Into The Unown

The Attack Begins

Following the path of a novel had been a terrible idea. The moment the three stepped into the streets of Orre, they realised that though there were three people, there was not a single brain cell between them.

"So," Serena began, her voice heavy with sarcasm, "how exactly am I supposed to 'shatter the veil of time?" Since the moment they began their journey, her patience had continued to wear thin, right now, it was practically invisible.

"Hold on," Gary said, furrowing his brow as he flipped through the pages of the novel. "It doesn't say anything specific... maybe you should flap your arms in the air and see if the door opens."

Serena stared at him. "What the fuck happened to you?" she muttered. "We're in a city packed with people, and your grand idea is for me to flail around like an idiot?"

"Relax!" Gary replied, giving a dismissive wave. "It's Orre! No one knows you here."

"Excuse me?" Serena's yelled, jabbing a finger at him. "This country doesn't have Pokémon, but it still has my music!"

Gary frowned, his gaze darting to a nearby pedestrian. Without hesitation, he stepped in front of the man and waved him down. "Hey, quick question—what's the name of that Serena song that goes, uh... da-da-da-daaaaa?"

The man tilted his head, confused. "You mean Picture I Saved?"

Gary glanced back at Serena, who gave a nod of confirmation. He sighed. "I thought there were tariffs on entertainment imports between regions."

"Songs travel faster than tariffs," Serena shot back. "And they leave behind fans who can recognize me!"

It was as if her words proved prophetic. Soon after, a young woman approached them, eyes wide with recognition. "Wait... are you Serena? Like, the Serena?"

"No, I'm Patricia," she said in a Orrian accent. Before the woman could have asked any more questions, Ash stepped forward. He tugged Serena's beanie down over her face and threw his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close as he shot a look at Gary. "Move. Now."

The three of them bolted, dashing through the alleys of Orre, leaving behind a ripple of noises and whispers.

"Alright, I think we're safe now," Ash said, peeking through the slats of the window blind. The snow-covered street below was bustling with tourists and locals giving them the perfect camouflage. "This is a busy hotel, and it's peak season. No one's going to notice us here."

Gary plopped his bag onto the wooden floor and shrugged. "I still don't get why we couldn't have gone to our safe house. That's literally why it's called a safe house."

"Because it's far, secluded, and exactly where someone looking for a popular pop star who vanished without explanation would expect her to be hiding." He gestured around the cozy, rustic room. "Here, we're just another group of tourists. It's not perfect, but it'll do. We just need to rest for a few hours and figure out our next move."

"It's got a bed and a bathroom," Serena chimed in, flopping onto the bed with a dramatic sigh. "Honestly, that's already a win." She stretched her arms above her head and let out a massive yawn.

Gary raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you sleep last night?"

Ash stiffened, his gaze darting briefly to Serena as the events of last night replayed in his mind. He cleared his throat, darting his attention back to bustling street.

"I'm exhausted either way." She shifted on the bed, pulling the blanket over her shoulders. "Mind if I sleep now?"

"Go ahead," Ash said, his voice steady again as he turned his eyes to the window. "You and Gary rest. I'll take the first watch."

Gary didn't argue. He kicked off his shoes, claiming the side on the bed next to his sister. Within moments, he was snoring, his book still clutched in his hands.

Ash waited for a few minutes before glancing back at Serena. He saw her curled under the blanket, her body slowing rising and falling to the whim of her breaths. Just for a moment, he let himself relax. Ash let go of the matter at hand, forgetting about the busy roadways that he needed to watch and just focused on her.

The last he'd seen of her was at the airport. At night when he slept, her image used to flash in his mind—crying and bandaged. He remembered how tight she had held on to his hand, begging him to leave everything behind and follow him.

There was nothing he wanted more than to say yes, God, he'd have given everything to rewind time and just say yes. But he wouldn't have been able to live with himself if God forbid something else happened to her and he couldn't...

He signed, curling his fingers into a fist. That was two years ago. The Ash then wasn't the same as the Ash today. He played with the beaded bracelet in his hand that he shared with Gary, focusing on he'd learned.

"Please don't stare at me, I'm feeling sexually harassed." Ash looked up, only to find Gary staring at him with judgy eyes. "Stop smiling, you look like a creep."

Ash touched his lips; Gary was correct, Ash was smiling—God knows since when.

"I'm not starting at you,"

"Then please don't stare at my single sister. She has an ex-boyfriend who I heard is kind of crazy."

Ash scoffed, "We're still together. We... we didn't break up."

"Does she know that you didn't break up?"

The raven haired thought long and hard, "Yes, we didn't break up... we're still together. You should really get some sleep, otherwise I'll—"

"What are you talking about? My hours are up. It's your time to sleep now." Gary pushed aside his blanket and stretched his arms.

Had it really been five hours? Ash rubbed his eyes and checked his watch again. Yes, it had. He couldn't believe he'd spent all that time watching her sleep. He shook himself, embarrassed by his own thoughts.

"Alright," he yawned, stretching. "I'm done. Time for some sleep."

Gary smirked. "Don't do anything weird under the blanket, lover boy. I'm watching you."

Ash shot him a deadly glare. "If I hear one more word from you, you're sleeping outside."

Ash slid under the blanket, turning his back to Gary, but his eyes naturally found Serena's. Her breathing was even and silent, and for a moment, the chaos of their past and present felt like a distant dream.

Before he knew it, his own eyes fluttered shut, and sleep took him.

When Ash woke, the air felt unnervingly quiet. He'd fallen asleep to the sound of Gary turning the pages of his novel, but the only thing he heard was the noise his blanket made when he tried getting up.

The night was still heavy on them, he could tell that by the way the moonlight trickled through the crack in the window.

Something was off.

He reached to wake Serena up watch but froze when he noticed that her bed was empty.

"Serena?" he called out.

No response.

A shiver ran down his spine as he scanned the room. His eyes fell on Gary, lying face-down on the floor.

"Gary!" Ash rushed out of the bed. He knelt down and shook him. "Gary, wake up!"

The brunet let out a faint groan, but didn't wake up. He frantically looked around their room and found the door to be open. The empty hallway casting a dull shadow on what lay ahead.

Without hesitation, he ran out of the room.