EnderBound: SOUL of Hatred

Chapter 7: Broken Family

(Perspective: Lucas)

It was a chilly morning. I had just gotten dressed and turned on the news. I saw how the school was destroyed and that my dad was in jail. But that wasn't important. Today I was going to visit my father and try to see if they can release him from prison. It wasn't right for a former king to be in prison. I left my life of royalty after the death of my brothers. It was hard to do, but I learned to grow stronger because of it. I was 15 now and it was time to have a word with him. I heard footsteps walking down the stairs. It was Mom.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked me.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I said with a smile, "Where's Asriel?"

"He's going to Winters with Henry," Mom answered, "He won't be back until later."

"Okay," I responded, "You remember the plan, right? I have a talk with Dad while you try to get him out of jail."

"I'm still not sure why you want to do this," Mom responded, "After all, he is responsible for the lives of many children."

"It's because I feel he deserves a second chance too," I said, "I believe anyone can change. It's been a whole year since we've been freed from the underground. People have been getting jobs and living improved lives. You even told me how much you love this life. You love Asriel and the joy he brings us." Mom slightly smiled.

"I suppose you're right," she said, "I'll help you get him out of jail, but don't expect me to forgive him."

"Okay," I said. After gathering our things, we went outside and headed towards the Onett Police Department.

When we arrived, I saw Kumatora at the front desk.

"May I help you?" she asked us.

"I would like to speak to my father Flint," I told her, "We think he was wrongly imprisoned."

"Of course," Kumatora said, "Normally we don't allow this, but because I used to work for him, I'll take you to him. Follow me." We followed her to the back of the police station where the jail cells were. She opened up the first door and let me in.

"Stay there, Mom," I said, "I need to talk to him by myself."

"Alright then," she said, "I'll see you in the lobby." Kumatora closed the door. My father was sitting on the bench with his head facing down. I sat down on the other bench across from him.

"Hello dad," I began, "It's been a while since I've talked to you." There was no response.

"There's something I wanted to ask you," I continued, "Why did you kill the other monster children?"

"Broken family," he responded, not really paying attention to me.

"Excuse me?"

"That's what we are," he continued, "We're a broken family. We've lost two of our kids and your mother and I are no longer together. Our family is messed up. You and your mother had every right to leave. I shouldn't have made that policy. It's not what you would've wanted, nor mother, or even Ralsei or Claus."

"Dad," I said, "I understand why you did that. You wanted to free us all. But the way you executed the plan was wrong. If you had just listened to Jeff Andonuts about the needle beneath the castle, we could've spared 6 or even 7 monster lives."

"I know," he responded, "But I was so caught up in anger that I didn't think rationally. I'm sorry for all of the lives I've ended. I just want to see my other sons again."

"I understand," I said. Kumatora then opened the door.

"Flint, you're free to go," she told him. Flint stood up.

"Thank you Lucas," he said, "I hope we can grow closer together." He walked out of the door and I followed behind him. As I left the building, I thought I saw Ralsei from the corner of my eye. I heard him giggling as well. Curious of what was happening, I decided to follow the figure. As I did, I heard his giggling increase in volume. I followed him all the way back to Mt. Ebott, where we used to live. He went through the entrance that used to be where the barrier was. I followed him through the throne room and into the final corridor known as Judgement Hall. The figure stopped moving.

"Ralsei, is that you?" I asked. The figure turned around, revealing to be Ralsei. His body looked slightly hollow and he had a creepy smile on his face.

"Yes, it's me," he said, "Your best friend!" I gasped.

"But how?" I asked, "You died. We saw you turn to dust."

"Thanks to a little someone's Determination, I've been brought back to life!" he explained, "But in order for me to be real again, I need a SOUL!" He summoned a knife and dashed toward me in attempt to slice me. I quickly dodged the attack.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, "It's me. Your brother Lucas. We're best friends!" Ralsei turned to me and frowned.

"If you were really my friend, then why did the plan mess up?!" he shouted. He started swinging his knife wildly at me. I quickly dodged each hit and blocked the last one with a PSI Shield.

"Ralsei," I said, "There's no point in fighting. I'm just happy to see you again. It's been so long. Let's just hug it out." I raised my arms out.

"What do you say?" I asked, "I see someone who once used to be a good person. Someone who once wanted to do the right thing. Someone who wanted us to be free. I see... my best friend. Come on. Let's fix this broken family." Ralsei looked at me, and then looked at his knife. His evil face returned to normal. He started crying and then dropped the knife on the ground. He ran into me and embraced me.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I just wanted to free everyone. Monsters were never nice to me. That's why I fell down here. I was expecting to die, but then, you became my family. I want to live with you guys, but without a SOUL, I can't. I'm just an empty shell, only living off Determination. I don't want you to die, but I want to live." He let go of me and began to walk away.

"Fool!" a female demonic voice shouted, "You were supposed to take his SOUL! Do I have to do everything myself?!" A lavender aura surrounded Ralsei. He turned to me with lavender in his eyes.

"Sorry for this," Ralsei said. He dashed toward me and pierced me in the chest with a knife.

"Heh," I said, "Just like the time we played with toy knives. It was nice to see you again." I saw the tears running down his face as I slowly began to shut down. I pulled out my SOUL and handed it to him.

"Take it," I told him, "You need it more than I do. Go enjoy the future for me." Then, I closed my eyes and fell to the ground. I no longer existed in this world.