Chapter 28: Echoes

Narrator's Pov

"Are you sure, Seele?"

"Yes! This is Bronya's"

Seele frowned as she held the snow globe in her hand, she bit her lower lip while the group behind her looked a bit concerned.

"Does that mean that she passed through here?" Ryan asked.

"Probably...we need to be quick and continue, the sooner we find the Stellaron, the sooner we'll stop it." Dan Heng replied.

"Guys! Ahead" Serval warned and walked a bit faster until she stopped. "Are those...Cocolia and Bronya?"

The group quickly followed the blonde woman and stopped after a few seconds, seeing the ghostly form of Cocolia and Bronya in the place, apparently walking towards a gate that was in the distance.

"No...it isn't them, it must be a kind of echo...some kind of residual energy replicated by the Fragmentum." Dan Heng theorized rubbing his chin.

"Then they must've definitely passed through here!" March spoke and the group nodded their head. "Looks like they went to that gate, let's go"

The group started to go towards the gate, but Ryan stopped suddenly looking back towards the Echoes of Bronya and Cocolia.

"You still haven't told me what this place is, Mother..."

"Seven Hundred years ago this was Belobog's Northern border, this is were Alisa Rand led the Silvermane Guards against the Legion...now, it's nothing but an abandoned place...Don't let its fragmented appearance fool you, Bronya, on the day the promise is fulfilled...these ruins will become the breeding ground of a new world."

"Mother...do you truly believe in the Stellaron's promise? It summoned the Eternal Freezer and opened the way for the Fragmentum... it's destroying our civilization"

"And yet, the crime of our ancestors was their inability to embrace that destruction sooner...the moment those outsiders set foot here, the planet was handed a death sentence...but the Stellaron gives us a thread of hope...Wiping away every decaying vestige of the Old World, renouncing the meaningless and lingering struggle...this is the price the Stellaron demands to create new life"

"Allow destruction...to let something new be born, is the Stellaron really capable of something like that?" Ryan thought to himself after hearing the echo of Cocolia.

He shook his head to the sides and followed his companions, the group was standing in front of the gate, March and Serval checking the terminal besides the gate, apparently not being able to open it.

"This one is more complex than the others..." March sighed a bit annoyed.

"It doesn't seem to have enough energy, we'll have to search around for the energy hu-"

The gate was open widely by a cut in the lock, the group looked at Ryan that simply opened his hand letting the ethereal katana disappear.

"Gate open, let's go" he spoke as he walked through the gate.

"Okay...puzzle solved then!" March smiled.

The group walked across the gate, seeing the corroded and destroyed place until they reached what seemed to be an outpost for the Silvermane Guards.

"Wow, look at this...it seems like it was a sentry post" March looked around.

"It probably has some information...but we can't waste time looking around" Dan Heng sighed softly before looking at Stelle. "Stelle, there's something I want to ask you."

"I don't eat trash"

"I-it's not that" the boy sighed. "Remember those dreams you told us about? I want you to try and recall that 'voice' you heard before"

Stelle closed her eyes slowly, trying to concentrate ans hear yet again the voice she had heard in those dreams about Cocolia.

"Danger... approaches...you must erradicate once...and for all"

"I heard it again...I think it knows we're getting closer." She frowned a bit.

"It must be the Stellaron" Ryan rubbed his chin slightly. "It could be giving information to cocolia."

"The Stellaron inside of your body must be resonating with the one in this world..." Dan Heng spoke.

"But if the Stellaron knows we are here...aren't we walking into a trap?" Seele asked.

"Bronya could simply be bait...we know they came through here, but I'm not sure why..." Stelle frowned and Ryan replied.

"I think Cocolia is trying to make Bronya get on her side..." He spoke making the group look at him. "The Echoes we found before, Cocolia was telling her about the Stellaron, it promised to her a new world, but in exchange, this one would need to perish"

"Bronya wouldn't join her" Seele growled lowly

"She doesn't have to...the way Cocolia spoke about the Stellaron and its promise...it sounded like if she was talking about a godly being, and it remind me of something from my home." He sighed softly and started to walk. "Let's continue, I'll explain on the way"

The group quickly walked behind Ryan. "Something that remind you of your home?" Seele asked a bit interested.

"There were these things called 'Miann', beings that could fulfill wishes, they were completely invisible and could only be seen by the wearer if he was aware of its presence"

"Wait...wear? Like clothes?" March asked a bit confused.

"The Miann's jump on your back and stuck themselves on you, they whisper your desires into your ear with the intention of making you lower your guard and accept their 'help' in order to fulfill your wishes, when you accept, they enter through your mouth and posses your body until death"

"That's...fucked up" Stelle looked a bit nervous at Ryan.

"Even if you don't accept their help, they'll stay with you unless you kill them, their words have power, many people lose their minds to the Miann's and become mere toys for them thinking they are superior beings, that way, they get a body without necessarily risking their lives, I myself almost got possessed by one of them when I was younger" he sighed heavely. "Fortunately I was snapped out of it..."

"You're saying that the Stellaron might be able to...influence Bronya?" Dan Heng asked narrowing his eyes.

"Exactly, if Cocolia brought her here, and Serval said the Stellaron was supposedly here, then Cocolia might try to get Bronya to her side either with words...or with the force of the Stellaron" Ryan frowned a bit. "We have to be quick...as soon as we see Cocolia we have to attack"

"And speaking of..."

The group saw in the distance the silhouette of the blonde woman, the echo of Cocolia looked at the group and created two Ice spears in his hands, at the same time two Ice spikes formed on the ground.

"Intruders...you go no further!"

"Is that her?" March asked but Dan Heng shook his head.

"No, it's just a Fragmentum Forgery, bring it down!"

The first ones to run towards Cocolia were Ryan and Svarog, the boy quickly dashed towards the woman while the robot kept himself at distance to shoot at her with his repulsor blasts.

Cocolia's Forgery ran towards Ryan spinning her spears, she threw a few stabs towards the boy that quickly stopped and dodged the attacks to the sides, he ducked dodging a swipe and tried to kick her legs, the Forgery jumped backwards and started to move to the sides evading the attacks from Svarog.

The robot was going to keep shooting his blasts at the Fragmentum Forgery but was forced to stop and jump backwards when one of the Ice spikes started to shoot ice stakes at him, Dan Heng and Stelle joined the other two running towards Cocolia's Forgery.

Stelle jumped over Ryan and fell on the woman with her bat that was quickly blocked by one of the spears, Dan Heng tried to flank the Forgery but the Ice spike stopped him by throwing a cold wave at him forcing him to back away.

Stelle tried to overpower the woman but she quickly used her second spear to try and stay the Trailblazer on the chest, Ryan quickly went around Stelle creating an ethereal Katana clashing it against the spear, the Forgery backed away slightly before jumping at the two starting to attack both with her spears.

Both Ryan and Stelle started to walk backwards while dodging and blocking the quickly swipes and thrusts of Cocolia's spear, the Forgery spun one of the spears slamming the tip against the ground creating various spikes that were inches away of stabbing both of them, Ryan quickly put a hand on Stelle's torso and backed away almost in an instant taking the girl with him effectively avoiding the spikes before again running towards the Forgery.

"Ugh...those two things are annoying!"

March quickly rolled to the side dodging an Ice stake throwed at him by one of the Ice spikes that Cocolia's Forgery had summoned, said spoke glowed throwing various ice stakes at March that growled and shooted various arrows at them destroying most of them while lightning jumped between the remaining ones thanks to Serval.

"We have to destroy them so we can focus on the Forgery." Serval spoke and March nodded.

Seele teleported close to the second Spike and tried to cut it with her scythe but the Ice Spike glowed and let out a cold wave hitting the girl making her fly backwards falling and rolling on the ground, she grunted and teleported away to dodge an Ice spike thrown at her, the girl appeared close to March and Serval.

"How do we get close? That thing is goddamn annoying"

"Stelle and Ryan are with Cocolia's Forgery, if we destroy these things we can help them" March frowned a bit.

"Based on the superficial structure, attacks composed of fire or electricity might be effective" Svarog spoke as he arrived falling on the ground with his feet.

Slightly on the distance, Dan Heng heard what the robot said and from the insides of his coat he pulled out the firestorm glyph that Ryan had given to him, they were short in time, they couldn't waste any second, but they might need it later...

"Fuck it"

Dan Heng started to run towards the Ice spike that launched various ice shards towards him, he started to quickly move to the sides and jump dodging the ice shards, he pierced one of the edges of the paper the glyph was drawn in with his spear and then quickly spun both dodging an Ice Shard and also getting additional inertia to throw his spear towards the Ice Spike.

"Teine!"

The glyph in Dan Heng's spear started to glow, and as the weapon stroke the Ice Spike a fire tornado surrounded it completely for a few seconds, after vanishing, the Ice Spike had completely dissapeared.

"One Down!" Announced Dan Heng as he ran towards his miraculously intact spear.

Ryan and Stelle backed away from the Fragmentum Forgery as it threw some Ice towards them, Stelle clicked her tongue and tried approaching the Forgery that also ran towards her, Stelle dodged a thrust from one of her spears and attacked with her bat but the Forgery let go of one of its spear grabbing the girl's forearm starting to slowly encase her arm in Ice.

Stelle quickly let go of her bat and catched it with her other hand managing to hit Cocolia's Forgery with her bat making it stumble backwards letting go of her arm, she took advantage of that and jumped away grasping her frozen arm.

Ryan dashed across her going directly towards the Forgery, he jumped dodging a sweep from one of the spear and fell behind the Forgery, he created an ethereal katana and tried to stab Cocolia's Forgery but it quickly dodged to the side but got distracted enough to allow Stelle to get closer again hitting its face with her bat making it stumble backwards.

Serval rolled to the side dodging a few Ice Shards thrown by the remaining Ice Spike, to her side, Seele quickly ran and teleported to the side of the Ice Spice managing to hit a slice before being hit by a cold wave that threw her away, Svarog launched a few missiles at the Ice Spike while Serval threw a few lightings with her guitar, both hit at the same time clearly damaging the Ice Spike.

Both Dan Heng and Seele ran towards the Ice Spike that tried defending itself be throwing a cold wave alongside some Ice Shards, Seele teleported away while Dan Heng surrounded himself with wind managing to run through the cold wave as he also dodged the Ice Shards, Seele appeared again and gave a large swipe with her scythe making a big cut on the core of the Ice Spike, Dan Heng took advantage of this and threw his spear directly at the core piercing it completely.

The Ice spike started to slowly disappeared and the group quickly looked towards the fight between Cocolia's Forgery and Ryan and Stelle.

"Let's go!" Dan Heng ordered and he ran tl help his friends.

Ryan dodged to the side while Stelle slid across the floor trying to hit the Forgery's legs with her bat but it quickly jumped to stay away, unfortunately in the middle of the air Svarog's repulsor blast hit it making it fall on the ground rolling a bit, before it could stood up, a magic circle formed around it creating a stone pilar that hit it lifting it up in the air again, this time a lighting fell on top of it, and then still in mid air, Stelle jumped hitting the Forgery's head with her bat throwing it down.

As soon as it fell on the ground it tried to get up but Dan Heng threw his spear piercing its stomach making it stumble backwards and distracting it enough for Seele to teleport behind it and cutting it in two with her Scythe.

"Good! It's dead!" Seele sighed a bit annoyed.

"Let's continue we can't lose time" Serval likewise sighed but still looked at the only way forwards.

"Is every Trailblaze Expedition like this?" Stelle asked towards her friends.

"I hope not, if so, you're doomed" Ryan crossed his arms over his chest.

"No, we normally try to not get involved in situations that decide the fate of a world...but sometimes things like these are inevitable" Dam Heng let out a short sigh.

"In summary, you won the lottery of first expeditions, Stelle!" March smiled.

"The only way is forward let's go..." Seele gripped her scythe tightly walking.

"These coordinates..." Svarog spoke also starting to walk being followed by the others.

"Is there somewhere wrong here?" Ryan asked.

"According to my information, the Engine of Creation is close"

"The engine of Creation?" March asked a bit confused. "That's a cool name"

"I...Read about that while I studied the Stellaron" Serval rubbed her chin softly "it was a machine built to try and contain the Stellaron If I remember correctly"

"That is indeed its purpose"

"That's not important, Bronya and Cocolia are ahead too, right? That's what matters" Seele huffed a bit and Ryan nodded.

"Seele is Right, let's go"

...

"Ugh! It's Freezing here!" March hugged herself.

"The snowstorm seems to get stronger here, we must be close" Serval spoke as she continued walking.

"Look! In the distance! Are those..." Stelle pointed forwards.

"Members of the Antimatter Legion...the eternal freeze caught them" Dan Heng spoke.

Just like how he had said, various bodies of members from the Antimatter Legion were on the ground, completely encased in Ice, Stelle leaned slightly down at one of them making a military salute.

"I hereby name you, March 8th"

"Hey! Ryan is March 8th, he should be March 9th" the original March looked a bit annoyed at the Racoon girl.

"Why am I March 8th?" The white-haired boy sighed.

"Well that's because- ugh! I'll tell you later" March sighed.

"These buildings don't seem to be like the ones in Belobog..." Dan Heng looked at the remains of the various houses.

"Well...Belobog was built after the Eternal Freeze was unleashed...after so much time it's not a surprise that architecture and other things changed..." Serval let out a small sigh. "So much things to investigate here, and probably none of this will be seen ever again..."

"Ugh..." Ryan grunted softly holding his head with one hand.

"Ryan?"

"Nothing I'm fine...just a small headache, let's go, we can't lose time."

Without saying anything else he quickly started to run between the multiple frozen corpses of the Antimatter Legion, the group behind him quickly followed him, knowing that they destination was up ahead.

"Hey... what's that?"

March pointed out forwards, they could see the stairs, but they also saw something else.

A stream of fire spiraling like a tornado.

"Let's go, quick!"

...

"Mother...this place..."

Bronya walked up the stairs slowly, she looked up, seeing the huge robot almost completely covered by the snow, she looked forwards, seeing the Stellaron.

"This is where the Eternal Freeze began, where the Stellaron resides, look at it... isn't it beautiful?" The woman spoke with a smile on her face.

The golden sphere of energy seemed to get brighter the more they approached, Cocolia rested one of her hands on top of it with a smile and eyes full of...hope, behind her, Bronya simply looked in silence.

"Is this...what the outsiders are after?"

"A shame isn't it? That the can't see the promise of the new world, that they want to take this away from us"

"Mother...this isn't right..."

"Oh Bronya...my dear daughter" Cocolia walked to the girl softly rubbing one of her cheeks. "You still don't see clearly, let the Stellaron show you..."

Behind the woman, the Stellaron started to glow, Bronya gave a few steps back letting out a small scream of pain, one of his hands went to her head falling on one knee.

She could hear the Stellaron's voice, she could see what it offered, a world of beauty and peace but built above a mountain of bodies and destruction.

"N-no...this is wrong mother..."

"It must happen Bronya, for a new and better world, the old one must dissapear completely"

Bronya had to stop this, the whispers got louder, the images in her head started to become less twisted and more appealing, whatever the Stellaron tried to do to her, it was slowly working...

"I don't have other choice"

Bronya put all her strength to use and pulled from her pocket the glyph Ryan had given to her, she threw it towards her mother who looked at the paper floating towards her a bit shocked.

"Teine!"

She was probably far away enough for the sleeping cloud to not catch her too, but just to make sure she put all her strengths on her arms and legs to push herself even more away, that way, she would be far away enough to avoid...

The fire vortex that started to consume her mother.

"What...?"

She could see the silhouette of her mother inside of the fire tornado that surrounded her completely.

"M-mother..."

"Bronya!"

She looked to the stairs behind her, seeing Seele, the Trailblazers and Svarog arriving to the place, but where was Ryan?

The tornado dissipated away and Bronya looked directly at her mother.

Cocolia gasped heavily, her body clearly holding some burns, she had fortunately reacted quuck enough to surround herself with enough ice to avoid further injury, but she was clearly damaged by the attack.

"B-bronya...you..."

Everything seemed to move slower as Cocolia opened her eyes wide and looked behind her, Ryan was just behind her, with an ethereal sword on his hand, the white-haired boy threw a cut directly at Cocolia's neck, ready to decapitate the woman.

She quickly lifted up one of her arms moving her body, summoning an ice spear she tried to block the attack, getting to stop the ethereal weapon for half a second before it went right through her spear, fortunately, she had moved enough and avoided losing her head...

But her left arm still was separated from the rest of her body.

Cocolia jumped backwards getting away from Ryan, she gripped what remained of her left arm freezing it with ice to avoid bleeding.

"Mother!"

Bronya tried to go and aid her mother but a sword stopped her from approaching more blocking her way, she looked at Ryan, who held a serious expression as he held the ethereal weapon in front of Bronya.

"You have to choose Bronya...now"

★ ★ ★

A/N: ugh, okay here it is

I want to apologize for not updating but I had some medical problems and wanted to have a calm recovery and honestly this app sometimes stresses me out.

I'm sorry if this one seems rushed and dry but I wanted to give you guys something after all this time without updating.

But anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter