Chapter 27: Promises Kept in Darkness

Seeing Clyde, Casca, and Corie freezing in front of her with faces as if they had just seen a ghost, Mary became confused and asked,

"What is it? Why did you all suddenly go quiet? You understand that we have to get out of here, right?" Mary said.

"Huh... yeah... when do we need to leave?" Clyde replied, startled.

"Tonight, we’ll slip away to the southern tunnel once the city quiets down," Mary replied.

"I see... um...," Clyde muttered, looking at Mary.

"Is there something still weighing on your mind? Or is there something you want to ask?" Mary asked firmly, ready to answer.

"N-no, it’s nothing," Clyde answered with a stiff smile.

"Alright, I’m going to my room to get ready. You guys wait here and keep watch. If anyone knocks on the door, don’t open it and don’t make a sound, the walls here are thin," Mary replied.

"Got it, sis, we understand," Clyde replied on behalf of Casca and Corie, who were still frozen in place.

Mary walked to her room while taking off her shirt, and after she went inside and closed the door,

"Brother... just now... that was Sister Celes, right?" Corie asked.

"Yeah... so you remember Celes too... oh right, you said you remembered Celes and Craig," Clyde answered.

"Um... actually, I remembered their names, but I forgot their faces. Before I woke up... when I heard that song, I dreamed we were in the greenhouse garden... a woman whose face wasn’t clear was playing the piano and humming while we listened... then... Craig came up to me and Casca... he said that no matter what happens, we have to stay together... and his face was the only one I remembered, until I saw you, Brother, and your face became clear too," Corie replied.

"But you didn’t have our dream... about eating people," Casca said.

"Oh... I had that dream too. After the garden, we were in a classroom, and I was sitting between Sister Celes and Brother Craig...eating our teacher...ugh," Corie replied.

"Ah... that’s right, so that’s why you remembered them," Clyde replied.

"Thinking about it, though... it really did take you a bit longer to awaken... which means besides the simulation, you were also dreaming about our past," Casca said.

"Maybe... I don’t really understand it myself... but what did Sister Celes mean by saying we have to wait?" Corie asked.

"That’s what I’m still thinking about and still don’t understand... Craig is in this city? Did he regain consciousness before the three of us? If so, why didn’t he look for Celes?" Clyde asked, puzzled.

"Back when I didn’t remember anything and ran away... I moved on instinct... could it be that Brother Craig... is like that too?" Casca asked.

The three went silent again, without speaking, when suddenly "na... na... na," a familiar humming melody echoed inside their minds. A pain in their heads began to surface, but unlike a painful melody, the headache only occurred if they fought it, and if they didn’t, it felt remarkably comforting.

"Aaah,"

Clyde and Casca looked over to see Corie holding her head with both hands, her eyes darting back and forth, her face pale as she writhed in pain.

"Don’t fight it, Corie... just feel it and surrender to it... if you start getting sleepy and lose consciousness... just let it happen," Clyde said.

"I... I’m scared, Brother," Corie replied.

Clyde wrapped his arm around Corie beside him, then pulled Casca closer to him and held her hand. Amidst feeling lightheaded and light as if intoxicated, Clyde could feel Corie starting to relax until she was no longer trembling. Finally, pressing close to one another and holding hands, the three began to lose consciousness and closed their eyes while sitting upright.

***

"Bzzzzzzzzz,"

"Kresssssssk,"

"Hah... hah... hah,"

Two young boys, around 12 and 11 years old, were sprinting through a dark forest at night, with two 10-year-old girls piggybacking on them, looking terrified and tense. The two boys darted forward without caring about their surroundings, all four of their faces filled with tension and fear, as if something were chasing them.

"Hurry, Craig! We have to get out of the forest before they catch up to us!" shouted Clyde, who was 12 at the time.

"Got it, Brother! Keep running, don’t look back!" shouted the crew-cut, blonde boy who was slightly stockier, Craig, running behind Clyde.

"Rustle... rustle... rustle,"

They kept pushing through the bushes, running aimlessly; both Clyde and Craig almost tripped and fell several times, yet they kept running. "Ahh," Casca, whom Clyde was carrying, screamed as a branch slapped her face.

"Don’t scream, Casca," Clyde said.

"Sorry, Brother," Casca replied.

Clyde looked to his side, seeing Craig already running side-by-side with him while carrying Corie, who was clinging tightly to Craig’s neck. Suddenly, both of them stopped as they spotted numerous flashlight beams up ahead.

"Oh no... they’re coming this way... over here, Craig," Clyde said, pointing to the right.

"Okay, Brother," Craig replied, looking toward where young Clyde was pointing.

They leaped through the bushes, running in another direction, and after running continuously without pause, Clyde suddenly came to a halt. In front of him lay a crater, and he turned around just in time to catch Craig, who hadn’t stopped and almost tumbled into the abyss; "thud," both of them fell, "waaa," Casca and Corie, whom they were carrying, fell along with them, and then they got up and looked around. The eyes of all four widened as they took in the massive crater, looking like a meteor strike zone, still filled with fire and burning debris at the bottom.

In the middle stood a giant robot, about 230 feet or 70 meters tall, spewing white smoke from its entire body as it knelt on one knee,

"We... came back here... this is bad," Craig said.

"Oh no... what do we do?" Corie said.

"Quiet, Corie," Casca replied.

Clyde turned around and saw the flashlight beams drawing closer to them from within the forest. Clyde turned back to look at his three younger siblings,

"Craig, take Casca and Corie and get out of here... hurry... I’ll distract them," Clyde said.

The faces of young Craig, Casca, and Corie turned to pure shock; instead of leaving, they crowded around Clyde,

"No, Brother! We already lost Sister Celes! What will we do if you’re gone too?" Corie cried.

"Yeah, Brother... we have to run together, or Sister Celes’s sacrifice will be for nothing!" Casca added through her tears.

Craig stayed silent without saying a word, but he gripped Clyde’s arm tightly with tears pooling in his eyes.

"But... they’re already close... we have no choice but to split up, I’ll..."

"Slap,"

Suddenly, Craig slapped Clyde so hard that Clyde’s head snapped to the side. Clyde touched his cheek and turned to look at Craig,

"What was that for?" Clyde said.

Craig didn’t answer; being the same height as Clyde now, he stepped forward and grabbed both of Clyde’s shoulders,

"Brother, you can fly, so get out of here fast! You’re the only one who can escape this place! Take Corie and Casca with you," Craig said seriously with a smile, his eyes glistening with tears.

"Huh... what are you talking about?" Clyde replied.

Craig didn’t say another word; he whistled, then shoved Clyde, Casca, and Corie away. Craig’s body became enveloped in a bright light as a blackish-red aura spiraled like a tornado from his feet to his head, a slime-like black fluid beginning to wrap around his body, both of his arms and legs sprouting white fur like that of a bear or a giant ape, which was then encased in black fluid that hardened into bio-armor, his feet taking on the appearance of boots, fur erupting around his neck as well, his hair transforming into a horned helmet, and his face becoming completely covered by a mouthless mask, leaving only his blue eyes visible.

"Craig... you..." Clyde said.

Without a word, Craig, now in his combat mode, lifted Clyde and tossed him into the air, and Clyde instantly unfolded his wings, whereupon Craig threw Casca and Corie with one hand toward Clyde, who caught them in midair.

"Go, Brother, Casca, Corie! you have to survive for Sister Celes’s sake! Let me handle them! We’ll meet again here, promise me you’ll wait for me when I come back!" Craig said telepathically inside Clyde, Casca, and Corie’s heads.

Having spoken in their minds, Craig turned around and dashed into the forest, heading straight toward the oncoming flashlights,

"Craig!" Clyde screamed in the air.

"Brother Craig!" screamed Casca and Corie, whom Clyde held in midair.

"Bzzzzzzzzz,"

"kresssssssk," suddenly everything blurred and turned pitch black in an instant, plunging them into silence.

***

"Ugh,"

Clyde, Casca, and Corie opened their eyes, all three of them still sitting at Mary’s dining table, before looking at one another and smiling through their tears.

"We have to wait for Craig here," Clyde said.

"Yeah... if he’s coming here... we’ll wait for him right here," Casca replied.

"Um... I agree... but... that dream... I recognize that place," replied Corie, who was still confused.

"Yeah... that’s the place where we were raised. While we have the time, let me explain everything to you now," Clyde replied.

"Okay, Brother," Corie replied.

Clyde then began explaining everything with Casca’s help, starting from what was happening in the world to how to use the system by whistling and how to enter combat mode by whistling as well, to Corie, who listened enthusiastically while wiping away her tears.