58 The Morning After

Jayce yawned as he stretched out on the bed. His hand brushed against Jenira's sleeping face and he quickly retracted it. He slid out of bed and threw on a dirty shirt and some running shorts as he headed downstairs. Micu was already sitting at the table absorbed in some kind of article when Jayce sat down beside him. "Good morning." He said after Micu failed to realize he was there for a few seconds. Micu raised an eyebrow and his eyes shot over to where Jayce was sitting. Jayce gasped. "Did you sleep? You look terrible." Micu grinned, "I've never felt better actually." Jayce eyed his friend suspiciously.

"Besides not sleeping at all, fighting with my best friend over a girl, and finding no answers to a question that kept me up I'm fantastic," Micu said dejectedly. Jayce put an arm around his shoulders. "It's been tough for all of us. It's normal to let the stress affect us." He released his friend and walked towards the fridge. "What's the question you're struggling with?" Micu glanced at him digging through the fridge. "Did Neith or Tohil ever whisper stuff in your head before your abilities revealed themselves?" Jayce scrunched his face up as he thought. Turning to his friend he shrugged, "Not that I can remember. Why?" Micu shook his head, "Just curiosity."

Jayce nodded, "It's been pretty crazy for me too. But we're dealing." Micu smiled at his friend and closed the article on his watch. "So what's the plan for today?" Jayce took a bite out of a piece of fruit he found in the fridge. "I don't know. Tara said she'd call me around noon if she needed me." "Makes sense," Micu rolled his shoulders, "Want to go for a walk?" Jayce smiled. "Hell yes, I do."

The two had Steve drive them down to the Royal Coliseum. As they exited they exchanged glances. "It looks different somehow..." Jayce said as he gazed around the courtyard. Micu nodded, "It's way too green. When did trees start growing here?" Jayce shrugged. "Let's follow the path and see where it leads?" The two set off at a quickened pace curious to see what else was different from just a day ago. As they walked flowers and bushes flanked the path and animals scurried through the area. "This used to be a road yesterday didn't it?" Jayce asked as they watched a four-legged bird land on a tree branch. Micu nodded as he continued to observe their surroundings. As the trees parted they were standing where the four had watched the giant faces speak to them the day before. "Holy crap," Micu whispered as he saw the drastic change.

Jayce continued walking until they came to the beginning of the grassy knoll that led to the beach below. Walking paths had already formed from repeated trips up and down the hill. Jayce pointed to the distance as the other bases of the Overwatchers were beginning to form. Micu stopped at the ridge of the hill and stared off into the distance. "I still can't get over the fact that we're seeing an ocean again. Jayce laughed, "That's the part of all of this that you can't get over?" Micu nodded, "Everything else makes a kind of crazy sense. But oceans I just think of Earth. Like there shouldn't be oceans here. It's wrong."

Jayce understood and followed his gaze over the endless blue. "SAI is definitely making it dangerous to go in. Might have to stick close to the shore." Micu glanced at him. "You saying we go for a swim?" Jayce was already pulling his shirt off. "Why not? I don't mind ruining these shorts." He took off down the hill. Micu smiled to himself. "This is the guy who has to kill the other three gods?" He shook his head and followed after Jayce.

...

Anna saw a boy sprinting towards the ocean. His shirt was off and a prominent tattoo covered most of the left side of his chest. A vague sense of familiarity passed over her. "Oh, my gods. That's Jayce." Gehm whispered from behind her. Anna stiffened. His figure cleared in her sight. It was definitely Jayce and it looked like Micu was with him. She turned to Gehm. "I'll be right back," she said. "Go get your answers child," Gehm said reassuringly. Anna smiled and exited the building. She walked crisply towards the two boys. They were floating on their backs as the sun reflected off the softly cresting waves. Micu was pointing at something in the sky before she heard Jayce laugh. She glanced towards where he was pointing but didn't see anything against the glare of the sun.

"Jayce?" She called out. She watched as Jayce's surprise caused him to sink below the water. He came back up sputtering water. Micu was howling with laughter. Jayce turned towards her and stood. The waves lapped gently against his calves. She took off her shoes and tossed them in the white sand. "I was hoping we could chat." Jayce glanced around before shrugging. "About what?" Micu stood as well and eyed Anna suspiciously. "Aren't you that girl from team Pure?" Anna nodded.

"That's me." She watched the revelation dawn on Jayce and his face brightened. "Anna! Well, let's get out of the water." He stomped through the waves until the three of them rested their bodies on the sand. "I didn't see you around before, were you spying on us?" Anna blushed, "Definitely not. I thought you were just some idiots who wanted to get in the water." Jayce started laughing. "Well one of us is an idiot. So you were half right." Micu said as he watched the waves crash against the beach. Anna tried to follow his gaze but again saw nothing. "I was hoping you could tell me more about Neith and Tohil." She said as Jayce settled into the hole he had dug for himself. "Sure. What did you want to know?"

Anna was surprised at how easy this was proving to be. She had expected it would be much harder to get answers from him. "Are they really alive?" Jayce nodded, "I mean in terms of not being dead yes. Tohil is like a piece of himself though. Neith is hiding somewhere with a lot of webbing." Anna quickly began typing out what he was saying. "Why not just record him? It will be easier that way." Micu said without breaking his gaze from the ocean. "Oh, good idea." She said sheepishly. She turned on the recording device and then returned her attention to Jayce. "Why are the three Overwatchers actually participating this time?"

Jayce considered for a bit before answering. "I think that the five of them worked really well together. Without Neith and Tohil around the three brothers don't get along. They want to be king or whatever yes. But I think there's another reason that this is the time they show up. But that's just my conspiracy theory." Anna nodded with overwhelming excitement. He was telling her everything she had been theorizing herself. "So who's SAI?" Jayce smiled, "He's a creepy old skull. Actually creepy new skull guy. He was made special for this competition. He's kind of like the judges in the exam." Anna nodded as she pondered over it. "It's so they can't cheat?" Jayce shrugged. "I think so? I mean they don't really make sense to me. Zcerneboch seems pretty intent on killing all the Overwatchers."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Zcerneboch didn't kill Neith and Tohil. That was the three of them together." Jayce laughed, "I mean technically yes it was all three. But Zcerneboch is the one who was really behind it. Tatewari and Ahti are far more interested in the simulation as a whole from what I can tell. Tatewari was surprised we could die. I just don't think those two are interested in anything but themselves." He shrugged and pointed off in the distance. Micu nodded and smiled. Anna followed his finger but still couldn't see anything. "What do you two keep pointing at?" Micu eyed her with concern. "You can't see it?" Anna shook her head.

Micu pointed in a similar area to where Jayce had just been pointing. "The three Overwatchers are messing around with their bases. That's Ahti's over there." Anna covered her eyes and squinted. Still, she didn't see a thing besides the endless blue of the ocean. "I don't see anything." Jayce looked at her and then back to the area where he had been looking. "Really? The big floating turtle? It's got a pirate-town kind of vibe?" Anna was dazed. "I don't see a turtle at all. I see the ocean." Micu glanced at her and then to Jayce. Jayce frowned, "Weird. It's pretty obvious to me."

Anna gave up looking for it and turned back to Jayce. "So what happens when they become king of the simulation?" Jayce grinned, "You mean when I become king of the simulation?" Anna laughed, "I didn't mean to exclude you. What happens when you or them become king?" Jayce leaned back on the sand and closed his eyes. "We get the hell out of this place." A content smile rested on his lips as he reclined in the sand.

Anna smiled to herself as she remembered her years on Earth. "You could actually get us Earth back?" Jayce nodded. She beamed as she gazed over the blue. "You better win then." Micu laughed, "Yeah Jayce you better win." Jayce kept his eyes closed and lifted a thumb high in the air. "No problem."

The three sat there each wrapped up in their own thoughts for a long time. A loud vibration brought them back to reality. Jayce lifted his arm to cover his eyes from the sun and sighed, "It's Tara." He dug himself out of the sand and walked a small distance away from the other two. "Hello?" He said as he retreated away from the crashing waves. Micu turned to Anna as soon as he was out of earshot. "Anna was there any other beings besides the Overwatchers? Like demons or something like that?" She wracked her brain as she tried to remember everything she had learned in her brief stay at Pure. "Maybe? It's not impossible. Why do you ask?" Micu sighed and leaned on his elbows. "Just wondering." Anna eyed him suspiciously. "I can help you if you tell me what's wrong?" Micu looked at her inquisitively.

"Why would you help me?" Anna shrugged, "Because good people help each other?" Micu smiled. "See I knew Ralnas was wrong." Anna wasn't sure what he was talking about but smiled anyway. Micu leaned forward and wrapped his knees in his arms. "Last night a voice spoke to me. And I saw a version of myself with horns and fangs. It sounds crazy I know but I swear it was talking to me." He turned to Anna and his eyes were frightened. "I don't know what it was, but it definitely felt powerful. If you find anything could you tell me?" Anna nodded, "I promise I will." Micu's body relaxed and he smiled. "And if we could keep this between you and me that would be great. I don't want others to worry about me." She smiled and nodded. Micu closed his eyes and minutes later she heard the soft breathing of someone who was fast asleep. She laughed to herself as she lay on the beach watching the waves crash around the two of them.