025

The morning after went off without a hitch. Apart from the obvious case of hunger, that is. Twain and I went into the forest early to hunt, the rations won't last us after all. And it's better than riskfully going to the city to get more food. We stepped into the Canadian wilderness, bewildered by the intense greenery of the area.

Don't get me wrong, the foliage back at his cottage was particularly deep as well. But this felt different, it felt as if the forest would eat us if we're not careful. In the distance, a herd of stags traveled, stopped momentarily and stared right at us. Our muscles tensed, and the stare of the stags remained.

I channeled Terrium at the end of my staff, preparing to blast the Stag's head off should they charge at us, though Twain stopped me, putting his hands in front as he proclaimed, "Don't do it. The more you channel the more they'll think you're a threat." He held his rifle tightly, loading a bullet in, "Old guns don't carry much terrium, harder to detect." He whispered, aiming upon the stag.

I saw his hands shake visibly, aiming in between the stag's eyes, he fired. The bullet flew through the air, cutting through leaves of the thick forest as--ROOOOOOOAR-- a strong roar reverberated throughout the forest as a ghastly beast dashed in front of us, taking down the stag before the bullet could hit either of them.

"Tch." He clicked his tongue, gazing upon the beast in front of him it hunched its back towards us, gnawing upon the corpse of the stag. Its bright, white fur being shone upon by the sun, as if it was a ghost in the form of a bear. A ghost of hunger, one may think, as it turned to look at us, its red mouth dripping with blood and sinew. "You again." Said Twain, loading his rifle once more.

It stared at us curiously, then narrowed its gaze. "You know that?" I asked him, he nodded, as he readied his aim once more. I tightened my grip upon my staff, feeling the loud sound of my heartbeat with each pump. The beast stared at us, and we stared back.

It breathed, putting down the liver it held and stepping towards us. "Yeah," Twain replied, "Shit's a Terrium beast, mine. I lost control of it now it follows me around when I hunt." He fired the first shot. Hitting the beast in the forehead and sending it back. IT roared towards us, my ears rang, and I felt my entire body shake. "Don't pull back now." Twain said, putting his rifle behind him.

I felt a surge of energy from Twain as his fingers grasped the very essence of the planet surrounding him. Yet the beast stood, going on two legs, it easily towered over both of us as it dug its claws back into the ground. I channeled my staff once more, and it charged straight at us. It moved quickly despite its large stature and pounced towards me, hitting it with a forceful blast upon its stomach. It fell back once more. Growling as it glared at me.

I stepped forward, feeling the leaves crunch beneath my feet, "Keep it steady." Said Twain, as I nodded, keeping a glare upon the beast. The beast breathed, the vibration of its thorax being felt as far as I was. It swung its sharp claws towards me, as I charged inside, blasting away the claws and slashing upon it chest.

The beast roared, countering with a huge swing from the right. A swing I cannot avoid. It slashed me over my shoulders, wounding it in a fiery bleed. It tried to swing once more, then. A hand grabbed its head as the beast stopped. Eventually, it flaked off into dust, disappearing as it went back into Terrium.

"You alright, kid?" He asks, I felt the Terrium spreading away from him. As if back to normal, he stood me up, "Pretty nasty wound here, you think you can survive?"

"Yeah. I think I can just have this stitched up." I replied, limping back into a tree.

"Yaknow, we should head back, I can just get Daphne to go hunting." I was reluctant at first, but as the wound felt worse I just nodded and we went back to the camp. In truth I was disappointed to fight a Terrium beast of that calibre with not an inch of patience. Had Twain not been there I would've been dead.

We returned to a familiar face, a face I hoped would've left us alone. Her dark blue hair flowed along the wind as she sat down in the middle of the camp with Daphne and Haya. They seemed to be talking. And she seems to be hunched over, as if in grief. Even moving as if sobbing. "What's she doing here?" I asked.

Cecil turned to look at me, her eyes shaking as her face felt full of tears. This was the first time I remember that the commander looked like a crying child. She sobbed down the fire, slowly extinguishing it but the flames are kept alive by Daphne who shows a mournful face.

"Don't mind her, partner. It's better to explain it to you lat- what happened to you?" She notices my wounded stature as she clicked her tongue, standing up and walking towards me, "You got this from hunting?"

"Terrium beast, c'mere Laurel, we got some elks to grab up." Daphne was pulled away by Twain as they went to hunt for food themselves.

"So, what's she doing here?" I asked once more as Haya sat me down by the campfire opposite Cecil, she looked as if she was disappointed with herself. And with nothing more to say, she stayed silent.

"She told us that she came here to reunite with you peacefully this time, knowing that she can't monopolize you anymore." Said Haya.

"What?" I was bewildered, obviously, monopolize? Reunite? "What the hell?"

"She's right," Cecil butted in, "I messed with your memories because I wanted to restore it. Well," she looked over to Haya, "We wanted to restore it."

"And she sorta messed with you too much. Which led to here, and now that she's here, with this." She held a chip in her hands, "Your memories, a project that Cecil and I have been working on for the past 30 years."

"This… you two have been working on this?" My hands shook as I tried to take it, yet it was pulled away once more by Haya.

"We're sorry to have lied to you but, it's better if you see it all for yourself. How it all came to be." She led me towards the van and sat me down beside Cassandra. I saw Cecil beside the campfire, sitting still there.

"You two ready?" Cassandra sipped upon a cup of coffee she got somewhere as Haya nodded, dropping the chip beside her computer then...