Catching Up
As Red and I got onto the boat, she quickly cut the rope as fast as possible and pushed off of the dock. She pulled a rope and the sails went wide against the wind, catching, rotating, and thrusting us forward. I was shocked by the speed of her actions, but tons of other things stuck out.
Red just left, almost instantly, with me. She barely knew me, but she trusted that I knew Sky and Dani and that I could bring them back. In addition, she didn't check if she had the rations to last the entire journey... she had so much faith...
"What happened to everybody? After I left them... start from the beginning." Red asked me. She flicked around a wooden wheel on the top of a deck to help the boat steer in the proper direction.
"It wasn't long after you vanished that they went to war. They fought with Orion, and they suffered... a lot... before that war, Carl was captured trying to talk to Orion. His hand was cut off and his eye was dug out of his head. Then, during the war, his ankle was smashed and he was on death's door almost the entire time. Dani, on the other hand, had her own set of injuries she shouldn't have lived from. Her arm was cut off, her face was cut through, and she suffered terrible blood loss near the end." I told Red. Her face was struck with horror, confused about how they made it out, and their status currently.
"Strands... those things," I led, summoning them with my hand and throwing them into the air like confetti. "They can heal people to their previous status. I've noticed it's weaker when dealing with burns, but the one thing it cannot heal is Ethanol-based attacks. Other than that, it's the all-cure. It brought them back to full capacity and they still exist as such. But, I'll continue on the timeline." I said, clearing my throat.
"After Orion was killed by Sky, he had his throat cut by Zeal before my mom... combusted him. She gave Sky a second chance at life, healed Carl and Dani, and threw him into another world without his memories. He met his parents there, and a few people still with us to this day. They fought against my mom and beat her out thanks to Dani's sacrifice..." I told Red. She was so intent on listening, she wouldn't even speak until I finished.
"Dani had her body warped by Black Strands, a portion of Strands that characterize themselves however they want and corrode a person away until they get what they want. They ate away at her until she began to consume human flesh, then the two bonded. She took chunks out of my mom and was only able to be stopped by Sky. The two fought and fought until Sky beat her out and saved her life. After that, we were taken down from the Islands in Space and ended up here on Earth with you." I told Red.
"Are they both okay? I mean, with everything that happened... anybody could tell they were in love with each other. Fighting must've broken their hearts... are they still together?" Red asked me.
"They show no signs of slowing down. And it's better that way for everybody. Anyway, once they got to Earth, Sky had a run in with another organization named Quake... and when I show you this, don't be freaked out at all." I told Red. Sprouting from the palm of my left hand, Avie started to materialize on the boat. Then Hikari, then Umbra followed.
"These are the A.I. sisters, direct results of Sky's influence four hundred years ago. When I start to explain this... I need you to believe it, whether it sounds fanatical or not." I told Red. She greeted the three sisters and I began once more.
"After that, Avie was awakened and brought together with Umbra and Hikari. The sisters themselves all held onto parts of the Sky from four hundred years ago. Avie held onto Sky's speed, Umbra held onto Sky's strength, and Hikari held onto his intelligence." I told her.
"So... you're all technically Sky? Then, he must've been recalling things he learned from you guys! So, what after that?" Red asked, waiting for more.
"For context, when you synchronize your System with an A.I. counterpart, you absorb that A.I. and they die. When Sky and Avie performed System Synchronization, neither wanted to kill the other so they tried to take the burden themselves and caused an attack of the utmost energy striking an enemy and erasing away Cole... who was trying to absorb Sky from four hundred years ago. Are you following still?" I asked, Red nodded, repeating me and explaining that she got it.
"Awesome. Sky and Avie were both at death's door... until my mom transferred her power to Sky, allowing him to receive Cole's ability to heal from all damage. Her life was spent in the act. Ever since then, I hated him, I cast myself aside... and I haven't even seen him in nine months." I told Red. She nodded for a moment, then her eyes opened in surprise.
"Wait a minute... nine months? That happened from December to March?! That's way too short for that much... wow..." Red paused, then thought of another point. "What about that Cynthia girl? His sister?"
"She's from the First Trial... but if you ask me, I don't believe that's really her. She did a one-eighty in personality. It has to be something else... but, on the chance it is her, she's only searching for ways to stop Sky from growing to powerful to take on the one man who threatens our lives. Eirikr Asterio. Sky met him after the fight with Dani and he stood so bravely... not even I could stand up to him." I added.
"And, why did you cast yourself away from Sky, Faith?" Red asked me. I looked at the planks as we hit a decent-sized wave, holding my arm in silence.
"Sky should've died... when Zeal attacked him, when he helped his mom in battle, when he fought Mom, when he fought Cole, when he beat him... but he never did, because somebody always saved him. He never fought for himself, he fought to protect the lives of others, and he never even cared about staying alive for us." I explained to her.