming a soldier. They wanted to marry her off to some noble from another kingdom to gain more power,” Elena answers.

  “That’s…”

  “Total BS, yeah. That’s why I supported her as much as I could, but looking back, I might have just needlessly fueled her unattainable dream,” Elena replies as the two enter Virtum, Grata.

  “I’m sure you made her happy, Elena. Even if it was just for a time,” Nick replies, trying to console Elena.

  “So… why weren’t you able to say goodbye to her?” Nick asks as Elena’s eyes sharpen.

  “I found out that she knew about my father’s past, and deliberately withheld it from me. Even after everything we’ve been through,” Elena replies, evidently hurt from her tone.

  “Maybe… it was to protect you? So that you wouldn’t see your father and the rest of Esper in a different light,” Nick suggests.

  “I’d rather face the harsh truth than be lied to.”

  DRUMMER TOWN

  DOSLIGHT, NAZENDEL - 3:25 AM

  An hour ter, the two finally arrive at Doslight where an abundance of Eternal Drive technology awaited them. As usual with the metropolises of South Lavia, Doslight too boasted countless skyscrapers and bright, holographic advertisements. Bright blue holographic animals can be seen floating around the rainy, night sky advertising the Doslight Zoo.

  Aside from animals, rge holograms of strippers of all genders and sizes dance throughout the streets of the famed “City of Hookers”. A hooded Nick and Elena uncomfortably walk through the holograms, with one particur gentleman personally coming up to the two to offer himself, to which they immediately decline his offer.

  The two eventually separate paths when Elena goes off to buy masks in order to conceal Nick’s identity. Despite Elena’s request to stay put, Nick becomes unsettled when a conspicuous bystander circles around him, trying to sneak a gnce at his face. After a short back-and-forth of the bystander trying to peek while Nick tries to avoid him, the bystander suddenly sprints away. Nick decides to chase the bystander, aware that things could go south quickly if his identity and current location was exposed. Nick ends up using his lightning speed to catch up, tackling the bystander nearby a seemingly-empty bar with a cyborg bouncer at the entrance. The various technologies that Doslight boasted was indeed impressive, though they were used to fuel the degeneracy of the people rather than benefit them.

  Nick manifests his dagger, pointing it at the bystander’s neck, who was also revealed to be a cyborg with a mechanical eye.

  “What the fuck do you want?!” Nick demands.

  “Chill out, man! I was just scouting for potential fighters!”

  “Fighters?” Nick asks as he withdraws his bde, noticing the bouncer approaching, who backs off after Nick helps the man up.

  “Yeah. I lost a shit ton of money ‘cause of an upset no one was expecting! Now they tell me they’re gonna make my life a living hell until I can pay them back!” the man crifies.

  “Cool. Not interested,” Nick replies.

  “W-Wait! I’ll give you half!” The man pleads.

  “You already owe someone else money, now you’re thinking of owing me, too?”

  “Come on! The speed that you were chasing me, and the power of your tackle was insane! Why don’t you give it a try? We can start small if you want; there’s a lot of weaklings in there who think they can make easy money,” says the man.

  “Like I said, not interested,” Nick replies once more, beginning to walk away.

  “Aw, that’s a damn shame… Well, I guess could make money another way then. Something like… telling Eternal Drive that Nick Altair is in Doslight.”

  Nick freezes in his tracks at the man’s words. He gres at the man as electricity begins to surge around his eyes. The man notices this, putting his hands up in the air.

  “Hey, hey, chill out before you do anything stupid. I just want you to hear me out first,” the man tries to reason out.

  “Fuck you. I’m not pying your game.”

  “All I’m asking is five minutes of your time. I’ll bet 15 grand on you, you knock the champ out in one hit; and like I said, I’ll even give you a cut.”

  The electric current surrounding Nick dies down as the man lowers his hands.

  “Here, just follow me,” says the man, who shows a card to the bouncer in front of the bar. The bouncer steps aside, allowing the man and Nick to enter.

  UNDERGROUND FIGHTING RING

  DOSLIGHT, NAZENDEL - 4:11 AM

  Nick stumbles upon an underground fight club where crazed, adrenaline-fueled people bet on cybernetically-enhanced fighters. One of the current fighters was a rge, buff man with steel arms, his opponent being a lean man with steel legs.

  The lean man dropkicks the buff man forth with such force that he sends him flying towards a wall. The buff man gets back up, however, as the lean man tries to nd another kick. The buff man catches the lean man’s leg, flipping him over and mercilessly pummeling him with his steel arms.

  While Nick is horrified at the brutal murder, the audience meanwhile goes crazy with some shouting, some celebrating and some getting into fights themselves. The man Nick entered with tries to approach a particur cyborg in the middle, donning various chains and jewelry. With the man preoccupied with signing up, Nick decides to leave the scene, panicking in disbelief.

  This city encapsutes everything wrong with South Lavia.

  Continuing to run, Nick arrives at the iconic Doslight Square where countless monitors surround him. Though these monitors initially dispyed different advertisements, they all eventually dispyed the same thing at once. A picture of Nick’s face was now being broadcast on these monitors with a bright red WANTED at the very top of the image. On the bottom lies the words NICHOLAS SIRCHEN ALTAIR - TERRORIST.

  Nick stares at the monitors in a mix of emotions. At first he had felt shock from seeing his face, then disappointment when he realized that he was officially a wanted criminal. That disappointment evolved into misery, which then turned into determination after some self-reflection. Wet footsteps approach Nick from behind as Elena finally spots him, as well as the image pstered on the monitors.

  “Nick!” Elena calls out, getting his attention. Nick turns to her.

  “This is the path I've chosen. This is the responsibility I've put upon myself. This…” Nick replies before taking another look at his wanted picture.

  “This is my legacy.”

  To Be Continued…

  AUTHOR'S NOTEEveryday I ask myself "Why was I born into this world?".

  I came to the conclusion a long time ago; I just need constant affirmation.

  I want to positively influence other people. That's the legacy I desire.

  What about you? Why were you born into this world?

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