At End's Gate

SURVIVE NO MATTER WHAT!

"Please tell us what happened. I need to know all the things you did to protect us," Paige said with her head still on Conner's shoulder.

"Okay so there was a time your parents called me. We all lived here but in different parts. I lived in the south. I came to understand what was going on. I heard the urgency in Claire's voice. When I arrived I was called by your parents to a secret meeting place. Your parents were there," he said looking at Alexis, Lisa and Conner." They informed their friends about what Dukilian did and what he was willing to do. Everyone was frightened but mostly they wanted to protect you guys. That is when we developed a plan," he went silent for a while.

"Go on," James said.

"We decided to erase your memories. I decided to live Redstone to be the contingency plan. I resided in the peaceful land Cornerstone."

"No land is truly peaceful," Blake commented running his hand through his hair fixing it.

"Yes that is true but for now it's the safest place for you to be."

"Sir I don't mean to be disrespectful but I don't think any city will accept refugees who survived the hand of Dukilian. Probably by now the word has passed about the fate of our city," Conner pointed out.

"Don't worry. That won't be a problem."

"Why won't it be a problem?" Lexi asked with her hand placed on her heart. Jermaine just remained silent.

"Yes why won't it be a problem?" Blake asked again.

"Uncle Jermaine what did you do?" Paige asked now a bit scared.

"Let's just say I added you guys into the picture."

"What do you mean?" James asked with frustration lining his face.

"Do you know what reality manipulation is?"

"No," everyone responded in unison.

"When we were younger Claire developed a serum. The serum could manipulate one's psychological mainframe to believe something that wasn't real."

"Okay so what did you use this serum for in our case?" Blake asked.

"I used it to make the entire Cornerstone population believe the six of you were citizens who grew up there under my guidance."

"Oh my God. That's bad. You let an entire city live in a lie?"

"It was a necessary evil."

"Why do so many bad things to protect us?" James sighed out of frustration.

"You guys are innocent. This life wasn't supposed to happen to you, growing up with a death penalty for life. You didn't deserve that. That is why even your parents," he said looking at the other three," were willing to participate in protecting you. The bad things we did had to be done. We grew up with Dukilian. He's beyond monstrous and sometimes to survive such a monster you have to take a page out his dark book."

"Why can't anyone put him down?" Alexis was now scared.

"Believe me many have tried but he's always ahead. That's why we believe his intellect is remarkable even better than your father's and mine."

"Okay!" Blake was now gulping.

"Oh about the serum. How did you make an entire city take it?" Lisa asked.

"I added it into the city water supply. I then tested my theory. Each day I went to work and my neighbours asked about you guys. It worked."

"No one else knew the real story?" Paige asked.

"There are two other people I told. They are the ones who will take care of you in Cornerstone."

"Where will you be? Won't you take care of us?" Blake asked.

"Unfortunately I can't."

"What do you mean?" James asked again.

"I'm not leaving this city. You are."

Paige was now sad." Why?"

"I've accepted my fate. I have to die here. Dukilian probably knows I'm here."

"But if he knows you're here . Then he probably knows who we really are and he'll know we're alive."

"For now don't worry about that Paige. Okay. The two people I was talking about. One of them will met you at the Cornerstone entrance. Everyone in the city believes the six of you went out for a two week holiday in Pinewood, which is town near the city. The person you'll meet at the gate will escort you to a house. The boy's name is Aiden. He'll take you to the home of the lady Mary. There you'll live your normal lives again."

"Our lives will never be normal," Blake said looking depressed.

"Anyway who are those people?"

"James you'll find out soon enough," Jermaine responded before handing each one of them a card." These are you ID's." The ID's had everyone's normal first names probably because their first names were common. The surnames were different." Now go! My cloaking time is almost up. Dukilian can now track my location. If he finds out I'm here he'll know I'm here for you and that you're alive. As far as he's concerned you guys died. Go! Go now! I need you to survive, survive no matter what!"

Everyone got out and started running. Shortly after flames engulfed the house. Jermaine was definitely dead. Paige and her brothers wept. Losing their uncle was just like losing their father again.