Peace & Agony

Mapleview, North Carolina.
December 17th, 1988.
3:31 P.M.

During a time of peace for Amory and his friends in 2025—Vincent Hawthorn was undergoing a time of the very opposite in the 20th Century.

Ever since the battle at the Evervale’s—Vincent had been kept inside the lab, alone, isolated, locked inside the procedure room and strapped onto the cold metal bed, mostly comatose and drugged heavily around the clock. Valek was positively determined to keep his son from straying away from his wishes ever again—so, each and every day, Vincent was dosed, both with medication and with the beings from the rift above, never once allowed to speak, to think, or to act outside of the realms of darkness and demonry.

Throughout this hellish time—Valek also took special care to visit his son even without performing the demon procedure, and he applied an extra touch to his methods of persuasion, just as he had done many times in the past. He entered the room, laid a hand over the scarred half of Vincent’s face, his eyes glowed red—and he burned, seared, scorched the man’s face until he was howling and writhing in agony.

This was routine for two straight weeks, until—finally—Valek entered the dimly-lit room without removing his black gloves from his hands, without flipping the switch for the ceiling mechanism, without doing any of the cruel things that he’d been doing every day prior.

Instead, he merely stood there, gazing down at his son with an expressionless face.

Vincent lay there, strapped down by the arms and legs, gazing directly upward, the right side of his face now not only scarred, but scorched and dark, discolored and wickedly painful. His sandy-blond hairs were beginning to recede on the right side of his forehead, crawling back from the burned area, the red and damaged skin hugging the side of his hairline in the shape of his father’s outstretched fingers.

Valek made a mild flick of the wrist—and every strap on Vincent loosened, falling off of him.

There was a long, empty silence.

Vincent didn’t react, didn’t blink, didn’t seem to care at all. He continued to stare up at the ceiling, feeling a strange, heated, and restless pain inside like nothing he’d ever felt before.

Valek stared for a moment longer, sighing deeply. “I imagine it will take some time for that to work its way out of you, boy… and it won’t be a fun process, I’m sure.”

Vincent showed no reaction.

Valek frowned, biting his lip, his jaw twitching slightly. “But… that angel can’t be allowed to stay in there… and you can’t be allowed to keep straying from me. We have a goal, and that is all we live and breathe. That is all you need to be. Your whore of a mother was as human as they came… a living, walking gray area, just like all the rest of them are… and listen to me now, boy. I will do… everything…”

He leaned down, placing a hand on the metal surface and gazing coldly into his son.

“ Everything … under the sun… to weed her… and that bloody damned angel… out of you ,” he snarled with serpentine rasp. “You are not a gray area… and you are not a part of the bright-light good boy soldiers of God’s pathetic little army. You… are simply… us . Understand?”

Vincent still didn’t seem to register his father’s words. It took him a moment to blink and glance over, barely managing a halfhearted nod.

“Good. Then have fun,” Valek disclosed, patting the metal bed once before turning to leave. “Victoria and I have a trip to make today, and there isn’t much else to do at the moment, so… you’re free to take some time, relax, and recover… after you gather your bearings, of course. Just don’t get too comfortable, because you’ll be back in the line of work before too long.”

He walked out of the room.

Vincent remained lying on the metal bed for a long while after, his mind a peculiar blank, his insides squirming, feeling hot and incredibly uncomfortable, as if something that stung and burned was eating away at him underneath the skin, from head to toe.

He stayed still, the thought of moving feeling bizarrely intimidating to him, as if it would hurt like hell, or drain him completely.

Eventually, he mustered the courage to grasp the sides of the metal bed, slowly pushing himself upright and feeling achy all over, as he hadn’t moved from his lying position in two straight weeks. As he sat up, he got a small head rush, feeling slightly dizzy, and the stinging sensation inside seemed to shift and move like a cloud of fog on a quickening breeze, coasting all throughout him and washing over random areas of him for no obvious rhyme or reason.

Wincing, he peeled the tubes off of him and shoved the cart with the bed pan away.

Suddenly, a lurching nausea crept up on him and traveled up his body—and he doubled over the end of the bed and vomited on the ground.

Then, he wiped his mouth, feeling so lightheaded now, he thought he might collapse. Still, he forced himself to stand, taking several deep breaths and fixating his bleary vision on the open door and the darkened hallway beyond it, gulping roughly before he began to walk, absentmindedly snatching his hat off the counter before he ventured out the door.

His head throbbed, his vision blurred, and his body feeling like a small, subtle fire was slowly growing inside—he meandered down the dark hallway with small, cautious steps, eventually placing a hand on the wall and using it for support while he walked.

And, as he did, he did not think of where to go, did not consider any of his usual agendas, or even something as simple as a plan for normal day events; he simply moved, walking on and clinging to the wall, feeling called, beckoned, drawn to something he couldn’t know.

Vincent found himself wandering past what was once the lobby, down the far hallway, past the rift room that used to be Amory’s bedroom, and he carried on—until he eventually reached the newly-constructed area of the south wing.

Now—a great big garage-shaped door was there instead of what was once the children’s wing, and a single metal door separated it from the rest of the facility, a wide open space with a concrete floor in front of it, hardly any lights on, no couches or chairs nearby. It was a part of the lab that was rarely visited right now. As he knew, that massive door was one of the new rift doors in the facility, the largest one here, and, just like all the rest, he had no clue where or when it led to.

No one in Canterbury Lab had explored any of the rift doors yet, and they weren’t meant to do so until a detailed plan of action was made and men were assigned to each one, which Valek had not yet set into motion.

Now—however—as Vincent stood here, feeling terrible, leaning on the wall, and staring at the metal door—he felt convicted to simply travel through it, and he hadn’t the faintest clue why.

Still—anywhere was most assuredly better than here.

So—he pushed off the wall, lumbered over to the metal door, and hit the large red button on the wall beside it.

The door shifted and made a loud noise, then began rising upright—revealing the humongous dark, quaking, shifting, and distorting rift of blackness and mystery beyond.

Vincent took in a deep, bracing breath, glaring into the rift and glancing around once, seeing that nobody was nearby. Then—just when the door fully opened—he hit the button again, and he strode directly into the rift as the door began to slowly close behind him.

Mapleview, North Carolina.
October 10th, 2025.
2:00 P.M.

As of now—life in Evervale Manor seemed to be thriving with happiness and peace.

Aravali and Elaine had spent much of the first week setting everything up as they needed it; Aravali chose to fashion the empty bedroom beside his into an office that somewhat resembled his office in Moonvale, complete with a desk, a comfortable chair in front of it, and a loveseat along the wall, a couple of calming portraits of the Smoky Mountains on the walls, and a single ticking clock posted on the wall above his desk. He held his regularly-scheduled sessions with his patients here, all of which had played out very peacefully and pleasantly so far.

Elaine had assigned herself to the role of housekeeper; she’d spent much of the time dusting, cleaning, cooking, and reorganizing things in the manor to better suit its current occupants, and Iggy would often help her with the tasks that involved moving large pieces of furniture, though this didn’t happen often—and, whenever Crowe, Raven, or Amory caught her doing her chores, they were always willing to help, and using their powers made the chores fly by much faster. By the time their second week came, her main job was manning the kitchen, preparing meals, cleaning dishes, and managing things in the way a mother might manage them, which made everyone feel very much at home.

The doctor and the orderly hadn’t left the house much since they first began living here—despite that Crowe happily dispersed large chunks of payment to them.

The first time he handed off a bundle of hundreds to Aravali, the doctor stopped and squinted at him, asking “How much is this, exactly?”

Crowe merely shrugged. “I dunno… but it looks like a lot. Figured that oughta cover whatever you should be getting paid right now, yeah?”

He did the same with Elaine—and with Iggy—and he even handed a bundle to Mikey, who grinned with delight and immediately took an Uber ride into town, stopping off at the bank and depositing the money into his account. Amory had joined him for the ride—not liking the idea of Mikey always riding around town with strangers whenever Xena was at work—and he expected the boy to load his arcade card with money, but Mikey had a better idea in mind. He returned home, opened his aunt’s laptop, and began ordering very expensive computer parts online. Eventually, when all the packages arrived at the manor, he sat in his room, opening all of the boxes and starting the process of building his own gaming PC.

Amory found himself fascinated at the things Mikey was able to do—and it inspired him to start work on many of his own projects, like the treehouse, the zip-line, and the Halloween décor for the upcoming event he so greatly looked forward to.

So, since Crowe was a better artist, Amory enlisted his friend to draw out exactly how he wanted the treehouse to look, and precisely how the zip-line would travel down to his window. Xena offered to start calling contractors who could begin building onto it, and by the end of week 2, the backyard was occupied by a few men in construction outfits, working to create the amazing dream treehouse they wanted.

And—while Aravali, Elaine, and Iggy remained inside the manor, working in the home—and while Zyon remained asleep for the majority of the two-week period—Xena, Amory, Raven, and Crowe were making regular trips into town.

Xena still worked at the motel—despite Amory and Crowe stating that she didn’t need to keep the job any longer. Today, when she was leaving for work, Amory thumped down the stairs after her, holding one of the bundles of hundreds and insisting that she didn’t need to go.

“Come ooon,” Amory grinned, leaping off the stairs behind her as she adjusted the strap of her purse. “You really don’t need to go there anymore. Trust me. We have so much money now—and it’s for you too! It’s for everyone!”

“Uh-huh,” Xena replied with a sarcastic smirk, pausing with her hand hanging off the doorknob. “Yet you still won’t tell me where it came from.”

Amory stared, lowering the money bundle and managing a shrug. “Well… I just don’t want you to freak out… but we’re good for money, and we will be for a while. We really will.”

“And what happens when it runs out?”

“We’ll get some more.”

“How?”

Amory opened his mouth, catching the response before it could escape him and biting his lip, unable to hide a sly, mischievous smile.

“Yeah… see, I can’t trust that,” Xena laughed. “If you can’t even tell me where it’s coming from, then I really don’t wanna trust it.”

“Aww… but it’s okay,” Amory promised, approaching her and giving her a pleading sort of grin. “Come on… I just want you and Mikey to feel comfortable now. You deserve it by now.”

Xena paused, glimpsing aside and seeming to consider it for a second. Then, she sighed, letting her hand slip off the doorknob and facing him fully.

“Listen… I appreciate that, I really do,” she said sincerely, gently adjusting the collar of his white, flowy-sleeved shirt, the one she had cleaned and stitched up for him. “But… I don’t wanna just up and quit my job yet. I like having my own money… and I like having something that I can a hundred percent rely on. I’m not saying I can’t rely on you… I’m just saying… y’know… I’m not ready to give up everything I’m doing yet. Give me a little more time to get comfortable… and… maybe tell me where this money is actually coming from… then I might be able to. Just… later. Not now. Okay?”

Amory nodded, sighing and giving her a smile. “Okay…”

“Thank you,” Xena disclosed, patting him once on the chest before turning back to the doors.

Amroy stared after her for a second—then blurted it out.

“It came from a bank.”

Xena stopped, slowly turning back around, folding her arms, taking a step closer, and narrowing her eyes at him quizzically.

“It came from a bank…?” she uttered.

Amory nodded at her. “Yeah… um… me and Raven and Crowe went into Asheville a couple weeks ago, and we…”

“I knew it!” Xena proclaimed, jabbing a finger at him. “Oh man—I saw that all over my news feed for like a straight week after that happened—and I knew that had to be you! I freaking called it! They said three people went into the vault and just disappeared! Holy crap , I knew it!”

Amory breathed out a laugh. “Yeah… well… we have a lot to do, here… and we might have to take in more people… so…”

“Why couldn’t you just tell me that?” Xena asked.

Amory stared, sighing heavily.

“Because I’m kind of… ashamed… of it?” he muttered. “And I didn’t wanna scare you, either. I didn’t wanna make you think that we’re gonna bring all kinds of cops to the door, and get busted, and ruin everything here…”

Xena squinted questioningly at him. “But… you have superpowers… and you’re not even really like… on record here in 2025. How would they even catch you…?”

“That’s what Crowe said,” Amory mumbled.

“Plus… it sounds like they can’t really prove anything,” Xena added. “They said all their security just shut off beforehand, and there was no footage, or anything… so… yeah… I think you’re in the clear, as long as you don’t go around telling everyone.”

Amory fell silent.

“But… can I suggest something for the future?” Xena asked. “If you do ever have to do that again… go a little bit farther away than Asheville next time. Keep it extra far away from Mapleview. Keep them guessing, and keep them totally lost.”

Amory hesitated, giving her a long, strange stare.

“Why are you just… okay with this?” he uttered with a laugh. “You’re really not reacting that much… not like how I thought you might…”

“Well… you have to do what you have to do,” Xena replied simply. “And you have a lot on your plate all the sudden with hardly any means at your disposal… so… yeah. I get it. Just be careful, okay? Just because you have superpowers doesn’t mean you can’t still get shot.”

Amory let out a breath, smiling again and feeling warmed by her. “I know…”

The two were quiet for a second.

Amory looked down, surveying the bundle of hundreds in his hand, and then, he held it out and offered it to her again.

Xena glimpsed down at it and sighed. “Why do you keep trying to do that…?”

“It’s only fair,” Amory shrugged. “Everyone else got one.”

“Everyone else actually needs one. They don’t have jobs. I do.”

“Yeah, but…”

Amory paused, tossing up a hand.

“I told you I’d pay you back,” he said softly. “I still want to.”

He kept the money held outright.

Xena continued to stare, examining him thoughtfully. “You know you’ve already done that, right? You’ve done that like… ten times over.”

“No… I haven’t,” Amory replied, gently shaking his head. “You were the first friend I made outside of Canterbury… and the first one I made here. I really, really needed a nice person to find me that day… and you have… no idea what that meant to me. I’m never gonna be able to pay that back. Not ever.”

Xena was silent, gazing into him.

“Not to mention… you’re taking a lot in stride here,” Amory added with a laugh. “You’re putting up with a lot of insanity just to be here, and I should pay you back for that, too. I just… I want you to be happy. And… plus… y’know… wouldn’t it be easier to finish college without having to work so much all throughout college?”

Xena paused, making a few mild nods.

“Then here,” Amory insisted, lifting her hand and planting the bundle into her palm. “Take this, and take a break, because you deserve one. It’s as much yours as it is everyone else’s.”

Xena stood still and silent, gazing down at the money for several seconds.

Then, she huffed out a breath and cracked a smile, lowering the bundle by her side and giving him a coy look.

“So… okay… what am I gonna do all day if I don’t go to work…?” she asked.

Amory grinned from ear to ear, feeling delighted that she was finally choosing not to go.

“Well—me and Raven and Crowe have been exploring the stores and getting all kinds of Halloween stuff,” he explained.

Xena squinted at him. “How’re you doing that with no car?”

“Are you kidding? We grew up walking all over this town. We still know our way around,” Amory told her. “Besides—we don’t just carry all that stuff back home. We just sneak behind a building and zap back here when we’re done.”

“Oooh, okay… well… let me tell you something,” Xena said, flipping his collar around. “You can still fit more in my little car than you can in your hands. You can all do more shopping if you just ride with me.”

“Wooo!” Amory rejoiced, punching the air with glee. “Ooooh, hold on—I’ll be right back!”

He turned and sprinted up the stairs, Xena giggling as she watched him go.

Amory raced his way up to the third floor and darted past his own bedroom—skidding to a stop at Raven’s and hammering on her door.

“What?!” Raven yelled from inside.

“Come on come on come ooon! ” Amory yelled excitedly, practically jumping in place. “Xena’s quitting her job! Finally! We’re all gonna ride into town this time!”

“Just—just open the door,” Raven hollered. “I’m doing my hair. I’ll be done in a sec.”

Amory pushed the door open and walked inside.

Raven’s bedroom was a corner room, with a tall, elegant window above her bed to the left, silky blue drapes hanging down all around her bed. Past the foot of her bed and up against the wall was a large brown dresser with a round, beautiful mirror attached, and she stood at the mirror, combing her gelled hair into its usual slicked-back style.

“She finally took some money,” Amory beamed. “And we’re all gonna go shopping together this time. Oh, speaking of shopping—whaddo you think we should get Mom and Dad for Christmas? Because I’m totally drawing a blank.”

Raven combed her hair back and ran her hand over it, then placed the brush down and turned to him. “How the hell would I know…?”

Amory stared at her, sliding his hands into his pockets. “Well… you’re better with presents than I am, so I just figured I’d ask…”

“Yeah… but I haven’t seen them in fifteen years,” Raven reminded him, facing the mirror again and carefully applying her smoky black makeup to her eyes.

“Yeah you have,” Amory uttered. “You were there at the house, too.”

“I was there for long enough for everybody to fight each other before Zyon teleported us all away,” Raven mumbled as she leaned into the mirror, gingerly swiping beneath her eye. “Never even got to talk to Mom or Dad… and I don’t know why you’re assuming I even want to.”

Amory gazed at her from behind for a moment, his smile waning. Then, he sighed, smirked again, and sauntered slightly closer to her.

“Because… I kind of know you,” he said curtly. “And, I kind of know… that even under all the black clothes and makeup, and even under that badass attitude you have now… you’re still the same sweet little squish-ball you always have been.”

Raven set her makeup down and faced him again, pausing for a moment and sighing. Then, she revealed her soft, warm smile, the same kind and innocent one she’d always had.

“I checked in on them a little bit when I left the lab,” she informed, adjusting one of her bracelets. “They never saw me… but… yeah… I kinda got curious how they were doing, and I just wanted to see. I guess I still care about them, too…”

“Yeah,” Amory agreed. “We can forgive, right…?”

Raven gazed up at him and nodded. “I guess. I mean, it’s not like it’s ever gonna be how it used to be again…”

“Yeah… exactly… all of that is definitely over with forever,” Amory affirmed. “And it’s better if we’re not eaten up with hate all the time, anyway.”

Raven nodded down at her feet, thinking for a moment.

“You think Crowe would ever…?” she started, shaking her head and turning away.

Amory read her face, feeling as if he knew what she was going to ask.

“I don’t know,” he replied honestly. “I think it’d be a lot harder for him to do than it was for us… just because of… y’know… who he is. And who his mother was.”

They were both quiet for a few seconds.

“You know what,” Raven uttered, waving a finger at her brother. “Dad always liked watching war documentaries… and Mikey always watches stuff on his… phone. What if we got Dad one of those phones, and he could watch his war documentaries on them?”

“Ohhh… that’s an awesome idea,” Amory grinned, turning to leave the room, and she followed. “I don’t know if that would work, though… because those phones use the internet, and the phone towers, and all kinds of stuff that isn’t in 1988…”

“Well… Mikey said you can download videos, too,” Raven shrugged while they headed down the hall. “He put a bunch of videos on this big tablet thing for his sister to watch at work during her lunch break, and the tablet thing is basically the same as those phones, but bigger. He did that because she doesn’t have a good signal at the motel building, apparently… and they won’t let her on their… um… their why-fly…”

“Wi-Fi,” Amory corrected, snickering as they thumped down the spiral stairs.

“Yeah… Wi-Fi, whatever,” Raven uttered. “But that means you can get the videos and put them on a device, and then you can just watch them whenever you want… like a TV, a VCR, and a bunch of tapes… but it’s all in one device.”

“Hmmm… okay,” Amory nodded, both of them reaching the second floor and strolling down the hallway. “Well, if Mikey does that for us, then we have a present for Dad figured out. Now we have to figure one out for Mom…”

“Probably something to make cleaning the house easier,” Raven figured. “She always worked pretty hard on that when she was home. You think they have robots that clean your house for you in this time…?”

“No,” Amory laughed. “I don’t think 2025 is that advanced… no way…”

Just then, he speed-walked ahead and jogged over to Mikey’s room, rapping on it a few times before pushing the door open and leaning inside. He expected to find Mikey sitting in the center of various boxes, plastics, and computer parts like he had the last few times he’d been in here—but this time, the floor was entirely cleaned and free of the packaging and parts, and on the sleek black desk against the wall was an enormous computer tower, a white one with a transparent wall on the side, and several colorful LED lights shining from within, a large monitor beside it.

Mikey was seated at the desk, clicking on his mouse and navigating through websites before opening the Steam app.

Amory approached him from behind, ogling the giant computer and looking impressed.

“Whoa,” he breathed.

Mikey turned and gave him a nod. “Hey. You like it?”

“It’s amazing,” Amory smiled. “You built this…?”

“Yeah,” Mikey confirmed, pushing up his glasses and facing the large screen again. “And now… I’m about to go on a big game-downloading spree…”

“Games…?” Amory said, leaning on the back of his chair and squinting at the very bright screen. “You’re getting video games on there…?”

“Oh yeah… like the arcade ones, but I can just play them on here, and some of them are online,” Mikey informed. “Which means you can play with other people… like, real people, not NPCs. I’m also gonna set up a second monitor so I can see my chat room and stuff. I think I’m gonna try to get into streaming again, especially now that I have something better to use than Xena’s freaking Chromebook…”

“Streaming…?”

“Yeah… live-streaming,” Mikey explained. “You play a game and commentate, and people can watch you doing it live… like… like live TV.”

“Whoooa… so you’re gonna be famous? ” Amory grinned.

Mikey let out a laugh. “I’d have to get really lucky to get famous on Twitch… but, it does happen for people sometimes… and there are some people who already follow me on there. You just have to know how to keep your audience entertained, and you have to practice at it a lot. It’s pretty hard to get a following when you’re just starting out… but, since the only way I can communicate with my old friends anymore is online… I already have just a little bit of a head start. I know they’ll watch me stream, if nobody else.”

“Well… we’ll watch you,” Amory offered, motioning between himself and Raven, who was lingering in the doorway.

“Okay… but you need an account on Twitch,” Mikey replied.

Amory and Raven traded glances.

“I meant like… we’ll watch you… like, in real life,” Amory clarified, gesturing around the bedroom. “We’ll be right here.”

Mikey choked out a laugh, lowering his head and pinching the bridge of his nose from beneath his glasses. “Yeah… okay… but that doesn’t count as a viewer on Twitch. You have to be watching it from a phone or a laptop or something for it to count as a viewer. If you’re just in this room, then you’re not part of the audience… you’re part of the live stream.”

“We should be part of the live stream,” Amory smirked. “We could get you some viewers if we did some magic tricks on camera. There’s gonna be a camera, right…?”

“Yeah… I’m gonna have a face cam… but I don’t know if you wanna risk exposing yourself like that,” Mikey remarked, spinning his chair around and facing him. “Aren’t you guys supposed to be on the run or whatever…?”

“Well, sure… but those people are in a whole other time period, and they’re totally cut off from us,” Amory assured. “Even if they can time-travel… they still don’t know where we are, or when we are.”

“Yeah… as far as you know,” Mikey said intently, raising his small eyebrows. “This is a top-secret evil government organization, right?”

“Yeah…”

“And their leader lived long enough to capture someone in the forties and keep him in captivity for four decades, right…?”

“Yeah…”

“And that guy is still alive in 1988? Without even having aged very much?”

“Uh-huh…”

“And Zyon also said that those people would be time-traveling at some point, too.”

“Right…”

“Well, that means two things,” Mikey said pointedly, raising two fingers. “One—they might be able to time-travel directly here. And two—if they can’t, then they might just live for long enough to come here thirty-seven years older. And, if they are a top-secret government organization that was spying on you guys and tracking you all over the place—then don’t you think they’d find a way of doing that same thing here if they wanted to find you bad enough?”

Amory frowned, and everyone was quiet for a moment.

Mikey surveyed his downtrodden visage, then sighed. “I’m sorry… I’m not trying to rain on your parade, or whatever… I just don’t think you should risk putting yourself on camera on the internet, especially not using your powers. Besides… nobody’s gonna be entertained by my commentary and my gameplay if you do that. They’re just gonna wanna see more of you guys all the time. They won’t care about me and whatever I’m doing.”

“Oh… come on, that’s kind of pessimistic, isn’t it?” Amory commented.

“Well… it’s true,” Mikey shrugged. “And I have to think about things like that if I’m actually gonna try really hard to gain a following.”

“All right… that’s fair… but I still don’t think we have to worry about Canterbury here,” Amory said. “The doorway is warded…”

“Right… but are their doorways warded?” Mikey wondered. “Zyon said that they’d have their own doorways, didn’t he?”

Another grave silence fell.

“He said that about Canterbury… yeah,” Amory said softly. “The lab will have its own doorways… that’s what he said… but… that’s the thing. Canterbury doesn’t exist here. If it does have its own doorways, then they won’t come out at the lab in 2025, because the lab isn’t there. Trust me… Xena checked. She checked that for me the first day I met her. It’s not on the… Google… thing. It doesn’t show up.”

“Well… let me theorize, and stay with me. The doorway here doesn’t let out in the same place that it starts,” Mikey replied. “It goes from a mansion in north Mapleview to an asylum in south Mapleview, right? And just because Canterbury doesn’t officially exist here doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist at all. Have you ever actually seen that area in this time? Did you ever go and look to see of the lab might still be there?”

Amory grimaced, gnawing his lip and swapping glimpses with his sister again.

“I mean… this is all speculative, from my point of view… but, if they can’t actually create doorways the same way that you and Zyon can… then… yeah, they probably can’t control where the doorways let out like you guys can,” Mikey continued. “So that would lead me to guess that those ones do all let out at the same location that they start in, but in various different time periods… which means… if the lab is still there… then… well… they might have a direct path to 2025.”

“Hey—you’re really bumming me out, you know that?” Amory barked with a laugh. “Xena’s waiting for us downstairs. You wanna go shopping with us? We’re gonna get more Halloween stuff, and we’re gonna poke around for some Christmas presents for our parents, too.”

Mikey paused, then turned back to his PC. “Okay… let me get these downloads started, and I’ll go with you guys…”

He clicked on several games in his Steam library, began the downloads, then stood from his rolling chair, and the three of them walked out of the room.

Amory was sure to knock hard and loud on Crowe’s door just afterwards—interrupting his loud session of jamming out to rock music inside his bedroom—and Crowe emerged seconds later, deciding to join them. They all headed to the first floor and met with Xena on the front porch, marching down the stone stairs and piling into her KIA Soul.

As Xena drove down the gravel driveway, Crowe instantly started ranting happily about all the music he’d discovered, yammering on about several new bands he now adored, as well as songs from his past favorite musicians that he’d never heard before now. When he finally stopped for breath, Amory thought to ask Mikey about downloading videos onto a device for his dad, and the boy agreed, Xena remarking that they’d have to buy a phone or a tablet for such a purpose. The two of them began discussing the haunted house idea—Mikey pitching ideas of how to market the event online—and Xena pulled into the shopping center where Party City resided, a store that was positively filled with Halloween décor this time of year.

The next two hours were a blast; Amory beamed away like a child in a candy store as he explored the enormity and the endlessness of all the Halloween goods inside, filling aa grocery cart with everything he wanted with Raven and Crowe periodically adding to the pile. Mikey decided to get himself some new LED light for his room, and Xena spent a good while selecting a costume for the holiday. By the time they were all ready to leave, Amory was wearing a serial killer mask and chasing the others around the store with a fake plastic knife, all of them playing a slasher-themed game of hide-and-seek before an employee eventually told them to stop.

After they checked out—Amory finally finding the nerve to tear himself away from this delightful Halloween wonderland—they packed everything tightly into the small trunk of the car before heading over to the Wal-Mart next.

This was where Xena and Mikey took turns advising the misfitts three on what devices to get—the best smartphones and tablets in the selection—and Mikey promised to fill it up with whatever videos they requested. Amory ended up choosing a high-quality and expensive Samsung similar to Mikey’s, one with a good amount of storage space. Afterwards, they all found themselves strolling through the aisles of household items.

“I still can’t think of anything for Mom,” Raven sighed, scanning over all the brooms and mops beside her. “I don’t wanna just get her something she has to do more work with. I wanna get her something that takes away the work…”

“Get her a Roomba,” Mikey shrugged.

Amory, Raven, and Crowe all slowed to a stop in front of Xena’s cart and turned around, eyeing the boy strangely.

Mikey made a ‘follow me’ motion with his finger and began speed-walking down the aisle. He emerged at the end, stopping at a big stack on top of a pallet in the center of the walkway, one that was comprised entirely of large white boxes, all of which depicted an image of a round black circular device on them, the word Roomba printed in bold letters on each one.

The trio stopped behind the child, examining the boxes in befuddlement.

“Okay… what’re these?” Crowe asked.

“They’re Roombas,” Mikey answered.

“Right… okay… talk to us like we’re three-year-olds, kiddo,” Crowe reminded him. “What the bloody hell is a Roomba …?”

“It’s a little robot,” Mikey told them. “It does the vacuuming and mopping for you.”

Amory and Raven’s eyes brightened up, turning to each other in total astonishment. Then—both of them grinning—they collected one of the boxes and carried it back over to the cart, giggling breathlessly and feeling truly astonished that a house-cleaning robot truly did exist.

“Mmm… y’know what… let’s get another one,” Crowe decided, grabbing another Roomba box. “Miss Morgan’s gonna throw her back out trying to sweep and mop that whole bloody mansion all by herself all the time…”

He placed the second box in the cart.

“Oh… Ari,” Amory muttered, meeting Crowe’s eyes. “If you’re getting that for Miss Morgan… then we should get something for Ari, too. And Iggy.”

“Ah… well, Iggy just wants some pot to smoke,” Crowe laughed. “I figured I’d get him a truck-load of it once I find a hookup here… but, Ari… ahhh, he’s a bit harder to decode…”

“Oh… I know what he needs,” Raven smirked. “He needs a freaking car.”

Amory, Crowe, Xena, and Mikey all stared at her.

Raven blinked. “What? It’s easier for all the rest of us. Xena has a car, Mikey can call Ubers, and the rest of us know the town well enough to walk everywhere… and then we just use Amory to just teleport back home. Ari’s the only one who can’t get around town very easily. Well… him and Miss Morgan both, honestly…”

“Mmm. Good point,” Crowe muttered, wagging a finger at her. “I reckon we’re taking the doctor man car-shopping, then. Him and his little wife can pick something they both like. Actually, we should pick something we all like, but it’ll mainly be for the two of them…”

“You know how weird it’s gonna look to show up at a dealership and pay with actual mountains of cash, right?” Xena sniggered. “I mean, they’ll take it, but still… it’s gonna look weird.”

“Nahhh… we’ll just have you do it, love,” Crowe smiled, slapping her on the back. “I’ll just give you the cash and you can put it in your account. That’s how we pay for the car.”

“Oh great… that works,” Xena shrugged. “Just add me to an IRS list right now…”

“Um. Are we doing all of this gift-giving at the same time?” Crowe thought to ask, raising a hand. “Because I know you two are shopping for Christmas with your parents, but… it’s not exactly the same time of year here as it is there . Are we just gonna give everyone here their Christmas presents super early, or what…?”

“I think we should,” Raven determined. “We might as well. They kinda need a car…”

“Well, that’s fair,” Crowe agreed.

“Yeah… and we’re going to a used car dealership too, by the way,” Xena stated.

“What? Why?” Crowe asked. “We’re not exactly short on cash, y’know. We don’t have to go bargain-hunting with this.”

“No… but you should keep in mind that the cars here are different from the cars there,” Xena replied straightly. “Ari and Elaine are probably used to driving certain kinds of cars… like, 80s cars… so I think we should pick something older than my KIA Soul. Something they’d have an easier time adjusting to.”

“Ahhh… good point,” Crowe nodded.

As they all continued discussing their plans, they walked out of the aisle and stopped off in the food sections, gathering some groceries.

Before long—when the shopping was finally done—they filled the overstuffed little car with everything they’d purchased before making the drive home. Xena played several Nirvana songs as she drove, much to Crowe’s delight, and he nodded along to them until the car rolled to a stop in front of Evervale Manor.

Xena popped the trunk open as everyone climbed out—and Crowe and Raven stood at the back, flourishing their wrists and making the endless bags and boxes of goods raise up and float out of the car, hovering in a large cluster and floating along behind them as they headed for the front doors. Mikey followed the two of them—but Amory stayed behind, closing the trunk of the car, sliding his hands into his pockets, and simply gazing up at the majesty of the manor and the autumn l;eaves all around it, smiling peacefully and feeling quite at home.

Their days here were as serene as they were joyful, and the longer he stared, the wider his smile became, his eyes tracing along every detail of the haunted-looking mansion and feeling a surge of excitement for the Halloween to come.

But, as Raven, Crowe, and Mikey walked into the manor, and as he remained outside, standing on the gravel and staring at his home—his smile began to fade, and graver thoughts began to claw their way back to his full attention.

Everything Mikey had said was still bothering him, even now, even after the wonderful afternoon of shopping and planning with his family of friends—but, he couldn’t rightfully shake it from his mind, as it was something that did need to be addressed.

After all, the boy was right—Amory had no idea of Canterbury Lab might still exist here.

Xena wasn’t able to find it on the maps when she looked for it—but Valek, Vincent, and their entire operation was a shady and shadowy kind, one that could very well be hidden from the public eye. If they were still in operation now, then they likely wouldn’t be marked on maps anymore. Maple Branch wouldn’t be marked, either. None of it would be.

Amory sighed grimly, glancing down at his feet and losing himself to the idea on his mind now. He felt the need to go there—to zap over to the place where Canterbury Lab once was, and to examine it thoroughly himself—but he felt a touch of anxiety at the thought of it. More than anything, he just wanted to go inside, dig out all of his decorations, and begin the long, fun process of decorating the entire manor for his favorite holiday—but he felt he simply couldn’t enjoy it without putting these worries to rest first.

“Hey,” Xena said, appearing behind him and gently patting him on the back. “What’s wrong?”

Amory turned to her, attempting a smile.

“I… um,” he uttered, scratching his cheek. “I think I need to go check something…”

Xena squinted at him. “Check what…?”

Amory hesitated, fidgeting with the ends of his baggy sleeve.

“I know you said… I know you said Canterbury isn’t there anymore,” he mumbled. “But I think I need to… see it.”

Xena stared quietly and expressionlessly at him for a moment.

“Are you sure…?” she murmured. “I mean… what if they… what if someone is there…?”

“Well… I’m just gonna zap over there real quick,” Amory shrugged. “And… if it’s dangerous… I’ll just zap right back. I just… I need to see. I need to know for sure they’re not here.”

“Okay… but what if they are?” Xena asked, giving him a worried look. “They have no way of knowing you’re here in 2025… unless they actually see you here.”

“They won’t,” Amory assured. “I won’t pop up right in the lab… I’ll go somewhere outside of it. I’ll look at the place from a distance. I just need to see. Hopefully, there won’t even be anything there anymore.”

Xena sighed deeply, giving him a long, concerned stare.

“We’re supposed to have a movie night tonight,” she mumbled sadly. “You promised. You promised me and Mikey both.”

“Yeah… we’re doing that,” Amory smirked.

“That means you can’t just go off somewhere and die , dummy,” Xena stated. “You better not let anything happen.”

“I won’t,” Amory laughed.

“If you see anybody out there—any sign of life, any military trucks, or any people wandering around—just come straight back here,” Xena said, planting a finger into his chest. “Please.”

“I will,” Amory assured her, grasping her hand and hooking his pinky around hers. “Promise.”

Xena gave his pinky a squeeze, then lowered her hand and sighed again.

“I’ll give you an hour,” she disclosed. “If you’re not back here in an hour, then I’m telling everybody else where you went, and we’re going out there to find you.”

“Okay,” Amory agreed. “No problem. I shouldn’t be gone long at all.”

Xena stared for a moment longer, then gave him a slow, reluctant nod.

Amory smiled warmly at her, delivered a two-fingered salute, and gazed into her eyes—a spiraling blue light swimming through his own before he vanished from the driveway.

He thought intently of the place—Canterbury, the lab, the trees, the road, and the wall—and all the sudden—he found himself standing in the middle of the open woodlands, surrounded by trees at every direction, a thick blanket of autumn leaves coating the entirety of the ground for as far as the eye could see, and nothing at all seemed to stir.

Amory glanced around, the manor, the car, the driveway, and everything else at his home now instantly gone from nearby him. Instead, it was only the spacious woods with the far-apart trees, the very same woods that Maple Branch once led through, though now, there was no road anywhere to be seen. It was a peaceful, calming sort of place, a beautiful fall scene in the middle of nowhere, with the late-day sun shining into the woods from between the branches above, a soothing orange glow that signified sunset was near.

Amory turned his head to the left, taking a single step forward and examining the area closely. The trees down this way were especially far-spread-open in a way that looked eerily familiar, just the way they had all those years ago, when the truck first brought them down Maple Branch and eased to a stop at the wall with the metal gateway. It looked—and felt—like where Maple Branch once was.

He turned the other way, following this wide-open stretch with his eyes—and then—his gaze landed on something to his right, the only structure anywhere in eyeshot, a mostly-collapsed wall and a few small buildings behind it, all connected, and with dark windows, some of them shattered. The leaves, land, and grass now covered what was once the entryway and the parking lot, and Canterbury Lab sat empty, dark, and long since abandoned before him.

Amory took a single step closer, the leaves shifting around at his ankles.

There it was, the very place he’d fled and destroyed, the comfortable prison that he’d called home for fifteen long years—in ruin, its buildings looking somewhat different in structure than he remembered, with many metal walls on the outside, but the the placement of the windows, the gaping hole where the front entrance once was, and the color of the collapsed outer wall all remained the same, though the windows were now dark and broken, the gateway in the front was long gone, and the few remaining portions of the outer wall that were still standing were now heavily darkened and discolored by time, rain, and wear, moss coating the bottoms, tall grass surrounding it at its base, and chunks of debris sat idly all around it, engulfed by the overgrown grass and the thick blanket of autumn leaves. There was no fence, no barbed wire. There were no lights, no cameras, no trucks, and certainly no people. As far as he could tell, there was no sign that anyone had been here at all for a very long time.

Amory stood still, merely staring at the place with a distant expression, feeling a peculiar combination of things as he did.

Part of him felt greatly relieved, glad to see that Canterbury Lab was not, in fact, still in operation here in 2025—and yet, as he gazed into the remains of his prison home, he also felt a strange sort of mourning, as if he’d only just remembered how far into the future he truly was.

He imagined he would feel similarly if he ever visited whatever remained of his childhood home in this time; it was a place that held many bad memories, but also many good ones, and he felt so very far away from that time now, it put an uncomfortable knot in the pit of his stomach. Sure, the lab was a terrible place altogether, and he and everyone else there were all much better off being gone from there forever—but, nevertheless, he did make friends and memories there as well. He had his own room there, had fun evenings with Crowe, and Raven, and John, and Donna, and Iggy—and he even had a blast with Vincent, particularly on the nights when he would agree to play a board game with him.

In fact, as he stood here now, he found it all flashing through his mind—late—night TV marathons with Crowe, Iggy, and John—trading stories with Donna about the best books they’d read—playing basketball with all of them in the gym until it eventually devolved into an improvised session of dodgeball—and hiding away from Vincent, snickering and ducking behind corners whenever the man was searching for him in order to take him to his next appointment. He remembered sitting across from Vincent in the study room on their cozier evenings, surrounded by the comforting scent of the many books in its library, and the two would talk as they played checkers or Candyland together, sometimes simply trading snide jokes and remarks, other times delving into conversations far deeper.

So many drastic and terrible things had happened since those times, he couldn’t feel farther away from them now if he tried.

Amory stared endlessly into the remnants of Canterbury Lab, the wind gently shifting his hairs back, and he released a heavy cloud of breath.

Quite honestly, he hadn’t allowed himself to spare Vincent a thought during these past couple of weeks. After all—just as Crowe had said—the man had made his choices, and they ultimately led him to his unfortunate end. It wasn’t something that Amory could change, wasn’t something that it did any good to dwell on, so, he’d simply put it out of his mind.

Still, as he stared into the broken and abandoned lab, the thought of him was admittedly a bit harder to ignore now.

Deciding he’d had enough, Amory tore his eyes from it, facing away and shaking his head.

“Well… I guess there’s nothing to worry about here,” he mumbled, closing his eyes and thinking of Evervale Manor, preparing to make the leap back home.

Then—a distant shuffle of leaves caught his ear.

Amory’s eyes snapped back open—and he whipped around with his heart making a nervous jolt.

He froze perfectly still, staring at the desolate lab, feeling certain that he’d heard a noise from there—from that very direction, from somewhere behind the mostly-collapsed wall—and, for a long, tense moment, he merely stared, glaring fixedly at the lab and waiting for any hint of movement to catch his eye.

As he stood and waited, and as his heart continued to pound, he considered that he might’ve been a bit too paranoid. Perhaps he’d heard an animal shuffling around in the leaves.

Then—the shifting of leaves occurred again—then again.

His heart jumped once more—and he felt himself tense up from head to toe, inhaling a deep, bracing breath and eyeing the lab with chagrin, his expression hardening, knowing for certain that the movements he heard were not wildlife.

It was the rhythmic pattern of footsteps—human footsteps—walking through the leaves and growing slowly, steadily louder.

Something inside him screamed for him to go, to shut his eyes and zap himself back home—but he didn’t. He remained here, glaring intensely at the lab and waiting to see whoever was there. He had to know if someone actually was still inhabiting Canterbury Lab.

After what felt like hours of staring at the lab and its broken wall—a figure emerged, pausing at the side of the wall and leaning against it, the man wearing a tan overcoat and a hat to match, the hat slightly crooked, and his head slumped low.

Amory took in a breath, his heart throbbing harder, eyes locked onto the man in the distance, knowing for certain that it couldn’t be who it looked like. His mind raced for an explanation—a homeless person, a traveler, a wayward soul who was just passing by—but nothing made sense to him, no possibilities in his mind ringing true.

Vincent, exhausted, pained, fatigued, and nearly delirious, merely pushed away from the wall and continued onward, not knowing where he was going, barely registering that anyone else was here. He walked slowly and weakly out from the wall and the debris, wading through the leaves and venturing steadily near.

As he drew closer—Amory’s teeth began to clench, inhaling deeply again and feeling suddenly bewildered and stunned, certain that he must have been dreaming, or that his eyes must have been playing tricks on him. He made a faint shake of the head, gulping and blinking a few times—but the scene remained the same, Vincent Hawthorn, whose death he directly witnessed, alive, moving, and walking directly toward him, here in 2025.

Amory instantly felt on-guard, peering behind him and examining every visible inch of the abandoned lab, almost expecting Valek and a fleet of men in black to appear there, but none did.

No—it seemed clear that no one else was here, no trucks, people, or demons.

And yet, somehow, Vincent was—and he eased to a stop a few yards away, his head hanging, his balance swaying, the hat lopsided and nearly slipping off of him.

Amory stared, still totally shocked to speechlessness, surveying the man intently as his mind continued to run rampant with a million wild thoughts. He couldn’t begin to make sense of it—how Vincent was alive, or how he had gotten here, of all places and times—and he had no clue why. He couldn’t shake the feeling that it was a trap of some kind, and perhaps another terrible event like the shootouts prior would unfold yet again—but, the longer he stared, the more certain he became that no trap was about to be sprung.

Vincent was here, alone, not walking with calm authority as he usually did, not accompanied by his men like he’d always been before. Now, the man appeared different, hindered and wounded somehow, and he didn’t look as if he walked with any purpose or agenda; in fact, he looked as if he could hardly walk at all. He simply appeared lost, like he had no clue or care where he was.

Amory took a step forward, still watching the man with the utmost of vigilance, and still feeling a trillion things waging war inside.

He started a small, cautious stride, another slow step, and then another, eyeing him closely.

Vincent’s bleary gaze wandered upward, peering out from beneath the brim of his crooked hat—and, somewhere amidst his foggy stare, he spotted a vague, familiar figure before him.

Amory inched slightly closer, still watching him attentively and approaching with a great sense of wariness, as if he was easing near a dangerous animal.

Then, he stopped a few feet away, taking another deep breath.

“Vincent…?” Amory managed with a soft, light voice.

Vincent blinked twice, trying to focus his gaze on the person in front of him, the voice meeting his ears and igniting something inside, the burning sensation seeming to gnaw, bite, and sting him from beneath his skin even more.

And, when the man raised his head and met his eyes—Amory inhaled sharply, spotting the sick, fleshy scarring along the entire right side of his face, giving him a grave, disturbed look.

Vincent read his face, that boy he’d known for so long, and now, he felt strangely certain of why he was here. His mouth drifted open, trying to speak, but suddenly, his energy abandoned him, and another surge of pain coursed through him.

His leg buckled, and he collapsed.

Amory jolted forward on instinct—grabbing the man and catching him just before he could hit the leafy ground.

He lowered to his knee, clasping onto Vincent’s shoulders as his head slumped forward again, the hat falling off of him, his entire body feeling limp in his grasp. As the seconds passed, and as Amory remained knelt there, holding onto the semi-conscious Vincent, everything rushed through him again—countless thoughts and feelings, wondering why he had even bothered, why he still felt any care or concern for this person, after everything he had done—but he’d simply reacted, and it was just engrained in him to do so, even now.

“I need y…”

Vincent grunted with a rasp, his hand fighting to coil around the fabric of Amory’s sleeve, clawing its way up and clasping onto his arm.

“I need you t…”

He slowly and drearily raised his head from Amory’s shoulder, meeting his eyes with a pained, desperate grimace.

“I need you to kill me,” Vincent groaned hoarsely through gritted teeth.

Amory’s expression became stonier by the second, gazing into the man’s red, burned face and frowning deeply, his stomach tightening, feeling a terrible wave of empathy.

“Look, it… l… isten to me,” Vincent croaked, planting a hand on his shoulder and practically clinging onto it to hold himself upright, glaring into Amory with grave insistence. “He put… that angel… in me… to fix me… and he put so much evil in me too, I c… an’t…”

He wavered, swallowing a moan and wincing terribly, seeming to have a great deal of difficulty with talking or masking whatever awful things he was feeling.

“You can’t have both at once,” Vincent breathed. “You can’t have both at once… you can’t have both at once… it’s burning, on fire , I can’t t… I can’t take…”

Amory still said nothing, staring at him and clutching him, his expression fracturing as the empathy inside grew even more painful.

“He keeps playing God and I’m not his fucking guinea pig ,” Vincent growled through his teeth again, trying to give Amory a shake and barely managing to. “He didn’t like me… showing up at your house… and he’s trying… to force me… to do it all his way. I can’t take… it’s fucking killing me… I just need you to end it… I just need you to end it…”

Amory still said nothing, taking hin a shaking breath and still feeling empathy of a horrid degree, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

He never imagined that Vincent was alive, didn’t know how he was here by happenstance, or why he still felt anything resembling concern for the man—but he just did, and seeing him now, burned, pained, weak, and trembling in agony, he felt for him, and he simply could not help it.

It sounded as if Valek had used yet another method of twisted supernatural science in order to save Vincent’s life—but the end result was something awful, something that put the man in a terrible state of torture.

In fact—the longer Amory stared at the grisly, hand-shaped burn across the side of the man’s face—the more certain he became that at least some of the pain Vincent felt now was intentional, as if his father had put him through it on purpose.

Amory’s stomach contracted, the dark, nauseating empathy growing overwhelming now.

“Listen to me… listen to me,” Vincent rasped breathlessly, struggling to place his hand on the back of Amory’s neck, hooking it there and staring intently into him. “You… are a good kid… and I n… I need you to know… I’m sorry…”

Amory returned his stare, his eyes watery, and his chest aching.

“Go… go ahead… go ahead…” Vincent exhaled, releasing him and moving away, every muscle in his body relaxing all at once.

The man gave up on trying to remain upright, slumping down and lying across the leafy ground. He rolled onto his back, his eyes drifting closed, still wincing and releasing a few painful groans, and he merely lay there, waiting for Amory to end his suffering indefinitely.

For a long, grave moment—Amory just stared down at him, knelt beside him and wearing an unreadable visage, though his mind was racing once more.

Truly—after everything that had happened, the frantic shootout at the club, the near execution of Aravali Chavan, gunning for Crowe and Raven both—Amory considered simply doing as he asked, merely killing him and ending that frightful and terrifying game of cat and mouse forever. After all—this man had tried to kill his best friend, his sister, and his new doctor, as well as everyone else who’d escaped from Canterbury’s unfeeling grasp. Surely, he was justified in just ending the man’s life now.

And, yet—as Amory knew, perhaps now more than ever—Vincent Hawthorn was, for all intents and purposes, only a tool to be used by a greater, wickeder entity of power. All this time, Amory wondered how Vincent could do such cruel things to him and his friends, after all they’d been through together in the past, after being friends with one another for so long—but perhaps it was more complicated than that, complicated in a way that Amory felt and understood to his core, especially seeing him now.

This man had been tortured after questioning and straying from Valek’s path.

And—Amory could only assume that Valek had, like most abusive fathers, made this into a routine, a thing that had always happened throughout Vincent’s life, a thing that he’d grown to expect, something that trained him never to think or rebel, because the consequences for doing so were horrible and agonizing. It would always result in Vincent eventually falling back in line, resuming his role as Valek’s loyal follower, and it was engrained in his mind that this was all he was meant to be.

Aravali once suggested that Amory be mindful of the possibility of Stockholm Syndrome, and in all honesty, Amory knew full well why he might harbor such an affliction—but he never once considered that it was something he and Vincent Hawthorn had in common.

Perhaps—if the man was really, truly remorseful of all he had done—and if he was deeply, genuinely ready to let go now—then maybe something else could be done.

All of his troubling thoughts faded, replaced by a simple, peaceful certainty, and Amory leaned slightly closer, hovering over Vincent with his wavy black hairs hanging down along either side of his face. He gently placed a hand to Vincent’s chest, and he rested his other hand on the man’s forehead, now feeling a sort of clarity he rarely ever did.

“Vincent,” he said in a soft, kind voice. “I need you… to let go… and all of this will be over.”

Vincent remained still, his eyes shut, and his expression still pained, but he attempted to take in a deep, bracing breath, trying to force his breaths not to tremble.

Amory gazed down at him calmly, the gentle, spiraling light coasting through his eyes in a brightening blue, just before he eased them both closed.

Hands laid firmly onto Vincent, mind fully devoid of all thoughts and troubles, he focused only on the man in his grasp—and he silently commanded everything evil within to expel from his body, right here and now.

Vincent made a gruff choking noise—and a thin black smoke began to arise from his mouth, eeys, and ears, dark tears forming in his right eye, trickling down the side of his face in a long streak of black.

Amory pressed harder into him, inhaling deeply and keeping his hands placed firmly on him, feeling warmer with every second to pass, and feeling more power course through him as the moments ventured by, spreading throughout Vincent and slowly, steadily removing every ounce of darkness from his being—and during it all—miles away—the sleeping angel began to shift and stir in his slumber.

After a long, cleansing moment, Vincent’s wincing and choking noises finally ceased, and he fell entirely still on the ground, his expression relaxing, looking as if he’d just fallen asleep, and as if the greatest weight of the world had suddenly been lifted off of him.

Amory opened his eyes, slowly withdrawing his hands and staring down at him.

He wasn’t entirely sure what had moved him to do such a thing, or even what he had actually done—but, as he gazed down at the peaceful, restful Vincent, his face no longer etched with pain, his body no longer tensed and shaking—he felt assured he had done the right thing.

Whatever happened from here on—he’d done everything he could to set things right.

Only time would tell how things might unfold now.