Ch 38: Facing the Past

Cast into the past by Gisette's spell, Grey must face the night of his parents' death. While he struggles to overcome his insecurities, Scott also struggles with a horrific revelation.

            Coming around, Grey found himself lying in the grass staring up at the night sky. Sitting up, he noticed he now sat in a patch of green grass in the midst of a beautiful garden that was all too familiar. His eyes going wide in realization, he turned to look back over his shoulder and there behind him stood the Greyson Manor, standing proudly in all its glory. Staring at it, he whispered in disbelief, “That’s not possible…” Slowly getting to his feet, he turned to stare at it again, unable to believe what he saw before him. However the large three story building indeed stood before him, its deep red paint shining in the moonlight as though it were still fresh. As he looked through one of the first floor windows, his heart skipped a beat as he saw his mother and father resting on a couch in the living room in front of the television. Memories came pouring back as he saw them, his mother’s beautiful long blonde hair and deep blue eyes, his father a gallant looking figure with brown hair and brown eyes that were looking over his reading glasses at the television. Grey felt the tears welling up in his eyes as he mumbled, “Mom… Dad…” Slowly he took a step towards the door, then another, and another until he found himself running for it. Then the door suddenly opened and out walked Alexander. Stopping, Grey looked at him in surprise and said, “Alexander?” Looking the same as always, Alexander was making his way along the path from the house, not seeming to notice him at all. He stopped and looked up at the sky, and Grey rushed up to him, calling out, “Hey, Alexander!” Coming to stand before Alexander, Grey said, “Hey, what’s going on?! Th-the manor, my parents, they’re back! There was some weird lady who did a spell, and-” Realizing that Alexander was paying him no attention at all, it wasn’t long before he recalled Gisette’s words. “May you languish within the past, unable to change the course of your destiny!”

            “This is the past…” Grey whispered in realization. Slowly he reached out to place a hand on Alexander’s shoulder, and as his hand passed right through him, Grey quickly withdrew it. Then, Alexander said, “Hmm. I thought I sensed something, but I suppose it was just my imagination.” Turning back towards the house, he walked right through Grey, which was rather startling for him. Turning back to look at Alexander, Grey wondered, “Did he notice me?” Then Grey’s eyes went wide as one of Altera Veritas’ anomalies burst out from a dark vortex and lunged at Alexander. He shouted, “Watch out!” Yet before he’d even finished, Alexander had formed his large sword and quickly sliced the anomaly in half, saying, “This is bad, they’ve found us!” Then an empty voice rang out, “Yes. It’s taken twelve long years, but this time there will be no mistakes.” Turning to look where the all too familiar voice had come from, Grey spotted Alastor standing atop the roof of the manor staring down at Alexander with a faint smile on his face. Staring back at him, seeming rather confident, Alexander called out, “You’re quite bold, coming to face me yourself in your weakened state.” Alastor’s faint smile widened as he replied, “You underestimate me dear brother. Did you really think I’d come alone?” Alexander’s eyes went wide and he whirled around, barely blocking as a dark figure brought down a long sword blade at him. Alexander’s opponent raised its face, and in the moonlight Grey recognized the woman Alastor had called Giselle back in Silens. She looked quite different though. She had black horns and wings, and her left arm was different from her right, black and larger than the right arm, it hardly looked anything like a human arm at all. Her left eye glowed red, and Alexander struggled against her long sword as he muttered, “A Revenant?! No… a half demonfolk!”

            Giselle’s demonic strength brought Alexander to his knees as she continued to push against his blade with her own, holding the sword with only her human looking arm. Alexander heard Alastor call out from behind him, “Already on your knees, Alexander? Why don’t you stop before you get hurt?” With a defiant laugh, Alexander muttered, “Not a chance! Magistri Ali-” Alexander’s incantation was stopped short as Giselle grabbed him by throat with her demonic arm, gripping so forcefully that couldn’t breathe. Lifting Alexander from the ground by his neck, Giselle said, “Pointless.” Grey watched in horror as Alexander gasped for air. Forming his blades, without thinking Grey rushed to help Alexander, shouting, “Let him go!” Yet as he struck out with his swords they passed right through Giselle, and Grey realized he could do nothing but watch. At last Alexander stopped struggling as he passed out, and Giselle cast his unconscious body aside as Alastor said, “Enough.” Leaping down from the roof of the manor, Alastor said, “Good work Giselle. It would seem we were well informed, I don’t sense Serius anywhere. He’s likely been working separately, trying to find more information on us. I doubt he’ll show up, but stay here just in case someone comes to interfere. I will retrieve the boy.” Nodding, Giselle replied, “Yes sir.” Having rushed to Alexander’s side, as Grey heard this, he turned with a look of terror to see Alastor slowly making his way to the door of the manor. Unable to control himself, Grey rushed to attack Alastor as he shouted, “NO!” Yet every wild, desperate swing he made against Alastor passed through him as though he were a ghost. At last Grey dropped to his knees, watching helplessly as Alastor raised a hand to knock on the door. Then a voice called out, “You bring nothing but suffering to those around you. Those who protect you, those who care for you, this is their fate.” Turning, he saw Gisette standing behind him, a wicked smile upon her face as she said, “You’re powerless to save any of them. You should just disappear.”

            Grey’s eyes widened as he heard the screams of his parents, the sounds of Alastor’s energy attacks, and turning back to the manor he could already see the flames through the window. Walking up beside him Gisette said, “It’s all because you were born. If they had never taken you in, they would not have met such a tragic fate.” Turning to stare at the ground, Grey gripped his swords and muttered, “I understand that.” Slightly surprised as she saw his sad yet calm expression, Gisette said, “Your friends will only meet the same if you continue to be. Such a sad fate…” Standing, Grey lashed out at her with his swords as he exclaimed, “I’ll never let that happen!” Blocking his blades with her staff, Gisette said, “Humph, and what do you think can you do about it? Someone who was too weak to save your parents, too weak to save all those who died at your own hands! What can a weakling like you possibly hope to do in the face of destiny?!” For a moment Grey faltered, thinking, “It’s true, I wasn’t strong enough. How can I really do any better now? I can’t even overcome my own past!” At that moment he remembered the words Amy spoke to him not so long ago. “We’ll overcome it together.” Tabatha’s voice called out to him, “To lose yourself in a moment of weakness is something that each of us has experienced in our lives. It is not a sin.” Clenching his eyes shut, Grey thought, “Even so, do I really deserve such a happy existence? All the blood that my hands have on them, the daydreams that haunt me in every dull moment, the nightmares I have every night when I close my eyes… At every turn I’m reminded of it! Isn’t it only fair that I should-” Catherine’s harsh voice shouted in his mind, “Now you’re acting like a fool, trying to punish yourself for what happened in some illogical manner in order to make yourself feel better! Get a grip!” 

Watching the turmoil on his face, Gisette flashed her wicked grin as she said, “You see now? You’re powerless to change your past, powerless to change your fate! Don’t you think it’s time to give up, to put an end to the suffering once and for all?” A determined look appeared on Grey’s face, and he shoved her back and said, “You’re wrong!” Staggering away, as Gisette regained her balance, she said, “Oh am I now? And just how am I wrong?” Wavering no longer, Grey said, “All this time, I thought after I’d taken my revenge it would be the end. I wanted it to be the end, but not for the reasons I’d been convinced of… It was just because I thought it would bring me peace.” Twirling her staff, Gisette replied, “Why not let the end come now then? If peace is what you want, I’d be happy to oblige…” Taking his battle stance, Grey said, “No way! I’m not running away from my responsibilities anymore! I’ll live on in memory of those I hurt and killed, I’ll bear the weight of my crimes, and I won’t bear it alone! My friends are with me, now and always! With their help, maybe someday I can be forgiven…” Smirking, Gisette said, “And just how do you think you can protect them from their fate?” Grinning in return, Grey said, “Whatever it is you’ve seen, I won’t let it happen! I can’t change the past, but I’ll make my own future! You can shove your soothsaying!” Closing her eyes, Gisette started to laugh quietly, and then she burst out laughing maniacally. Finally she stopped laughing and looked at him with interest for a moment before saying, “Perhaps you aren’t as pitiful as I first thought!” The world around them began to fade. They had returned to the present, the ruins of the manor where the manor itself had been a moment ago, the plants and grass dry and withered again. As Gisette raised a hand and formed what appeared to be a spatial rift beside her, she said, “Well, I suppose I’ll be going. As interesting as you are, I feel that it is not yet time for us to do battle.” Then, with a smug smile, she added, “We’ll see soon enough which one of us has the power to change the future…” With that she disappeared into the rift, which vanished soon after.

            Making his way back through the streets, as Grey reached the square, Bert called out to him from his stall, “Oyyyyy! Matt, your friends were just here looking for you! Somethin’s happened to Scott, and they’ve been in a real panic since they couldn’t find you anywhere! I was just about to close up shop and join the search!” His eyes wide, Grey said, “What?! Where is he? What happened to him?!” Shaking his head, Bert said, “I didn’t hear all the details. I just know he’s laid up in bed at the Governor’s place.” Without another word, Grey quickly rushed off, heading towards the Governor’s residence. Reaching the Governor’s residence, he pounded on the door. Opening it a moment later, Catherine said, “Where have you been? Amy, Schmitt, and Mythra left looking for you quite a while ago.” Pushing past her, Grey said, “Where’s Scott?! What’s happened to him?!” Grabbing hold of his arm, Catherine said, “Now just calm down… He fainted. He’s not going to die for heaven’s sake. Alexander is looking after him in a guest room.” Breaking free, Grey rushed through the hall and up the stairs. Reaching the upstairs hallway, he spied Alexander exiting a guest room and shouted, “Alexander, what happened?” Looking at Grey as he rushed up, Alexander said, “Ah Grey, where have you been? I thought they would have found you quite some time ago.” Seeing Grey’s expression, he added, “He’ll be fine Grey. Physically anyway… Mentally he may take some time to recover.” Confused, Grey said, “Huh?” Digging into his coat pocket, Alexander retrieved a rectangular piece of paper and presented it to Grey, saying, “This is the reason he passed out.” As he took it, Grey could feel the underside of it was glossy, and he turned it over to see that it was in fact a photograph. At first, Grey started to say, “And what’s this supposed to…?” Then looking at it closely, Grey recognized the Revenant Scott had faced in Silens, Douglas Mitchell. With a surprised expression, Grey said, “Wait, where’d he get a picture of that Douglas character? Even if he looks pretty young, this is him isn’t it?” With a solemn air about him, Alexander replied, “From a box of photographs of the Matthews’ family relatives. Douglas was Scott’s uncle.”

            In disbelief, Grey said, “Uncle?!” Nodding solemnly, Alexander said, “He was his mother’s estranged brother. He was believed to have passed away, but apparently he simply changed his last name and disappeared. His real name was Douglas Matthews.” As the facts dawned on him, Grey muttered, “D****t, how could it turn out like that?! His own uncle…” Crossing his arms before him, Alexander said, “Yes, it’s a very unfortunate coincidence. I’m sure it will be hard for him to deal with.” Just then, Amy rushed up into the hall from the stairs and called out, “Grey! We were looking everywhere for you!” Not far behind, as Mythra approached as well, she muttered, “Everywhere except his old house. Some childhood friend, you couldn’t even remember where he lived!” With an indignant look, Amy said, “You couldn’t find it either, and you even asked for directions!” Defensively, Mythra replied, “Well, obviously I didn’t get very good directions then!” Letting out a sigh of frustration at their antics, Alexander said, “All right, all right…” Then turning to Grey, Alexander hesitantly said, “So where have you been Grey? Did you… visit the manor?” Reminded of his encounter with Gisette, Grey exclaimed, “Oh, that’s right! I was walking around, and this woman called Gisette led me to the manor and cast some kind of spell on me! She might have been a Revenant!” Shocked, Amy said, “W-what?! Are you alright?!” His face becoming grave at this revelation, Alexander said, “A spell? Give me all the details.” Filling them in on what happened, as Grey finished, Alexander said, “Hmm, it seems it truly was a bad idea to let you walk around on your own. This Gisette sounds like she will be a dangerous opponent if she can actually control time and space.” Crossing her arms, Mythra scoffed as she said, “Whether it’s by magic or otherwise, I doubt it’s possible to alter the flow of time. Judging by the account of his experience, I would assume that her ability is to alter her target’s PERCEPTION of time and space. Nothing but an illusion, though it still is a dangerous ability…” Thinking about this, Alexander said, “Perception… While it’s true Amy was a resident here for a relatively short time, I find it hard to believe you could not get to the manor even after using directions from the townspeople. Could it be you couldn’t find your way there because of the illusion Gisette created?” With a furious cry, Mythra said, “That damn b***h! We were going in circles for an hour! I’m gonna KILL her!” She pounded her foot on the floor to emphasize her declaration, and as the others nervously backed away, Alexander said, “That aside, I’m a little concerned about what she said before casting her spell on you Grey.” Leaning against the wall, Alexander said, “‘This world is already going down the path to destruction…’ Whether or not she was a soothsayer is unsure, but that sounds like a prediction of the end of the world to me.” Amy simply said, “Don’t you think she means The Second Truth that Alastor is trying to bring to the world?” Wondering what Gisette had meant as well, Grey said, “That’s what I thought at first, but I remember she also said ‘The future I’ve seen must not come to pass.’ If she’s against Altera Veritas, then wouldn’t she be our ally?”

            Just then, the door of Scott’s room opened and Scott stepped out. Amy gasped in surprise, and unsure what to say, Grey simply said, “Scott…” As he looked at them, Scott’s forced smile only made his depression more apparent. He just said in a quiet voice, “Hey…” Putting a hand on Scott’s shoulder, Alexander said, “I’m sure it’s hard Scott. Take all the time you need to deal with it, and try to remember that what happened was Douglas’ fault, not yours. You’ve done nothing wrong.” Nodding, Scott walked past them to the stairs. As he disappeared down the stairs, Mythra said, “It really looks like he’s taking this hard…” In a solemn voice, Alexander said, “It can’t be helped. After all, taking a life is no simple matter. To find out that it was his own uncle on top of that…” Feeling quite sorry for Scott, Amy said, “Just knowing he was a member of Altera Veritas would be rough…” Grey quickly walked off towards the stairs without a word, and Amy and Mythra both said, “Grey?” Grumbling in frustration, Alexander said, “I have a feeling Scott’s not the only one blaming himself for things…” Following after Scott, Grey thought, “How could I let things get like this?!” Not spying Scott anywhere on the first floor, Grey made for the front door. Seeing Catherine come in, Grey said, “Catherine, you seen Scott? I need to talk to him.” With a knowing smile, Catherine said, “Starting another pity party?” With an irritated look, Grey said, “I don’t need this right now! If you’re not gonna help, move outta the way!” With a sigh, Catherine stepped aside and Grey exited the house, and as the door closed behind him, Catherine muttered, “Idiot.”

            Finding Scott sitting on the porch in the fading sunlight, Grey walked over and sat down by him. There was silence between the two for a while, until Grey finally said, “I’m sorry Scott.” Looking at him briefly, Scott muttered, “What are you apologizing for?” Staring off into space, Grey replied, “It’s really my fault for you getting involved in any of this in the first place. If you hadn’t gotten mixed up with me, things wouldn’t have turned out like this…” Managing a weak laugh, Scott muttered, “You really are an idiot.” Grey looked over at Scott to see him smiling back, looking somewhat more cheerful as he continued, “You even hear yourself? You’re like a broken record. Just stop already…” Grey started to say, “But…” Scott’s face became serious as he stared at Grey and said, “I joined up with you because I wanted to do what I could to support my friend. To keep the promise we made. I thought I was prepared for whatever that meant, but it looks like I just didn’t realize what I was getting into…” Standing up and looking out at the setting sun, Scott continued, “Thing is, I dunno what to do now. It was hard enough to actually take someone’s life and keep on like it didn’t bother me. Now that I know I was related to him, I’m starting to think that if I find myself in another situation where I have to take someone’s life, I won’t be able to do it because I’ll know that I’ll be taking away someone’s family. I guess I really am just too weak to be a hero like you or Alexander…” Standing as well, Grey placed a hand on Scott’s shoulder, and as Scott turned to look at him Grey punched him in the face. As Scott staggered back in surprise, Grey shouted, “You idiot! You think being able to take someone’s life without a care is something to be proud of?! That it makes you a hero?! You think Alexander and I don’t care when we have to do something like that?! Who the hell said you had to be like me or Alexander to begin with?!” Clutching his face, Scott stammered, “I-I’m sorry, I… That’s not what I meant. I just… I’ve always looked up to you! I want to be like you!” Grey punched him again and said, “You want to be like me?! You have no idea of the s**t I’ve been through! Are you telling me you acted all tough after your fight with Douglas just because you had some stupid idea it would make you like me?!” Recovering from the punches and sitting back down, Scott said, “I’m really pathetic, aren’t I…?” Heaving a sigh, Grey sat down next to him again and said, “There’s no reason for you to try and be like me. You’re a great guy in your own right. You don’t have to keep fighting anymore if you don’t want to. You can stay here in Aerennis now, I’ve got everyone with me. We can handle things, so just look after the town and live a peaceful life.” Looking as though he were considering it, Scott muttered, “But…”

            Suddenly the door of the Governor’s residence opened and Catherine stepped out. Shaking her head, she said, “You two really are quite stupid.” Looking over at her, Scott said, “Catherine…” Standing up quickly, Grey shouted, “Who are you calling stupid?! He’s been through enough already! He shouldn’t have to do this anymore!” With a sigh, Catherine said, “I find it hard to believe that’s what he really wants.” Looking at Scott, Catherine said, “I won’t pretend to know what you’re going through Thunderfury, but you’ve sacrificed everything to fight alongside him, haven’t you? Wasn’t it because you believed in what he’s doing? I won’t even try stopping you if you really want to pull out here, but I want to hear it from you. Can you just forget about what’s going on and live a peaceful life?” Grey was furious as he said, “D****t Catherine-” Turning to him in irritation, Catherine interrupted, “If he’s going to stop here, he needs to be sure! I understand how bad you feel for him, but the fact is you’re encouraging him to give up more for your own feelings than in consideration for his!” As they stood there arguing, for a while Scott thought about what Catherine had said, thinking, “Can I just stop without any regrets? No. If there’s one thing I know I’ll regret, it’s having them face all of this without me.” Standing, Scott said, “Maybe Catherine’s right…” Turning to look at him in surprise, Grey said, “What?” Managing a smile, Scott said, “Even if I did just go back to living in Aerennis, could I really just forget? Someone’s going to be taking the burden. People are going to suffer at the hands of Altera Veritas until this is over.” With a serious tone, Grey said, “What if you’re in a situation like before? Could you could handle it?” Clenching his fists, Scott gathered his determination and declared, “If that’s what I have to do! I wish there were some way to avoid it, but I’ll fight to the end! I’ll continue with you and the others, and make up for Douglas’ sins myself…” Seeing Scott’s determined look, Grey understood, and he said, “I really get the feeling you still aren’t ready for this.…” Then with a grin, he added, “So I guess I’ll just have to pick up the slack until you sort things out!” Smiling back, Scott simply nodded. With a sigh, Catherine smiled in spite of herself and thought, “Honestly. All he needed was a little push. He would have given up if we’d just told him it was fine, even though it wasn’t really what he wanted. Being sympathetic isn’t wrong, but like Alexander said, sometimes being blunt is the only way to knock some sense into someone. Especially a couple of blockheads like these two.”

Reviews

[Ryan Henderson]

My favorite part: “That damn b***h! We were going in circles for an hour! I’m gonna KILL her!” - Mythra Starlight.

Also, just one spelling error:

“What if you’re in a situation like before? Could you could handle it?”

I'm not rally sure exactly what you were saying here, but maybe it should be 'could you have handled it?' or 'could you handle it?'

As for the chapter itself, Gisette's spell threw me for a loop! Its a very cool ability if you ask me, the ability to manipulate one's perception of reality. I think that she'll make for an interesting opponent and make for some interesting future battles as well. Douglas being Scott's uncle was also sort of a shock, but seeing as you gave me some hints I sort of predicted it lol. Still, very nice touch! I also really like the rivalry going on between Mythra and Amy. Its sort of like they're sisters in the way that they constantly bicker with each other! I am also very curious as to who Grey will fall for; Amy or Mythra. My brain tells me Amy, but my heart tells me Mythra. I really, REALLY want Grey and Mythra to happen! The relationships between your characters are pretty realistic and I love it. I also like the slang dialogue in your chapters so far. It makes the dialogue realistic and flow nicely. I also really like your way of writing. Your detail is good, your characters are amazing and your character interactions are divine. I love the world you have created also, like I said before it's kind of steampunk and can tell that it's somewhat inspired by anime. Great work, keep writing!

~Ryan

[KeithKVH]

Thanks again man! You've caught one again, I can see exactly what happened there. I'll fix that.
read moreThanks again man! You've caught one again, I can see exactly what happened there. I'll fix that.

You'll see more of Mythra and Amy's relationship in the upcoming chapters I spoke of, really glad you like their relationship. You'll also get an idea of what Grey is thinking.