Out of This World Gaming [~ read description]

Chapter 36: Secrets in the Pages

A lonely car drove among falling drops of water that splashed against the urban environment. Its headlights stuck out of the hood with the lights illuminating the path ahead. From the inside of the car, the person sitting in the passenger seat looked out of the raindrop spotted window as his sorrowful expression was supported by a palm on his cheek. "I can't believe it's been a whole three days since all of that happened." the young man spoke. "I've been so busy nursing our brother back to health that I've lost track of time." a young woman replied. 

"Speaking of which, why did we wait so long to get the final part you needed?" "There's just too much going on to handle everything right away. When Ziazan comes to, he'll probably be confused and try to cope with the memories as they return to him." Zerrin informed. "Think about it: our sister's gone, your researcher's gone, my.. my friends are gone.." his voice was starting to break up as he listed their losses. 

"How can you call them your friends when they mistreated you?" she inquired. Sotoro took out the three memory card chips from one of his jacket's pockets and held them in his hand as he used a finger to caress the three of them. "Deep down, they knew they were being used by Satara, but only me, Ziazan, and Myrtle knew we would sabotage her plans. Is there really any way to bring them all back?" Sotoro asked sorrowfully. 

"With our current resources, I can only bring back one." she said as she turned the steering wheel as to direct the hatchback they drove onto another street. "I once knew an expert mechanic that mentored me." Zerrin continued. "What was her name again?" "It was Stella." "Oh, yeah. I wish she was here to bring back all three of my friends. If I can only have one brought back, I want to prioritize Myrtle, but part of me wants to leave my friends in their cards." Sotoro spoke. "Why's that, little bro?" "Your friends put up a strong fight against them, and to upset them by bringing back one of their enemies is something I'd rather avoid." 

The young man felt a hand in his hair. "Stephanie and Ken were former enemies, but they live with us rent free as long as they do the cleaning. Even if Myrtle is brought back and slightly upsets our friends, I'm sure they'll be acclimated to her presence eventually. Even if I brought someone back, Pippi will be mad at me for not prioritizing Landon." Zerrin detailed. "Then prioritize Landon. If you can only bring back one, then take care of him." He beckoned. "No. You're my brother and from the looks of it, Myrtle meant everything to you." Zerrin deflected. 

The hatchback rolled up to a parking spot lined by white paint adjacent to a torn up building which was all too familiar to Sotoro. "So, how long has this car been around?" "Ever since our father died. This car helped me get freedom from our sister, and even a trip to the store was enough for me. It means a lot to me, it's my first set of wheels, it's the first place I've cried when things got to be too much, and it's where I keep my first weapon." 

Sotoro leaned forward and opened the glove box; he dug around old paperwork and the owner's manual before finding a large, leather rod. He detached half of it, revealing a silver blade, but it was quite short. "When and where did you get that?" Zerrin asked with a confused expression. "Our father passed it down to me years before his demise." He looked at his nostalgic reflection in the blade's surface. "Never thought he kept a short-sword with him." "Me neither." 

The consoleoid siblings stepped out of the hatchback and stepped onto the motel porch; Sotoro inserted a key into the knob and twisted it until the door clicked open. Inside was the living space he remembered bitterly, but with a touch of fondness. He looked at the circular table with bitterness as he remembered the time Satara forced his friends into a contract, but looked at the couch facing the television with fondness as he remembered the place where Myrtle sat. 

"Hey, Zerrin? Do you miss your researcher?" "No, why?" "It just seems like your resolve to fight strengthened when you witnessed the death of your creator." "I'm not grieving her death because I liked her, okay? I'm grieving my lost opportunity to beat her myself and get some information that Ken and Stephanie most likely don't have. Now thanks to the collective stupidity of the Emerson sisters and our own sister, I'll never get any answers!" she shouted.