What Lies Below the Surface

Chapter 28: Can I Trust a Puppet

About two hours later, we finally got to the castle. It took a while, but it felt good to be inside of Castle Gyges. We were almost there. The war was almost over.
I sighed and glanced over at Aezura. "We'll find Anankos if we go deeper in the castle, right?"
"Yes," she said with a nod. "But...I have a bad feeling about what's waiting for us ahead."
Xander nodded. "Indeed. There is a clearly ominous atmosphere in here..."
"Regardless of what we face, we must fight on," Ryoma said with a slight smile.
"Right," I said with a nod. "Everyone, let's go!"

Then, all of a sudden, everything went dark. I couldn't see a darn thing.
I stood my ground, unsure of what to expect, and once I could see again, I was alone.
"Huh? Azura? Takumi? Where is everyone?" I called out, trying to figure out what the hell just happened.
I was going to look around a bit more, but something caught me eye, and I turned my attention to it.

A small mass of blue energy was swirling on the ground. It then started to rise, and as it did so, it took a human shape. When I saw who it was becoming, I gasped. It...it was Mother.
"It's so...wonderful to...see you again. I could not...be happier," she said with a smile. However...as she was speaking, her body, which...seemed to be made of water, distorted at different points, casing there to be pauses in her speech.

Mother smiled at me. "Kai..."
I shook my head. "This is impossible! I saw you die in my arms!"
She seemed to ignore my comment. "I'm so happy to see you again."
I then began to mutter under my breath. "No...I won't be fooled! You aren't my mother! It's just...just another one of Anankos's tricks...!"
"Please, my dear Kai," Mother said with a sigh. "You have to calm down. I've come to help you. You have to trust me. I won't cause you any harm."
I growled, starting to lose my temper. "Stop it! Stop using my Mother's voice!" I cried out as I took a step closer to her. "I...I want to believe in people...in everyone...but this...I will not believe in a puppet of Anankos!"
I then raised the Yato, and brought it back, ready to attack, but I stopped mid-swing when Mother didn't even flinch. "Why...? Why didn't you move or block my attack?" I asked as I began to slightly tremble.
"Even if you don't believe in me, I still believe in you, my sweet child," Mother said with a smile.
"But this can't be," I said, tears coming to my eyes. "Are...are you truly my mother?"
She nodded. "Yes. Even though I am a puppet of Anankos, my spirit remains my own."
"I...I believe you," I said as I shakily lowered the Yato.
"Thank you," Mother said with a smile. "My beloved child...I am here to warn you. There is a maze ahead, and it holds many traps."
"What...how do I get through it?" I asked.
"Listen closely. The blue doors will be safe. You can avoid the traps by using them. I'm counting on you to kill Anankos...and set me free," she responded with a smile before fading away.
"Don't worry, Mother," I said with a sigh. I had a feeling I'd face her in battle, but I was ready for it.

I then heard Azura singing, and I quickly turned around, sheathed the Yato, and began to run in the direction I heard Azura's voice coming from.
Azura smiled once she saw me. "Kai! Thank the gods you're okay."
I nodded, a bit out of breath. "Yeah..."
Azura's smile quickly became a look of concern. "Is...iz something wrong, Kai? You're pale..."
I shook my head. "It's nothing, Azura. Don't worry. However, we need to stay focused and alert. This place is filled with traps," I said.
As ironic as it was, as soon as I was done talking, everyone came together, and we began our way through the maze.

After a bit of time, we'd gone through the blue doors, as Mother had instructed. Two of them, to be exact. I then heard Mother speak up, though I wasn't sure where she was.
"Listen carefully, my child. This last door is different than the rest. This time, the red door is the safe choice."
I briefly thought this over. I really wanted to trust her, but there was something about her voice that didn't sit with me, so I went through the blue door, and nothing happened.
"But...how could you tell I was lying?" Mother asked with a sigh.
"There was something in how you spoke that bothered me. So I then came to the conclusion that you were lying."
"If we all die together, we can stay together forever," Mother said with a smile.
It deeply pained me, but I drew the Yato, and clashed with Mother, and I emerged victorious with Takumi's help, as he delivered the ending blow.

We then all gathered around Mother, and Takumi was by my side, just as he had been during the battle.
"M-Mother...I'm sorry," I said, choking back tears.
"I've missed you so m-much!" Sakura said, already starting to to cry.
"Oh, my dear Sakura. Your smile is so beautiful- I'd nearly forgotten it," Mother said. "Ryoma, Takumi, Hinoka...I'm glad to see all of you again."
"We're...happy too," Takumi said, tightly gripping my hand.
Ryoma then closed his eyes. "You were taken so suddenly...we've hardly had any time to grieve. I don't know if all the time in the world would even let me get over you..."
"All I know is...I'm so happy to see you again," Hinoka said, also holding back tears.
"I'm glad that you're safe. I'm also glad that things worked out for you, Kai and Takumi...as well as for you, Ryoma," Mother said with a smile.
Ryoma opened his eyes. "Hm? I knew you probably foresaw Kai and Takumi...but also me and Azura?"
Mother nodded. "Indeed. Oh, Kai?"
"Yeah? What is it?" I asked.
Mother smiled. "Thank you for freeing me...and don't you cry, my child. Save those tears for you celebrate victory."
I had to wipe away some of my tears. "O-okay, Mother."
"Listen, Kai," she said with a sigh. "I have something...very important to tell you. I...I was born here, in Valla. And you...my dear Kai, you are part of the Vallite royal line."
I gasped. "Wh-what?! I'm Vallite royalty?!"
Mother nodded. "Yes. Arete, the former queen of Valla, is my older sister. But...I haven't been able to say anything until now, all because of the curse..."
"I'm...completely at a loss for words," I said as I slightly let go of Takumi's hand.
"I know this might be hard to believe...but you need to remember...where you come from," Mother said with a smile. "You have to go now. A powerful servant of Anankos awaits you," Mother said before going limp. She then began to fade away, much as Arete had done.
I wiped some tears from my face. "I won't fail you, Mother."
I then stood up with Takumi's help. "There's no time to waste. We still need to defeat Anankos and end this war. We will bring peace to the world!"