…
Chester passed behind the guards unseen. The patrol’s schedule has been ingrained in his mind for a while now. After every hour, right down to a minute, the same spots in the hall will be walked over. He waited for them to walk over that one uneven tile colored blue. 
The room that he was going to, where she was, would not allow anyone in. Not commoners. Not staff. Not even the guards. No outsiders, period. It was a sacred place for the king himself, and only one other person was allowed to enter. 
He truly was walking into trouble, no different than into an enemy territory. His life, a rather pitifully tragic one, was about to end for the most laughable reason. But he needed to get in. He needed to hear her.
And his name has already been called beforehand. By who, he did not know.
He placed his hand against the door. The color of wood was bluish-black, smooth on the surface, enough to disappear next to the navy walls of the dark halls. One would not notice it at a first glance. But upon closer inspection, the writings revealed themselves to adorn it, which would have surely scared away intruders. The words themselves, as Chester read them, appeared to be an incantation, or a curse. Most likely, it was a warning. 
He pushed it forward, regardless. He was met with faintly illuminated dark blotch. It was actually a passageway, with an indigo colored light glimmering in the distance. When he closed the door behind himself, all remnants of the natural light of the outside had vanished. Everything behind him had, in a way, disappeared. 
He walked forward to it. The glow was cold, and mesmerizing. He kept his breathing slow and quiet, so as to not to disturb it. As he moved, he felt like he was moving through the neck of a flask, and into a spherical base. Once there, he found a shadow of a woman, stretching to his feet. A familiar scent came known to him, and for once he stopped paying attention to the light. This woman was draped in cloth, embedded with sewn gems, replicating night sky’s constellations in reverence of it. Her body was frozen stiff, in praying position. He whispers were had been travelling around the room, circling against the walls. When he waved once in front of her face, he became aware of her unbreakable trance. Not bothering her anymore, he looked at her point of affection.
It was a colorless stone. 
He has never seen it before. It was different from the gems that populated this kingdom. Those were polished, mathematically sharpened and were see-through enough to be used as glasses. This one was foggy, jagged and misshapen, and yet, quite enamoring. At the same time, it was repelling him away. Chester felt his heart race. It was almost intoxicating. He wanted more of it, to touch what would most likely hurt his hand. To step towards what could pierce his soul. To awe at what would kill him.
He raised his hand. The rock tinted itself into a blue color. For some reason, he had no clue why, but he knew it meant that it saw him. And it was about to reveal everything to him. He was closer to the truth now than ever before. He was getting closer to it. His name had been whispered, telling him to notice it. Telling him to learn about the rock. To learn about the universe itself. About his meaningless life. He had no idea what it was actually doing. But he was relishing every thought behind that. To become whole again. To lose himself within this darkness. To let go off all of his connection to this world and become nothing. 
It was enticing him.
And he wanted it.
He begged for it.
He reached his hands out, even as he was pulled away by an unseen force.
“What are you doing!?”
The voice grew louder. It was a motherly one, of a woman he had never seen before. She was telling him about his future. Telling him about his happiness. About his death.
“You must look away!”
He was watching it turn and twist, creating a familiar face. Or so he thought, he wasn’t exactly sure. It was that of a woman. A woman, whom he knew was his mother.
“Azure please!”
Chester ignored her, because it wasn’t his name. He was trying to get to that woman. There was no doubt about it. Those eyes. That face. That voice. Everything about her was exactly the same. It was his mother.
“You must leave!”
“Who is she?”
“Turn away, Azure!!!”
“But, I-“
“NOW!”
He heard the cries. He felt his arms wrap around her. He felt guilt. He felt shame. He felt happiness, that burrowed into his brain and tortured him. He felt pain, a sweet and enticing one. He felt love, this sour and solitary feeling. 
He felt comfort.
He was falling back. He was falling away. 
He was falling.
He was…
…
Chester woke up in the middle of the night. The snore flew into his ear and he cringed. Quite typical to Tom the cat’s rotund appearance, he was a pretty loud sleeper. Chester felt surprised. Last he checked, the guy seemed likely to be pulling all nightery. There was so much about the machine he was working on, that the hedgehog thought he would never stop. But, apparently, he got tuckered out and in deep sleep. 
The hedgehog sighed and blinked a few times, moving himself to stare at the ceiling. It was a dead of night, it appeared. He looked to the window. The sky was impossible to see. Apparently, the stars are invisible in the city, which he came to learn it quickly. And according to Flora, people are likely just that busy at night, so it would get noisy too. That appeared to be entirely true, based on the moving of the cars that he kept hearing. Because of all of that, the lights at night were always on, which crept into the window. 
Still, it felt so wrong to watch the sky and for it to be so empty. Like someone was trying to shine too brightly and made the sky darker in the process. Chester never liked how the town’s centre would always shine even during the night, so he was glad it never reached the orphanage. Now, he couldn’t escape it anymore.
He wondered where Azure was. No reason particularly why. He just wanted to know where the blue dude had gone off to. He was probably with others, scouting. He’d get bored staying in bed next to him. On the other hand, it would also be creepy to have a ghost stand over you. He actually complained about that to him a while back. Something they discussed about doing some “Ghost Etiquette,” including not walking behind their backs, telling them if they ever moved something near them or never possess them without consent. 
He kind of did wanted to talk to him now, though. It felt a bit empty. Azure would frequently accompany him before the end of the day. Something about asking them agreeing to talk more about the ghost’s past. Like about his captures and escapes. Or about that time with him, Zamarad and Rose entering an eating contest, and how they lost to the princess. Or how Fotia apparently proposed to Zamarad, but she took it as him asking to engage in combat and beat him. Or how Taja apparently stole his and Fotia’s clothes when they were out bathing in the river. Or how he, Taja and Rose tried to prank on Kage an exploding fruit. These were funny, if pointless stories. He grew to understand the type of bond these spirits shared.
And then the thought came to him: What happens when they are done?
He suddenly felt uncomfortable in his bed, even more than usual. The sheets had doubled in weight, and even itched his skin. The snoring, which he managed to ignore up until then, grew louder, just as were the car noises that came from outside. Chester turned away from both and covered his ears with a pillow. He had one wear a leathery cover specifically for his spikes, so he didn’t need to share it with his sleeping buddy. It made it less nice for his ears though.
He tried to focus on something away from that noise. When all was finished, and they were done with their mission, he would go back home. This was just a quick trip to the city. They needed to focus on taking Lord Vacuo and his goons out. Maybe even defeat them for good. No one knows for sure, but the spirits kept saying they still had time before he took power. Whether or not they would be done with them in one night was a whole another story, though. Regardless, all they needed, was to get that Cor. They were only here for a week, so they needed to finish it up quickly. Get the Cor, get rid of the bad guys, easy-peasy.
But what happens after that? What will happen…once they are done? Will he have to say goodbye to Azure? What will the others do? Will they also say their goodbyes? Will they go back to their usual lives, here on out? Will everyone just drift away…?
Chester released his pillow and looked around the room. It was pristine clean, white and grey in color. It reminded him of the marble masks that the Torques would wear. The ceilings in the orphanage were a lot dirtier, darker, and had light seep through the cracks. Miss Cheshire would always ask Mister Woodman to patch them up, but it would still get cold in winter. Suddenly, he felt an ache at the pit of his stomach. He then wanted to blow raspberries. No way he was already getting homesick. And he was trying to get to the city this whole entire time, too. Was this really happening to him?
Chester breathed in. He closed his eyes, telling himself to get to sleep.
Who cares if he ends up being alone? It’ll still be better, than deal with these weirdoes. Everyone cares way too much about stupid stuff. And in any case, he was in the city, and what that means?  He was near ARKYO. And that means, he was closer to exposing the truth. The truth about what they did, all those years ago. This whole time, this whole hero thing he’d been doing? It was all for that moment, when he come clean with all their misdeeds and take them down for all they did. His whole mission, way back when, was to get free, just so he could get here. Finally, this evil organization will be no more. This so-called institute, responsible for making his life so terrible, will be served justice. For making everyone in his town hate him. For taking away Mom…
Chester breathed out. He waited quietly. He was slowly getting used to the noises outside. Even the snoring, which blew into his ear, he figured out quickly how to get over it. His pillow helped by damping the noise. In fact, it worked so well, he thought that the cat stopped snoring altogether and was now sleeping like a kitten under it. He looked at the ceiling again, and waited.
When he would get up in the middle of the night, his mother would coo him and sing a very beautiful song. It was embarrassing to think about, but that definitely worked. He even remembered the song just so that he didn’t need to bother her again. Sadly, not the words, but the tune. It helped that it was repetitive. It also always ended with “I love you.” 
So, he quietly hummed it to himself. It came out smoothly, once again. Chester felt sad suddenly. Maybe because the song actually sounded pretty depressing. Then he rolled his eyes, and in frustration buried his head into the bed and groaned. It was quiet enough to not wake Tom up.
He focused on everyone who got hurt by ARKYO. He remembered how Madame Cheshire changed, and how she later blamed everything on him. How Tom’s family closed themselves off, after Mayor LeonHeart, that stupid goat, did something to his mom. She became scared of Chester too, which was also annoying. He thought about Pierre, and how quickly they stopped being friends anymore. Even though he needed him then.
Chester got himself motivated again. He was not doing it for anyone, but for himself. He was going to finally get his justice. No more second thoughts about this. But now he couldn’t sleep. And so, he lied in his bed, still waiting. 
He figured, he was probably going to wait for the sunrise. Well, he did wanted to get this over with already. Just you wait, he thought.
Meanwhile, on the separate bed, Pierre had his own sleep-depriving musings. Particularly, about what his father said yesterday. 
They haven’t talked much, only a quick recall of current events from him and whatever him and his group were doing, which his father accepted happily. That man was smiling harder than any deranged clown that Pierre had ever seen. It was for the first time, since forever, he had seen his father so…giddy. That man even patted the boy’s head affectionately, out of the blue, as if he had just done something nice for him. Pierre was feeling unsure of himself. He asked his dad about what they were actually doing this entire time.
“What do you mean?” his father looked at him, puzzled. It was as if he never expected his son to ask questions at all.
“What are you trying to do? I just…wanted to know.”
“Oh please, son.” His father laughed. He began jotting something down on his phone, while they were waiting in the car. “Everything will be alright, don’t you worry your feathery little head. Leave it all to your old man.”
Somehow, that made Pierre feel even worse. His Dad has been speaking, once again, with people on the phone. He always talked to people, of course. Even before they got here, he would keep talking about future meetings and dates and reunions and plans and everything. But now, he kept talking to the same one or two people. Pierre could tell by the way he spoke.
He has been way too energetic lately, too. Did he find something? What was he trying to do now? What is going on anymore? Pierre’s mind were wrought with flurry of questions, none of which he could answer. The poor crow boy could not help but curl under the covers.
<Do you wish to talk to your friends?> Fotia asked him.
Seriously? Pierre rolled his eyes. And what, do tell, should I say to them? That I’ve been spying on them this whole time? Oh wow, look at you, you’ve been a two-faced liar, but we trust you now! Let’s be friends and there will be rainbows and sunshine and no one ever has to be angry again! Do even listening to yourself?!
<You ought to listen to your friends.>
Pierre cringed, and then hid his head further under the sheets. He did not want to hear any of this. There was no way it was going to work differently. He needed a new plan. Or maybe some way to get his father to stop. But could he even do it in the first place? What was he going to do?
<You are alone, Young Pierre, and you cannot win this,> Fotia told him loudly inside his ear. <You may think answers in your grasps, but these are simply your attempts to calm yourself. The truth is, you cannot simply trust anyone to help you with your worries. No one is truly strong alone, and you need more than yourself or me.>
Pierre wouldn’t reply. He wanted to fall asleep. Would he feel better in the morning? Who knows. He just wanted to get away from everything. To not wake up anymore.
…
The next day came for the kids without much of a problem. Although, Chester seemed to have slept the least, based on how groggy he looked. When Tom asked if he felt okay, the hedgehog would suddenly trip over the edge of the bed, but said that he was fine, regardless. In fact, he claimed to be feeling very motivated that day, enough to fight against thousands of Torques. Fotia, who overheard him, seemed to have had poor sleep as well, based on him enthusiastically agreeing with Chester. Tom, being the last to wake up, just looked at his two roommates with a sense of unease. Not that he wasn’t always uneasy about most things. But the two boys got him to think about making extra backup plans, in case something off were to happen.
Sometime when Fotia began brushing his teeth and beak, Tom pulled Chester over for a request.
“I need you to come with me!”
“…Where?” Chester asked. He seemed like he wasn’t even sure where he was now.
“Just a thing, if that’s okay with you.” Tom reached down and opened a map on his phone, pointing to a spot. “It’s few minutes from here! I need one more thing for my Shadowbreaker, and I’ll be ready!”
Chester, one eyelid shut tight, nodded and then turned to walk right into Fotia. Both boys stumbled in place, until they slowly rebalanced themselves. Tom’s unease had slowly grown in size.
Chester, with a heave and a sigh, grabbed a toothbrush, spurted some paste on it, and then started to brush his teeth. He stopped midway to look at the brush. “Is that your toothpaste, Tom? It tastes so weird.”
“It’s a common toothpaste.” Tom looked at it closer. “I mean, I think it is. You didn’t swallow it by any chance?”
“Meh,” Chester spat it out from his mouth and wiped the residue from his lips with his arm. “I think I’m done. I don’t even brush teeth, anyways.”
Meanwhile, the girls were already in the restaurant, having woken up far earlier then the boys did for a while. They were having a nice conversation while eating breakfast. The meal was apparently offered for free to anyone staying at the hotel next door, mentioning that so long as they paid for the full package services price. While nothing exceptional, bacon and eggs with tea, plus sweets they got on the side with extra money from Mr. Mouton, it was still a nice place. 
“I never knew you can make candy burgers!” Barbie awed, looking between two “burgers” that were in her hands. They were pink and green in color.
“These are called macaroons,” Flora explained. “And, also, they are not cheap at all! Try to make sure not to eat them all at once.”
“Really? Then they must be really good!” She popped one into her mouth, waiting for that taste to kick in. After chewing on it slowly, she started to squint and analyze the taste a bit. 
“Like the taste?”
“I do! But,” she looked at the second one with a tilted head and furrowed brows, “these things are so…quick. You eat them in one bite, feel the taste, and now they are gone! Is it really that expensive?”
Flora chuckled. “Sometimes it’s like this in here. You think they are great, but really, they just tickle you a bit, and aren’t really worth it. By the way,” she looked straight into Barbie’s eyes. She then bit her lip, contemplating one more time what she was about to do, and then blurted out, “You know the difference between macaroons and macarons?”
“M-mm” Barbie shook her head, in the middle of drinking her cup of tea. Hers had milk and honey in it.
Flora, after taking a deep breath and straightening herself, continued, “Well, I asked Abigail once. We were just talking, you know, about everything. So, she said, ‘I dunno’, so I asked her again, to see if she could guess it. It took her a few tries, but she didn’t get it. So, then, after seeing her give up, I told her, ‘the difference is, one letter.’ And, then she was like…‘O! I get it!’”
Barbie furrowed her brows. This was the second time she made the same face. Flora later noted how she always looked like she was trying to understand the thing she was thinking about.
“So…?” Flora egged her, after waiting a minute. 
The latter opened her mouth, then closed it promptly. She then looked at the large window in front of them, and then at her cup. Tilting her head, she took a swig from her cup, and began thinking with her mouth full of tea. 
Flora sighed, defeatedly, and explained, “Letter O, I get it.”
Barbie took a short pause, before immediately spitting the tea out all over the table and then doubling over. As the poor girl fell to the floor, she slammed her fist against the wet surface of it, while losing her breath between all of her laughing. Flora shook her head.
“C’mon, I literally ended up explaining it! You really have a ticklish funny bone, huh?”
“Tha…that’s…HAAHAHAHA!” Barbie could not stop cackling like a mad lizard girl. 
When the waiter asked if she was okay, Flora symbolled them that it was okay. Giving up on this endeavor, Flora opted to wait it out while watching outside’s streets. It was a comforting feeling, to be sure, to see these gray, concrete streets again. She had no clue where this place was, but she felt more at home than ever before. It was like she was back in her childhood. Perhaps she could find an old friend here, or…
Her eyes widened, as they locked on one figure. Her mouth fell open.
“No way.”
It was a man. Middle-aged, curly red hair, with a pot belly. He was wearing a jacket, green in color, and on his face were a pair of glasses. He looked no different than some random taxi driver, albeit someone who would own a fancy car at his house. He was also a buck.
As Barbie climbed back up, slowly through short breaths, she said “Wow, that was the best joke I heard since forever…” As she calmed down, she looked closer at Flora, then followed her gaze to the outside. “What is it? Did you see something? Someone? A Torque?”
Flora mouthed slowly, and quietly, to make sure no one heard her. It was hard for her to contain her own emotions. But things have never been more clearer than now. 
“It’s my dad…”
…