"So she's playing real life problems. It's not like we've never done that."
"Not at eight years old!"
"Oh, shit, Veronica killed Antonio."
~~~
The Umbrella Academy just wanted to rest, not wanting to come across the Sparrows. The strangest part was...
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Diana sat next to Five, glaring at Reginald as he told a story.
"The Norse had seven sleepers. The Blackfoot, seven stars. As a boy, I heard the legend of the seven bells. All these stories are the same. The village is under threat by flood, by fire, by a night that never ends. A shaman brings his disciples to a sacred cave. He tells them, if they can ring the seven magic bells, the village will be saved, and all will be restored just as it was."
Lila, who was laying on Diego's lap, raised her hand. "Reggie. Can we get a little less Brother's Grim, and more what the hell does this have to do with us?"
Reginald stared at her, before answering.
"There is a truth to these myths. None of you can deny what's going on around us. All of existence will b gone by the end of the day, but whoever, or whatever wove together space and time, they left a way to put things back together. If the universe ever faced total annihilation. There is a portal in the universe. I built this hotel around it, and on the other side is the answer."
Luther asked, "And...we're supposed to, what? Just stroll in there, ring some bells, and fix this shit?"
"Sarcasm aside, you are mostly right. Except for the guardian."
"What kind of guardian?" Viktor asked.
"Kinda guardian that does this." Diego snapped, holding his hand up. "He had a sword."
Diana's eyes lit up a bit at that.
"It is a force to be reckoned with."
"See? Yeah, this is where you lose me." Luther snapped.
"This is where he loses you?" Lila demanded. "I checked out at the sacred cave."
"Why would the builders of this 'back door' need to have a guardian?" Diana asked.
"Ah!" Sloane said, sitting up. "To protect is from people who want to use it for nefarious means."
"That is correct, Sloane."
Allison said, "So, I guess it's gonna take all of us to defeat the thing protecting the bells."
"You're actually buying his crap?" Five demanded.
"How is a guardian and bells any crazier than time-travelling briefcases and assassins with cartoon masks?"
"Actually, she's got you there."
Diana opened her mouth to ask a question, but Five covered it with his hand.
