Fall: ...And Inevitability That Which Begets; Despair PT. 3/5

"Hey, is everything alright King?"

We were eating in the cafeteria, and I was sipping on some apple juice, staring down at my food when Erebus asked me that.

"Huh? Oh, yeah I'm fine," I said, yawning as I bit into a burger. "I'm just a bit tired today. Enough of that though, we need to come up another group combo!" I pulled out "Coolest Notebook: The Fifth" and planted it on the table, spreading it out so everybody could see.

"Okay, so I like to think we've all evolved using our abilities, especially Hemera here," I started, glancing at Hemera.

"Aw, it's no big deal! I'm just glad I can help," she said, stealing some of Nyx's food.

"Hey, you can't do that!" Nyx said, and they started to fight over the small amount of food Hemera had taken.

"Although before we get into that, Dark Empress, you have to tell me what you can do. We've fought together a lot, but I really can't tell," I said, turning to her page in the notebook.

As she was telling me what she could do, I felt someone tap on my back. "What is it, I'm busy."

"Major, are you okay?"

I stiffened at the sound of the voice, and I glanced behind me to see my twin, frowning at me. "What is it Minor?"

"I asked if you were okay. Especially after what we heard last night and how you reacted…"

"I'm fine Minor, now go away. Shoo," I said, waving him off, and I could see the hesitation in his eyes. Scowling, I put my pencil down and steered him away from my friends.

"Not now bro, not now," I hissed at him, and he shook his head.

"Whatever, talk to you later." He waved me off before going to sit with his friends, and I sighed before scratching my messy hair. I pray they don't ask about this.

I walked back to the table, sitting down before taking another bite out of my burger. "So, where we?"

"What was that about Major?" Lachesis asked. Yep, should've known.

"Minor's making a big deal outta nothing," I said, taking a sip of apple juice. "You know how he is."

Everyone frowned at me, except for Hemera and Nyx, who were still fighting, and I stopped myself from taking another bite from my burger. "What?"

"You never talk about your twin," Lachesis said. "And he never talks to you in school normally, let alone ask you if you're alright."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, if you have a problem Major~, of course we'll wanna help~!" Eros purred out, winking at me.

Stupid Minor. I sighed, closing my notebook. "Well, I can't do anything about it, so let's put it like that. Basically, I have a stepdad now."

Aether, who had somehow gotten all of his food on his shirt, scowled at me. "Your parents got divorced?"

"Around second or third grade; it doesn't really matter. They got married over spring break while I was with my dad. Um…" I trailed off as I got to the difficult part, and I felt myself warm up.

I turned to see Hemera touching my arm, nodding to herself. "I see, so you were sad that it happened, right?"

"…Yeah."

Silence again, and I waved my hands together, looking at all of them. "But please don't do anything, alright? Mommy seems happy, so I don't wanna ruin anything, okay? I'll get over it, so don't worry about it."

Erebus shrugged. "If you say so King, then we shall do nothing to get rid of the evilness in your abode!"

Necessitas grinned, giving me a thumbs up. "Of course, I must agree with Slayer here! Although, I do have a suggestion for you."

"A suggestion for me?" I asked, tilting my head. "Is it for our ultra-group combo?"

"No, for you." She said, pointing at the notebook. "I can help you get over your feelings faster, if you want me too."

"Eh!? You can do stuff like that?" Lachesis yelled out, causing everyone to look at us. "Oh, sorry," she said, scrunching down, the tips of her ears flaring red.

"Well, I can just make stuff happen before it's supposed to happen, or something like that," she continued, frowning to herself. "Well, I don't really know much about it myself, but I know I can help if you want me too!"

Can she really do that? I looked down at the notebook. Well, if what she told me is true, then I guess it's possible. "Alright, let's do it. Besides, it'll be good practice! Oh, imagine the battle applications of this guys!"

"As expected of my beloved Dark Empress!" Erebus exclaimed, wrapping his arm around her, bringing her in close.

"Eh! B-beloved!?" her face flushed red, but she didn't hit him this time. Yep, my plan is going along smoothly. At the rate this is going, he should be able to get what he wants by summer break.

"Let's do it during recess. I wanna see how it works firsthand so I can make strategies around it," I said, stuffing more of my burger in my mouth. We finished eating lunch in relative peace, laughing and goofing off with one another before heading off to recess.

"Hey you guys, behave!" The teacher yelled at us, before she grabbed me by the shoulder.

"What? I wanna go to recess already," I said, scowling.

"Don't cause trouble, like fighting one another. You guys are friends, right?"

I laughed, much to the teacher's surprise. "We're not fighting, we're training so we can slay demons with Erebus!"

"Hey Major, are you coming?" Aether asked, looking back at me.

"Coming!" I looked back at the teacher and grinned. "They're my closest friends, no way I would fight with them!"

The teacher finally released me, sighing. "Glad to hear it," she said, a small smile on her face. "Now go have fun, sorry for keeping you."

"Thank you! I'm coming, don't leave for me guys!" I yelled out, rushing outside to my friends, who were waiting for me by the edge of the woods, our usual spot to go.

"Alright, I'm ready Dark Empress!" I yelled out, plopping myself down on the ground. "Use it on me!"

She nodded, readjusting her glasses before reaching out to touch me. "Alright, here goes-!"

Her voice cut out as she touched me, and a surge of emotions came over me, sadness, nearly overwhelming sadness, and then it was gone, leaving a sense of peace within me that I thought wouldn't be possible.

I gasped, looking around at my surroundings. I was still in the same spot, same trees with the same green leaves, same sun bringing down its warmth, all of it was the same.

And the people?

"Hey King, did it work?" Necessitas asked, peering into my face, and I nodded, jumping up to me my feet.

"Whoa! I feel amazing! As if a heavy weight has been lifted off of me!" I roared out, pumping my arms in the air. "You're amazing Necessitas, you know that!?"

She took a step back, a grin on her face. "See, told you I could do it!"

I looked around to everyone and grinned. "Oh man, that really was weird though. It felt like everything I was feeling came together, fought, and then left!"

"Whoa, that's how it felt like?" Nyx murmured, looking me up and down. "That sounds cool."

"I wouldn't say that, but I wouldn't mind doing it again!" I said, looking back at Necessitas. "How many times can you do that!?"

"As many times as needed," she said, messing with her messy brown hair, frizzling out into an afro. Her smile faded as she looked back at me, biting her lip slightly. "Well, it was odd this time."

"This time? Whatever do you mean dear Nessy~?" Eros said, his sparkles darting around, one hitting Aether on the face.

"Well, it's as if you have more than one problem," she said, looking back at me. "Do you know anything?"

More than one problem? "Not that I can think of. Eh, well if you wanna fix them, you can! Oh man, I have to take notes after this for battle applications!" I plopped myself down on the grass, and looked up at the Dark Empress, giving her a thumbs up and grin.

"I'm ready!"

She nodded. "It's as if you have all this dark stuff in you."

Her hand made its way towards my forehead as she continued to speak. "I don't know if you're hiding it on purpose or something, but you don't have to hide it anymore. All the discourse and trauma, I'll let you release it all."

Her finger touched me once more, and I was faced with an endless pit yawning below me.

Eh? What is this place?

"Please, let me handle it son."

"SO, DON'T GO AND DISAPPEAR ON ME, YOU HEAR ME!?"

"He, hehehehe, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"If you'll let me, I'll tell you the whole truth. I'll rely on you, just as you asked of me. And that's a promise."

"Is it so wrong of me to change? IS IT WRONG OF ME TO HAVE HOPE GODDAMNIT!?"

(Because you already know whose fault it is.)

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With the voices came emotions; not the puddle I had dealt with, but a tsunami that crashed into me over and over again, ripping me to pieces, pushing me back together, drowning in a dark sea, falling downwards towards nothing, and through it all, echoed a voice I didn't wanna hear, one that I thought I would possibly never hear from again.

"Your Fault."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

I pushed myself back, away, far away, underneath the trees I no longer recognized, the different green leaves, an unfamiliar warmth, going away, trying hard to escape the voices that reverberated within me, clinging onto me, yelling, screaming, whispering, chuckling, but the worst one that stuck unto me wasn't any of these:

No, it was laughter.

I gasped, holding my head as I continued to hear voices, feel the agony, the sorrow rip into my very being, so much so that I started to claw at myself, trying hard to get rid it all, trying, clawing, warmth filling my hand, clawing, yelling out to try to drown out the noises, clawing, clawing, clawing, clawing.

"Major!"

Someone forcefully latched onto me, and in my vision, I could see the hair of summer and soft blue eyes, an older girl looking at me; no, it was a young girl now?

"L-Lachy?" I pushed her away, stumbling to my feet.

"D-don't do it Depra," the older girl said, a similar warmth that filled my hands flooding out her, her soft blue eyes glimmering at me.

"Who's Depra!?" I yelled out, clutching my head once more.

"Major, it's me!" I focused once more on the older girl; no wait, the younger girl surrounded by several others, and I clawed at my head, the voices beating at me, the emotions overtaking me.

"What's wrong-!" the younger girl cut out, YOURFAULTYOURFAULT!

I watched her plead at a girl with messy brown hair, who's glasses fell off her face as she watched me, eyes widening.

"Sorry, but this was all I was really able to do in the end," the older girl with neat brown hair said, collapsing to her feet; wait, wasn't it a young girl?

"AGH!" I clawed at my head, ripping at my hair, warmth flowing down my face, clawing at the emotions, the only relief I felt.

"It well and truly is all my fault huh?" Back to the girl with the hair of summer, her warmth ebbing out, gone forever.

I felt a warmth fill me, one I shouldn't be able to feel; wait, wasn't I just able to feel it?

I shook off the girl with golden-yellow hair, screaming out into the endless voices that were consuming me.

Forget.

"I wanna forget!"

My head started to throb, and I stumbled back once more as I saw the girl with the hair of summer plead at me.

"Major, what's wrong! Tell us so we-!"

"NO! I wanna forget!" The emotions, the voices, the people, I wanna forget it all.

"MAJOR!"

"It would be better for me to forget! I can't, I can't do it anymore! I don't deserve such happiness when, when!"

"Your Fault."

When it is truly my fault, especially where that person is involved.

How can I forget so this stops? I wanna forget, forget, forget, forget all the pain, misery, suffering, all of it, needs to just-!

(I watched myself scream out, the memory going black, the only thing left a young boy, [me] looking at myself, letting out a small giggle.)

"You should've left it alone, eternally in [Slothfulness]."