" Make yourselves comfortable. There's a guest room on board along with a master room that I'm not going to be using. They're right down the hall. "
Gareth says as he nods to the hallway and walks away to the window where he begins to look at the clouds flying past the cruiser as Roary starts to snore on the couch.
" Alright. "
Tom says to Gareth before he looks at you.
" I'm not going to be sleeping either, Donny. You and Mimi can take the rooms for the night. "
" Yeah, I'm getting kinda sleepy… "
Mimi says as she rubs her eyes before she looks up at you and asks you a question.
" Can I get the master room, Star Faller? "
You look back down at Mimi with a smile and respond.
" Sure, Mimi. The master room is all yours. "
" YAYY!! Thank you! "
She exclaims before she runs into the hallway. You then look back at Tom and respectfully refuse his offer.
" I got plenty of sleep in the castle. I appreciate you looking out for me, but I think you deserve some much needed rest as well. "
Tom looks at you with gratitude as he nods his head.
You begin to ask Tom for a private conversation about what you saw earlier when you used the book, but right when you open your mouth, Mimi pokes her head out from the hallway and calls out to you.
" Are you coming, Star Faller? You gotta see these rooms!! "
Tom smiles gently as he motions his head towards Mimi.
" Go on. We can talk after she's asleep. "
As you enter the hallway, Mimi grabs your hand and leads you into the master room. Once you're inside and the door shuts behind you, multiple projectors inside the room kick on and the walls of the room disappear as the room turns into a peaceful coastline at night. Mimi jumps onto the giant bed in the center of the room and looks around in amazement as she talks to you.
" Doesn't it look real?! "
You sit down on the bed next to Mimi and look around at the projected environment with awe. It's trippy because you can hear and see waves crashing and birds flying far off in the distance around you, but there actually is no distance beyond the walls of the room. Somehow the projectors are able to perfectly simulate an artificial environment in the room that's indistinguishable from what an actual beach would feel like. This is yet another example of Voldoor's astounding technology.
" Yeah. "
You say before Mimi sits down on the bed next to you. She looks at you and grins playfully as she talks to you.
" Bet you wish you knew how cool this room was before you gave it to me, huh? "
You smile back at Mimi and match her playful energy as you respond.
" Yeah, I might take it back now that I see how cool it is… "
A wave of panic suddenly washes over Mimi's face before she jumps up and hurriedly gets under the covers.
" No take backs! I'm already in bed so you're too late to switch me now! "
You laugh under your breath before you lay down next to Mimi and look up at the beautiful night sky that's projected onto the roof of the room.
" I'm only teasing… "
You say before Mimi looks up at the night sky with you. For a moment, things are quiet as you both admire the stars that are glimmering above you. In this peaceful moment of admiration, you can't help but think about Rosie. Looking up at the night sky was the last thing that you did with her before she died. You feel a deep longing to see your daughter again, but you're sorrowful because you know that it's not going to happen.
Mimi speaks up, breaking the silence as she talks to you.
" Star Faller…? "
" Yes, Mimi? "
You reply in a soft tone. Mimi continues with her question anxiously.
" When we were back in the castle… you said that you talked to Mama and Papa when you were dreaming… and that they wanted you to stay with me to keep me safe… "
You look over at Mimi laying beside you.
" Yeah… "
" Well… when you said that, I wanted to ask you if my Mama and Papa are really together again… but I was too nervous to speak up and interrupt in front of the King… "
You reach over and gently hold Mimi's hand as you reassure her.
" Yes, Mimi. Your parents are happily together again in the afterlife. After Tom and I freed your father, he went to be with Veronica in Havnahm… "
Mimi looks at you confused.
" You freed my Papa? What do you mean, Star Faller…? "
You take a deep breath as you contemplate whether telling Mimi the truth is a good idea. You would definitely want Rosie to know the truth if she asked a similar question about you if you had died, so after a brief pause, you tell Mimi the truth.
" The reason why your father disappeared was because he became possessed by a bad spirit called a Valghul. The man that we saw in the cafe was your father, but his body was being controlled by something else. That's why he told you that he wasn't your Papa.
Tom and I fought this Valghul when we left the cafe through the portals, and thanks to the book that I've been carrying around, I was able to break your father free from the bad spirit's grasp. Using the book made me really tired though, and when I was in Somniohm, Faerah and your parents paid me a visit to thank me. "
Tears begin to run down Mimi's face as she speaks to you.
" I miss them, Star Faller… "
In order to comfort her, you move closer to her and she snuggles up next to you, laying her head on your chest as she cries. You feel yourself getting emotional as well, seeing that she's suffering from the same grief that you've been dealing with. She's lost both of her parents against forces that were beyond her control, just like how you lost your wife and daughter in a very similar way. You hold back your tears as you gently hold her and do your best to help ease her pain.
" I know, Mimi. They miss you too and they love you very much. Tom and I are going to do our very best to make sure that the bad spirits don't win, that way you'll be able to spend as much time as you'd like with your parents after this is all over… "
Mimi continues to cry as she hugs you tightly, and after she sobs for a while, she starts to feel a little better.
" Do you wanna know something? "
You ask her in an attempt to get her mind onto something more positive.
" Hm? "
Mimi mumbles as her face is buried in your shirt.
" Noeh wanted me to tell you that you're destined for greatness and he would miss you as well. Right before he disappeared, he told me that he read your book in Athanohm and you have a very bright future ahead of you. He said that he was honored to have met you at your age. "
Mimi looks up at you with disbelief as she lays on you.
" Really? He said that about me? "
You smile softly and nod your head as you look down at her. She returns a happy smile and lets go of you to lay in the bed looking up at the sky again.
" Then that settles it… "
Mimi says with a sigh as she calmly gazes at the stars.
" I really look up to you, Star Faller. Back when Mama got sick, you fought for her and tried your best to make her feel better when you didn't have to. You also saved my Papa, and now Mama and Papa are happily together because of you. You're strong, and nice, and you always care about others. I've been thinking about this alot, but I feel like now I've made up my mind… One day I'm gonna be strong just like you, Star Faller… I wanna help people just like you did for us… I'm gonna be… be… "
Mimi says as her speech slows until she quietly drifts off into sleep. You look at her with kind eyes as she breathes softly with her eyes closed and you carefully get up from the bed.
" Goodnight, Mimi… "
You say before Tom reaches out to you telepathically.
" Donny? You ready to talk before I get some rest? "
" Yeah… "
You respond to him telepathically.
" I'm out in the hallway. "
Tom says before you walk back to the door and exit the master room quietly. You see him standing in front of a window, looking out onto the dark surface of Aria under the night sky below the cruiser. You approach him and stand beside him before taking a deep breath and sharing the view with him.
" I'm sure by now you understand who she was created to remind you of. "
Tom says in an empathetic tone.
" Yeah… Noeh told me… "
You reply sorrowfully. Tom continues to talk to you as he looks out the window.
" It's a bit of a paradox, isn't it? The One being able to create perfect beings like the Gods of this universe, but being an imperfect being himself. I remember the day I lost you like it was yesterday… Rosie didn't deserve what happened to her. Neither did you. "
You fight back the feeling of grief and respond to Tom from a wise perspective.
" It was a misunderstanding. As much as it pains me to know the truth about what happened in my past, they were important memories that I needed to recover. I understand why you're fighting for The One and I agree with his philosophy just like you do. Life is worth living, even though it can be hard and unforgiving sometimes… "
You say as Tom continues to silently stare out the window. After a brief pause, you ask him a question.
" Speaking of that, the Valghul mentioned that you made some sort of deal with The One in exchange for power… I asked Sowzo about it but he told me that I should ask you. I still can't grasp how I have this incredible dormant power and connection with The Absolute, but you're his son just like I am. Why would you have to make a deal with The One in exchange for more power? Wouldn't you have the same power as me? "
Tom remains silent for a moment before taking a deep breath. You can tell that he's thinking hard about something before he answers you telepathically.
" Do you want the truth, Donny? "
You nod your head and Tom sighs before he continues to speak to you telepathically.
" Then I'll give it to you. This conversation must remain telepathic and the information that I'm about to give you shouldn't ever be spoken out loud. If I tell you this, you must promise to keep it a secret. "
You nod your head as you respond to him telepathically.
" I promise. "