The girls try to protest the fanice's decision and are quickly dragged away. As Angelo grips her arm tightly, Terra takes one last glimpse at Gabriel. He refuses to look at them.
Just like before, Terra and Eila are rushed into Faecliff Village and thrown into the cottage: their gilded cage. Once the door slams behind them, Camael and Angelo stand outside as usual, ensuring they cannot escape.
Is this it? Will the rest of their lives be in these vine-covered walls?
Terra glances around the old home, her heart sinking at the professor's old work desk and the couch they used to rest on. Their family is fractured beyond repair—all because Terra naively thought she could save everyone.
Eila has collapsed on the floor, sobbing. At first, her cries were loud and vocal, ringing through the desolate village. Now, only her harrowed breaths can be heard, even as puddles of tears fall to the wooden floor.
Terra reaches out to comfort her sister, but she slaps her hand away. So, instead, she sits on the couch, trying not to let the waterworks take her too.
After several agonizing minutes, the little girl finally speaks. "We did make a mistake."
"I'm sorry, Eila. I'm so sorry." It's all she can say.
Eila stands up, her fists balled. "How could you do this?"
"What? We did this. You chose the fanice, too."
"If we had just run away with Miss Faramund, she would be okay right now! We all would."
Terra stays seated on the couch. "Do you really believe that?"
"Yes! Miss Faramund would have made it work. She would have protected us like she always does."
"The fanice can fly. They have access to insane magic and are all over the habitable zone. We wouldn't be able to run far, and there's no way we could hide forever. We would have been screwed!"
Eila looks at her for a moment, her fists shaking. She's smart enough to know her sister is right. Although Terra understands why she doesn't want to believe it.
"We shouldn't have trusted the bad guys," Eila mumbles.
She's not entirely wrong. If they had followed Professor Faramund's insane plan, she'd still be here. They'd have the world back, and…
Thousands of fanice bodies would litter the street.
Would that reality truly be better?
"Yeah, maybe trusting them was a foolish plan," Terra starts, "but I don't believe in good and bad. Not anymore. We're simply two different groups of people with the unfortunate fate of existing on a planet too small for both of us. A conflict was inevitable, and we got caught in the crossfire."
"So…" Eila says, her voice breaking, "is a happy ending impossible? Were we… doomed from the start?"
Terra grits her teeth. She looks out of the window next to the door. There, she can see small puffs of smoke spreading in the air. Angelo must be doing his signature: smoking on the job. She doubts the hapless guards are paying attention, as usual. Not that she cares if they overhear. There are no more secrets between them.
A few weeks ago, Terra believed the fanice knowing the truth would mean all their deaths, yet here they are. Despite how ridiculous it sounds, that gives her hope. "I don't think anything is impossible. We just couldn't find another way. I wish there was something we could do: something that could at least buy us more time. I've been wracking my brain, but I can't come up with anything."
"Hmm," Eila says. She sits on the couch next to Terra, leaning against her shoulder. For a moment, they sit in silence, staring at the seat Professor Faramund used to have next to them. Then, Eila gasps. "Wait…"
"What is it?"
"Remember when Miss Faramund showed us that black hole with the people in it? What if instead of killing her, they put her where the humans went?"
Terra's eyes widen. For a moment, she wonders if that could work. It wouldn't be ideal. She'd be floating in nothingness forever asleep, but it would buy time, which is exactly what they need. Then, she remembers what Gabriel said: "We can't just send beings to another dimension on a whim. There are rules."
"It's not that simple," Terra finds herself saying. At the same time, though, she cannot help but wonder. What are those rules? If she knew more about them, maybe they could find a loophole.
"Why not?" Eila asks. "The fanice can make set fires, make magic plants, and move things with their minds. What can't they do?"
Terra opens her mouth to explain, but then she sees the smoke in the window go out, followed by voices.
Jiggle jiggle
And now there's someone here.
Wondering what on Viatrix they could want from now, Terra shoots out of her seat. The door swings open, and three fanice walk in without having so much as knocked: Michaela, Angelo, and Camael.
Trailing behind them, in shackles, is Professor Faramund.
Terra's breath catches in her throat, and Eila gasps, running toward the woman. However, Camael blocks her. "Stay back, little human."
Her eyes wide, Eila obeys.
Realizing Gabriel isn't with this group, Terra moves in front of her sister. "Wh-Why are you here? Why is she…?"
"Trust me, this is the last place we wanted to bring Damira," Michaela says. "but she told us all too late that she needs one of your microchips to make this plan work."
"It's not my fault you threw out all my devices," the professor remarks.
"One more word out of you and you're getting gagged!" the captain of the guard shouts. "Just do what you came here for, and no funny business, or your girls will be coming with us."
Rolling her eyes, the professor sits at her desk and gets to work. Angelo hands her a box of first aid supplies, and she pulls out a scalpel, tweezers, skin glue, gauze pad, bandage roll, and alcohol wipes. Thank goodness they're using human medical supplies. Terra can't imagine how a fanice would go about a back-alley surgery.
Professor Faramund holds up the scalpel, making sure it's sterilized. "Terra, I assume you'll be the volunteer?"
"Of course," she responds. That's a no-brainer. She sits in front of the professor. "Where is the implant?"
"It's in your right shoulder."
"How did you get it there?" Terra can't help but ask. "I would have been sore, but I don't remember that."
"It was quite easy, actually. I just did it in your sleep and healed the wound with magic. You hardly would have noticed the pain in the morning."
Terra exhales. In her quest to make sure the girls knew as little as possible, the professor even injected something in their sleep. "You know, you could have just told us the truth."
The professor does not respond. Instead, she gets the gauze ready.
"Why didn't you do that?"
"Yeah," Eila says. "You kept us in the dark, making us useless."
She still doesn't say anything. Instead, she grabs Terra's arm and begins to cut straight through the flesh on her shoulder. Terra bites her lip, bearing with the searing pain. Camael and Angelo grimace at the sight while Michaela leans against the wall with a scowl. She doesn't flinch, even when Professor Faramund takes the tweezers and digs through Terra's muscle.
Once finished, she stops the bleeding with the gauze and seals the wound using the skin glue. Lastly, she wraps all of it up in a tight bandage.
In her now bloody fingertips is a rectangular chip half the size of a fingernail. "There," she says. "All that's left is to sterilize it and use magic to change its properties." She narrows her eyes at the fanice. "I assume you won't let me take these cuffs off at any cost, so I'll need to teach the spell to one of you."
Terra's gaze falls on the metal cuffs around the professor's wrists. They must be inhibiting her magic. No wonder the fanice are letting them talk freely.
"That is correct," Michaela says. "Now, let's go."
Immediately, the guards move to escort Professor Faramund out.
And Terra's heart sinks. Is this it? She still has a million questions. She still wishes with all her heart that a solution to save her will pop into her head, but they're out of time.
As the professor gets up to leave, Terra grabs her arm. "Listen, I'm sorry. I—"
"There's no need for any more tearful goodbyes," Professor Faramund interrupts. "Just take care of your sister. I hope you can lead some semblance of a life here."
Camael and Angelo pull the professor out of Terra's grip and lead her toward the open door. Michaela takes the professor and orders Angelo to stay behind and watch the girls. As Professor Faramund walks further away, the chains from her cuffs dangling, Terra can't help but remember the ones who are trapped: frozen in time, never waking.
Eila wondered if they could do that for the professor, at least for a little while.
But that is too cruel.
She's sure Professor Faramund would rather accept death than that fate. Even if they could get her into that dimension, the odds of them finding a way to free her are slim to none.
Slam.
The door closes, and the girls are left alone again.
Eila collapses onto the couch, tears returning to her eyes.
And although she should give up now, Terra still wracks her brain for possibilities.
For some reason, she thinks of that fateful day when everything changed: one minute, everything was fine. The next, the lights went out, and people were screaming. Then… gone. They disappeared so quickly—transported to another world.
Another world.
"When they ruled this planet, they made incredible breakthroughs about the multiverse and even learned to hone dimensional power." The professor said that a month ago when this all started.
The multiverse.
She didn't realize it then, but that implies that there are not just two, but many universes. At least, if the term "multiverse" is to be taken literally. Then, it hits her.
Terra has an idea. It's a crazy one, but she has to try it.
She sprints out of the cabin. Eila calls after her, but her calls are ignored. Meanwhile, Angelo is slacking off as usual, and he doesn't notice she's run out until seconds later.
If this has even a chance of working, she must know.
…
"Wait!" Terra shouts. The fanice are already at the village exit: the one that leads to the old house.
Michaela turns around, glaring daggers at her. "Are you kidding me? You really want to die, don't you?"
"Just give me thirty seconds!" She knows the fanice are at the edge of their patience, but they'll never get a chance like this again. "I know a way we can all get what we want."
"Oh, good for you. Too bad I don't care. Angelo!"
Finally, the lazy guard catches up. He lands on the ground next to Terra. "Sorry! She ran out so fast. I—"
"Just take her back before I kill her myself," Michaela says.
Angelo grabs Terra's shoulder, trying to lead her back to the cabin. "Let me talk to Gabriel!" she pleads. "He'll want to hear what I have to say."
"You're lucky he even lets you live," Angelo says. "Now, come on."
"No, he'll want to know. I'm sure of it!"
"Stop, Terra." the professor says. "Go home. You're only making things worse."
"The execution can still happen!" Terra shouts. This gets their attention, if only for a moment. "It can happen exactly as you envision. Everyone will get what they want.."
"What kind of nonsense is this?" Michaela snarls. "Get her out of here, Angelo. My patience is wearing thin."
The man drags Terra across the dirt path, but she resists. Without her being immune to magic, he's having a hard time. "If you want to force me back into that cabin, you'll all have to do it. I will thrash and struggle and hold you back, but if you take me with you, I will listen. I won't get in the way of what you need to do. I only want to talk to Gabriel."
"That's it!" Michaela snaps. "You think you have power just because you're immune?"
As Angelo struggles to keep Terra still, the captain of the guard storms over. She balls her fist and raises it, aiming for her face.
A punch like that will knock her out.
She has one more chance: one more set of words. If these don't work, the professor will be gone when she wakes up. They have to be perfect. They have to be something Michaela actually cares about, and Terra knows what that is.
"Do you want him to hate you forever?"
The captain of the guard freezes.
"If Gabriel finds out you went through with this without considering all possibilities, he'll never forgive you. You'll lose your girlfriend and best friend in one day."
"I don't care," she says. "As long as he's safe," but her fist shakes.
"You know I'm right," Terra says, feigning confidence. "I only want to talk to him. If he doesn't like my idea, I'll give up. I'll be a good little prisoner and never step out of line again."
Michaela scoffs. "I don't believe a word of that. Besides, I can't let you get in his head. You're a glaring blind spot for him."
"Then knock me out," Terra asserts. "Take me down right now and rob Gabriel of his ability to choose. That worked out well for your other relationship."
Judging by the look on her face, that might have been a step too far. Her eyes pink with rage, Michaela's fist tightens. Terra tries to move her arm in front of her face to block the strike, but it's no use. Angelo is holding them.
A throbbing pain hits Terra's cheek, and everything fades to black.
When Terra wakes up, the first she hears is the sound of a crowd.
It's muffled, blocked out by walls.
She opens her eyes, and she's lying on a couch. It's white, much like the modern furniture of Nadura City. Looking around the room, she spots all sorts of familiar things: smooth cream walls, metal window hinges, a holographic projector set, and an AI robot. No longer functional, it sits in the corner of the room like an overpriced doll.
Then there are the less familiar things: the vines crawling out of open windows, baskets of giant fruits and vegetables, vintage wooden furniture, and Michaela leaning against the wall.
"You're finally awake," she says as if hoping she'd stay asleep forever.
"Where am I?" Terra asks. The voices outside grow louder, more impatient.
"Congratulations, your tantrum worked. The execution will happen in a few minutes, so you'd better hurry."
Terra feels her cheek, which now has a large bruise on it. Her head is pounding. "What made you change your mind?"
She rolls her eyes. "For the record, you know nothing about my relationship, so don't say anything like that again. I won't hesitate to knock your lights out a second time."
"Noted. So, your reason?"
"Due to your massive stupidity, I doubt this is the case, but if you have an idea that will give everyone what they want, it's… worth exploring." Michaela looks out the window. Across the way is another high-rise building. They must be on one of the top floors of a Nadura City apartment complex. It seems fanice have been living in these rooms.
"Well, what are you waiting for? They're upstairs. Go, before I change my mind," Michaela says.
Remembering her time limit, Terra sprints toward the open door near the windows. However, before she walks out, a thought occurs. "Michaela…"
"What is it now?"
"Thank you."
Without looking back, Terra rushes to the stairs.
In what was previously an extravagant suite on the top floor, the king, his guards, and the professor now stand. Some wait by her, while others line a set of winding stairs leading to the roof.
When Terra walks in, all eyes fall on her. Camael even escorts her to Gabriel, saying she'd better be quick. They have an ever-growing audience outside waiting to see the culprit.
The king of the fanice is seated at what was once an in-home bar, his expression grim. Terra sits next to him. "Hey."
He stares at her. "Wow, Michaela did a number on you."
The bruise on her cheek throbs. "Yeah, but I may have deserved some of it this time."
"You said you have another idea?" Gabriel says, getting straight to the point. "Let's hear it, and it'd better not be you sacrificing yourself."
"I know better than to pitch that," Terra says, remembering what happened in the prison. "But first, I have a question to ask. How did you and your father find the dimension you put the humans in?"
He raises an eyebrow. "That's a strange question."
"Just answer it."
"It took a lot of trial and error. For decades, the royal family members mapped out the multiverse, searching for the perfect place. Some wanted to send them somewhere unlivable and call it a day, leaving them to their fate. Others disagreed, saying that would make us no better than them. We didn't want to start our rise on a legacy of mass murder, so a compromise was made. We waited until we found somewhere they'd be safe. It's part of the reason The Vanishing took so long to plan. You remember the other part."
"Yeah," she says. They had to wait until the humans' alliance with the Galactic Federation crumbled, leaving the city in chaos.
"The place we sent them was perfect. It puts people to sleep; nothing can harm them, and time does not pass there."
"Do you still think that's 'perfect?'" Terra asks. "What if I was there? How would you feel?"
He shifts in his seat uncomfortably. "Just… tell me your idea already."
Terra leans in, whispering something only he can hear. "What if we found a better dimension? One where they could live their lives? We could send the professor there, too."
Gabriel's eyes widen. "That's insane."
"If we had the right conditions, could it work? I don't know how your powers operate, but based on how you moved everyone before, it seems viable."
"I told you. It's not that simple. Doing that will require great sacrifice."
"But is it possible?"
"Is what possible?" Camael asks. The other guards look on curiously.
Gabriel sighs. "She wants to fake Damira's death by sending her to another dimension." He leaves out the part about the humans going there, too.
This causes an immediate uproar.
"Are you kidding me?"
"Do not entertain this!"
"She deserves to die for what she did."
"The human girl should die with her for even suggesting such a thing."
"Calm down, all of you!" Gabriel demands. "She chose our side, remember? We wouldn't be here without her."
The other fanice don't seem convinced in the slightest. Terra wishes she could have told Gabriel this idea alone, but beggars can't be choosers.
As the guards continue to protest, Gabriel seems deep in thought. Then, realization dawns in his eyes. "Terra," he whispers. "How badly do you want this?"
"More than anything," she says without hesitation. "I'll do whatever it takes."
"Then I have an idea. Play along, okay?"
With no idea what she's agreeing to 'play along' to, Terra nods.
"Silence!" Gabriel shouts. This time, he's much more authoritarian.
The guards shut up, giving him their full attention.
"Do you even know about the dimension we sent the humans to?"
Many of them shrug. It seems they knew of it but not any details.
"It's a desolate place, devoid of life. There, they are floating in endless darkness. They feel nothing. They experience nothing." He looks at Terra. "It is a fate worse than death."
The king walks toward Professor Faramund, his eyes turning red. "For a criminal as heinous as she, this would be perfect. She'll be among the humans she loves so fervently, sharing in their suffering."
"How do we know that?" Camael asks. "We've never seen the place."
"I'm glad you asked," Gabriel responds. He walks to the center of the room, in view of as many guards as possible. Then, effortlessly, he opens up a portal twice the size of the professor's. "Take a look for yourselves."
It's exactly as Terra remembers. Millions of people, floating in fetal positions in an endless void. The guards gather to take a closer look.
"Wow."
"It's like they're in purgatory."
"Serves them right."
Having made his point, Gabriel closes the portal.
The professor looks between him and Terra, confused and horrified.
Shocked by this revelation, the guards also glance at Terra. She has no idea what Gabriel is planning, but he said to play along. So, she shall. "No! That's not what I meant! I don't want her to suffer. Please, send her somewhere else."
"That completely defeats the point," Gabriel says, walking back toward her. "I'm willing to send her to that place because she will suffer. Anything less is more than what's deserved, and you know it. She manipulated you into doing her bidding and even tried to make you commit mass murder. You've suffered at her hands more than almost anyone. The only reason you're still defending her now is because you don't know a life without her. But because of your loyalty to us, you do not have to fear." He leans forward and cups her chin in his hands. "You will always have a home here."
She slaps his hands away. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if she went there. Just kill her instead!"
"Oh?" he asks, striding around her. "You're okay with her dying?"
"No, but it's better than that. Anything is better! Just, please. Don't do that to her. She doesn't deserve it!" She says it so passionately that even the professor seems convinced. It's not hard to act when the emotions are real.
Gabriel's eyes widen, and a cold rage takes over. "Really? She doesn't deserve it? She killed my father, Terra. She tried to kill all of us: to hand this world back over to those who were destroying it!"
Terra stares at him, open-mouthed. For a moment, she wonders if he actually means to send the professor to that place. That was way too convincing.
"What say all of you?" Gabriel says, holding his arms out to the guards. "Does she deserve it?"
The guards are whipped up into a frenzy, screaming "Yes!" and "Down with the traitor!" They grab Professor Faramund, dragging her upstairs to meet the waiting crowd. She makes eye contact with Terra, and her face says, "What on Viatrix are you doing?"
She wishes she could answer. Instead, she trails at the back with Gabriel.
He smirks, clearly proud of what they've achieved.
And Terra glares at him quizzically.
Whatever he's got planned, it'd better be good.