We tried to regain our balance as quickly as we could. Without thinking, I immediately projected a force field dome that surrounded us and protected us from the flying debris. I was immediately under pressure because I'd never done it before and I didn't even know I could. I definitely wouldn't be able to hold it for long. Even in the dome, some of the effects of what Kara was doing was still getting to us.
My mind raced as the thunder got louder and the rain got heavier. The windspeed increased at a steady rate. How could we stop someone as powerful as her? Not even the self-destructive energy blast I'd been banking on would be able to stop someone like her.
I thought wildly for a few seconds when it hit me - I couldn't fight her but I could at least, draw her away from this reality. I knew what I had to do and the price I was going to have to pay. I looked at Oyiza and managed a smile, even though it was a sad one. I held her hand and mouthed 'Everything is going to be okay'. She looked at me bewildered, wondering what I was going to do next. I kissed her hand and squeezed gently. Then I turned my eyes to my sister.
"Kara, enough", I yelled at her, raising both hands beside me as if in surrender. She hesitated as she glared in my direction, then made the weather just a bit calmer.
"Do you reconsider, brother?", her myriad of voices thundered.
"You win!", I said as I started to float towards her gently - carried by her Telekinesis. "I give in. I'll do what you want..."
My sister turned and looked at me for what seemed like forever as I was finally face to face with her. Inside her bright aura, I saw her try to speak. "...on one condition" , I finished. She cocked her head as she floated closer to me.
Everything seemed to fall quiet. It was still raining, but it was clear those on the ground could now hear our conversation.
"And what might that be?", she asked tentatively. Below us, someone must have tried to make a move because I felt my sister's power reach to the ground below and hold them all on the spot. I couldn't bring myself to look, because I was sure I'd do something stupid and ruin my chance to save them.
"First, do you love me, sister? Did you ever really love me? Or was this all about achieving your goal and in the end I was nothing but a chess piece to you...?", I asked sadly.
She floated to me and retracted her aura. Her eyes searched mine as she took my hands in hers, the rain beginning to drench us both.
"John, I love you more than anything in the world. Every single moment we had together was the best of my entire existence. No matter what my goal is, you're my big brother and I'm your baby sister...forever and always", she said as she gently placed her hand on my cheek. I squeezed her hand softly.
"Then take me. Let my friends live. You told me there are countless realities. We take Gaia, we concretise one of those realities and make a new world for ourselves. I'll stand with you. I'll stand by you. But please, let's let this reality be...", I pleaded. Kara looked from me to Gaia's unconscious frame that breathed softly as the rain pelted her body. She looked back at me solemnly.
"Do you know what you're asking for, John? You're asking me to concretise another reality." , she said.
I looked into her eyes and knew that this was the only way to save my friends and my world - by leaving them.
"Mom and Dad...?", I sniffed. She smiled softly.
"Don't worry, brother. They won't remember you. I'll clean their memories and the memories of other family and friends of you. You don't need to worry though, my duplicate will take care of them", she said solemnly. I looked below, at the people I'd fought side by side with. When I looked at Oyiza, sadness washed over me. I realised I'd fallen for her - I didn't know how or when, but I knew I had.
"...and them?", I asked, referring to Oyiza and the team. Just then, Gaia, still unconscious, began to float upwards towards us. Just behind her, Voilet followed. I heard Ben yell for my sister to give back Voilet. On the other hand, Voilet bore a solemn look on her face - one of loyalty to my sister's purpose, no matter the cost - after all, Kara was her 'mother'.
"I probably should tell you, brother; your friends are going to find their hands full with the GLS when their director finds out why he's not going to be a ruler in the new world. I'm sure they'll be able to handle that. I'm also going to release whatever telepathic hold I may have had on the Sigma Ones all over the world. From this moment, their choices are theirs...", she said as she glanced at my friends. If eyes could kill, Nene had killed Kara ten times over. I could have sworn I saw Kara wink at her.
"...also, I won't wipe your friends' memories of you or of what happened here today...", she said as she looked into my eyes. I started to feel her trying to enter my mind the way someone would try to pick the lock to a vault.
"...however, I can't have your attention be divided between me and them. So, I'm going to wipe your memories of them - you won't remember any of your encounters or experiences with them - your mind will be freed of that burden, brother", she said as she placed her palms on both of my temples. I couldn't remove her hands. I couldn't even move. I realised what she was trying to do.
Wide-eyed, I frantically thought up a solution while she started to pry the door to my mind open with her telepathy. She was too powerful for me to stop, so i dove into my own mind, desperately copying and stealing as many memories as I could and creating a hidden vault buried deep beneath my consciousness, I stashed the memories there using ONE WORD that would probably serve as a way to unlock my memories. As soon as I was done, I quickly surfaced to the original spot my memories were, just in time to 'see' her step in. She began turning my original memories of Oyiza, Nene and the others to ash.
In the real world, when she was done, she withdrew her hands. Woozy, I took one last look at Oyiza and smiled sadly before my vision blurred. I heard someone scream my name but I no longer knew who it was. I blacked out.
After what felt like a few seconds, I opened my eyes to see the beautiful face of my baby sister. She smiled at me and I mirrored her. I felt as if I'd just awoken from a deep sleep. I looked below me and saw all the destruction and debris around us. I frowned, wondering what could have happened, but not quite bothered about it. I saw a few people staring wide-eyed at me, my sister and her friends. I frowned even more - who were they and why were they staring at us? And why was the girl with the leaves surrounding her unconscious? My sister's soft voice snapped me out of my pondering.
"Ready to go build a new and perfect world, Lēohtan?", she beamed at me. I managed a smile but I felt my head throb a little bit. I turned my back on the people below and I heard a female voice yelling from below, trying to catch my attention.
"You'll have to explain what happened here to me though - I think I must have blacked out or something - but definitely, of course, sis. Let's go", I said.
A humming sound and a bright aura emanated from my sister's frame as she began to generate power. She smiled at me as she raised her hand and snapped her fingers.