If someone had told me that I would die and reincarnate into a world with a cute girl as my bodyguard, I maybe would have believed them. After all, some things just weren't outside the realm of possibility. The cute girl was the part I would have never gotten behind, but I was more than thankful to not only have one, but one that I knew. It made it a lot less embarrassing when I cowered behind her at every little creepy sound. The growls and strange shrieks shrouded by the smog made it all the more terrifying.
Duh Perrin, probably why they were referred to as Terrors.
We were currently walking down this beaten path that was littered with bones and some other mushy substance that I didn't want to think too hard about. I tried not to make too much noise with each step I took, but it became increasingly harder with Thing One and Thing Two crushing everything they came into contact with. There just wasn't any way we would survive the trek to wherever we were going.
"We're here! The hut's still here!" Azul cheered as he stopped at a very fortified little shack. It was made with some hard stone-like material and was decently sized for what it was. The part that caught my eye, though, was the glow that seeped through the cracks of the closed door. "What exactly is here?" Kara asked as she carefully eased through the spiked fence gate and signaled for me to follow behind. I was careful to hug my bag close to my chest while trying not to get skewered by the stakes that seemed to be made of… bones? June was tucked away in my bag and had wrapped himself up in the mask like a little bundle. He was too much of a scaredy cat to see what was actually on the islet, so this was his solution.
He was just like me for real.
"You're new to this world, aren't you? Not just the mysteries of Isla Ila Abab, but Syloris in general, right?" Suzo closed the already tight fence opening and walked towards the closed door of the shack. "Is it that obvious?" I chuckled and Azul pointed and laughed for whatever reason. "You reek of Jagori, shrimpy. Course it's obvious! Maybe you should try not bein' so stinky!" He sneered and started doing his weird giggle once more. I shuddered and furrowed my brow, "What is… Jagori?"
"Jagori… it's not a smell, if that's what your initial thoughts are. No, it's an aura, a… power of sorts. Perhaps you've tapped into it without realizing, but all foreigners have it around them if not given a specific role in this cursed world. Miss here is a Catalyst Guardian, therefore the aura surrounding her is pure and pink, and it serves to ward off Terrors. The young one is a familiar, and therefore has an aura of red to represent falsehood and deceit. However, your Jagori burns blue. It's the same for all purposeless souls that regenerate here in Syloris." Suzo explained as he cracked some weirdly shaped orbs and let the dust fall into a vial. It started to glow when he twirled it around and eventually the glow became this colorful flame, and he proceeded to sit it back down on a little table nearby.
"But Perrin has a purpose. I wouldn't be here if he didn't… He wouldn't be here if the talking gaster hadn't brought him here and given him the list!" Kara jumped to my defense, and I didn't stop her because she was right. "My purpose is to complete my list of regrets and save Syloris from falling into chaos and ruin. That's what he told me." I pulled out my rolled up list and showed it to them. "He? He as in… that bastard of a gaster? Oh, traveler, how I pity you. You are no hero. You're nothing but fuel to keep this crumbling kingdom afloat." This time, Suzo laughed and it made my skin erupt with goosebumps everywhere from how sinister and unforgiving it was.
"Hah! You idiots, Vee can't be trusted! He'll leave your soul wanderin' 'til you become a gaster!" Azul rambled and that's when I got on the defensive. He mentioned trust as if I had any of that for anyone I had met besides Kara and June, and it dawned on me that we had made a mistake. "Vee? Is that the name of the talking gaster that brought me here?" I asked slowly and tried to mask the aggression that was rising in my voice. I hid my arm within the folds of my cloak and rested my hand on the sheath of my katana, preparing myself for any scenario at this point.
"Did he not introduce himself to you? Typical of him. His full name is Vee Ala Gaster, and if that didn't clue you in, he is the original gaster," Suzo explained as he picked up the vial and poured the contents onto the table, "But enough about him. Aren't you here to explore the wonders of Ila Abab?" He chuckled and turned his back towards us casually. I figured he was going to head into the adjoining room, and that it was the perfect time to strike. I hesitated though, because Azul still stood there, his ominous dopey eyes empty and lacking any thought, but his stature still tall and very intimidating. I hadn't seen them with any weapons, and I had hardly seen them do much of anything, so I had no clue how they operated. Especially since they were mercenaries that apparently never let their targets escape.
I was cornered, and violence probably led to the very worst case scenario.
"Perrin, was it? Tell me, do you think this quaint city of ours houses only Terrors?" Suzo reentered the room and I stiffened up, my hand leaving my sheath quickly. I gave a slow nod and I could tell that answer amused him."That's what you initially said though, wasn't it?" I asked and eyed the object in his hands. It gave off the same glow as whatever I couldn't see when we were approaching this little house in the first place. "Did I? Or did you convince yourself that the Terrors kept this island city under lock and key?" He laughed and I felt more and more on edge, "After all, we're here. And it's not like we're the only hybrids here. So of course, this place is inhabited by far more than just Terrors. It's home to the many hybrids that wouldn't survive the rest of Syloris on their own."
"What are you holding?" I stepped around the table and walked up to him cautiously, but he stepped away as I approached. "The Ila Abab core of course. It has no true form because we aren't truly recognized by the kingdom of Syloris, but believe me, we exist and are waiting for the day to strike." He held his hands out and the glowing mass started to change shapes rapidly. It wasn't as bright as Coronis Metro's core, and it was sending off waves of chill. I shuddered as I watched its constant form shift from one shape to another and shook my head, "None of this is making any sense. Honestly," I turned back towards Kara and frowned, "I still don't understand why we're here. How will this help us complete my list or save Syloris from ruin?" She stood by the door the whole time and was more tense than usual. She hesitated to answer my question, and even when she did I wasn't satisfied with the answer.
"District Twilight, is what this place used to be called before we, the Bucchi Twins, came to inhabit it. District Twilight, meaning the district of Terrors. We built this from the ground up so that others like us could have a place to live and thrive. You were fools to seek out this place, but humans have always been privy to their own self-righteousness. Your insistent meddling in things you know nothing of has blinded you to the threats that have always been in sight. We are mercenaries that hunt all those seeking answers about this isle! No one comes back alive as a consequence for their snooping. And I, Suzo Bucchi, refuse to let you wretched travelers taint our home with your talk of heroism and nobility! Where were these supposed heroes when we were left for dead? When we were at the will of those cursed Mauve Knights and slaughtered, where were people like you?" He clenched his fists tightly and the shapeless mass fell back on the table and was a glowing pool of purple.
I flinched and eased back. I couldn't say everything was making sense, but something finally was. The gears in my head were turning faster than before and it was all starting to just click in place. And that wasn't just because Azul had pulled something out that made a similar click sound as well. My eyes widened as he held up a stopwatch of some sort in one hand and his fingers in the shape of a gun pointed at me with his other hand. I heard Kara make a step behind me but I held out my arm to stop her, "Don't! Don't move… We're cornered, Kara, can't you feel it?" I shook my head and turned my attention back on the smug Azul and tilted Suzo in front of me with a glare.
"When did you find out?" I asked as I lowered my arm and quickly unsheathed the katana from its holster. "The City of Mystery gets its name not because of District Twilight, but because of the strangely vibrant life of the harbor connected to it. You stepped foot into the domain of its mystery, but did you not stop to notice the lack of time? Once we crossed the lake, it instantly became night, and not because we are encompassed by darkness, but because Ila Abab Harbor no longer exists. It's a realm that has been shrouded in a time looping barrier that only starts once travelers have stepped within its range. That's why those patrons in the hostel did not bat an eye at your entrance or appearance when you walked in. They are unfazed by what has already happened." Suzo shook his head with a disappointed look on his face, "It's a shame really. You were right to not trust those trickster twins in the hostel. They eat their prey."
My throat felt dry and the warmth in my body left so suddenly. I was frozen in place because part of me understood what was happening, but the other part didn't comprehend anything. Part of me wanted to run away screaming and begging to go back home, but another part of me wanted to stand my ground and protect Kara and June from whatever was next. I didn't know what to do, and unfortunately, my lack of initiative was our downfall.