Alto

“You’re taking me?” Alto yelled, covering his mouth with his hands as soon as he said it. “But what about Janus? He’ll get killed! He’s human,” he whisper-yelled, thinking that Raelynn already knew his power.

“I know. I know that you can resurrect but that doesn’t mean you’re not human either,” she said, almost like reading his mind. “I knew you were coming. I heard both yours and Janus’s voice a few days ago. We need you to help defeat the Commonwealth.”

“Why me? I live in the Commonwealth. I’ll do anything to defeat ULTRASONIC but I'm not playing a part in destroying my own country. I can only resurrect myself, there’s nothing else I can do! I’ve lost about half of his memories and I'm super confused on how you even know me!”

“Dylan. Dylan-James. He was my sister’s boyfriend back when she was in the Sunken. He was one of your friends,” she said slowly. “But you wouldn’t remember. I need to tell Janus about this. I need to tell him what to do,” Raelynn stammered.

“Then go, you said we didn’t have much time,” Alto told her. Raelynn nodded and walked towards where Janus was standing. Alto couldn’t hear them but he could picture in his head how nervous Janus was, how desperate he was to get his sister out of danger. He needed this and he knew that there was no turning back now.

“Raelynn, we need to go!” Alto called as the sun began to rise in the east.

“I know!” she yelled back, motioning Janus to run. He hesitated, looking back at me.

“You can do it Janus, I know you can,” Alto nodded. “Go save your sister.” Janus smiled genuinely , then turned back north.

“Take the horse,” he heard Raelynn say. “It's up to you to get across the river.”

“Alto, come find me, okay? I can’t do this without you,” Janus said sincerely, a bleak but determined look on his face. Alto walked towards him, wrapping him in his arms as they embraced.

“I’ll find you. Think of me, ok? Remember me. I’ll be there soon,” he said desperately. “Mica will help you.”

“I'm getting across the Vanderbolt Ocean with nothing,” Janus laughed. Alto let go of him and placed his hands on his shoulders.

“Believe. If you get there before me, which you definitely will, bring this to the boy,” Alto said softly, lifting his hands to his right ear and slipping the cool metal through his fingers before he snapped it off. Carefully, he placed the earring in Janus’s hand and watched as the younger boy closed his fingers on it and smiled.

“The blond boy with ice blue eyes,” Janus said softly.

“You’ll never miss him,” Alto laughed. Soon enough, Janus mounted on the horse and rode off into the distance without saying another word.