Lunar Trial

I land next to Miguel and Nebula.

Sun: "What happened...?"

Nebula: "Uh?"

She looks at me, confused. Miguel is also dazed.

Sun: "Did you defeat him?"

Miguel: "You're still alive after that beam?!"

Nebula: "Brother? How are you still here?"

Sun: "I'm pretty sure I died, but Anima didn't say anything this time. Everything went black, and now I'm back."

Miguel hugs me.

Miguel: "I'm so glad for you, man!"

Nebula: "Wait a second, were you hit by the beam? Or did you manage to dodge at the last second?"

Sun: "I was hit, nice and square."

Nebula: "Then how..."

Sun: "I probably revived, but without going back in time."

Nebula: "Since when can you do that?"

Sun: "After the fight with Mitsurugi. Remember? I died and came back after Slinger killed her."

Nebula: "But that's..."

Miguel: "Hey, that means you don't have to fear abandoning us anymore, right?"

Nebula: "There is a huge problem..."

She looks at the Guardian's book, which is now hers.

Nebula: "If you can't go back in time anymore... even if you revive, you can't fix the past."

Sun: "But I'm still effectively immortal, right? Anima didn't say my number of lives, so I guess I can just kill myself forever until I get strong enough to meet her."

Nebula: "That's not a good mindset!"

Sun: "You don't have to follow me, since you can't revive. How about you let me do it? I promise I'll be back."

Miguel: "I'm not sure about that. What if Anima changes her plans about you?"

Nebula: "And we're talking about gods here! You'd have to die so many times that your mind would be shattered beyond repair! You'd never be who you are now again!"

Miguel: "That's right, Sun. You can't do this alone."

Sun: "But... what if you die?"

Nebula: "Let's just be careful enough so that doesn't happen."

Miguel: "As I said before, I'd rather die with you than alone or of old age."

I stare at them, trying to understand their motivations. Or rather, mine, because I don't even know why I'm doing all this.

I could simply remain in this world, living a peaceful life, yet...

Sun: "Are you sure? This is your last chance to turn back."

They nod with determination.

...I feel like I'm doing the right thing, for once.

We enter the castle, which is almost empty, except for a few decorations here and there, like statues. They're all the same color: dark gray, like space rocks. However, there's a green aura surrounding the place.

Sun: "Oh, that reminds me. Miguel, did you tame that ethereal worm?"

The worm appears beside him, way smaller than before.

Miguel: "I can change its size. And the best thing: it's a summon, but with the strength of a legendary beast!"

Sun: "That's some nice last minute weapon against the final boss."

Nebula: "This book too."

The book floats in front of her, pointing to where we should go.

Sun: "We'll need that book to get to the moon. If we faced a Judge, he would help us if he found us worthy. The Guardians only protect these fortresses."

We walk until we find the center of the castle, where the tower begins. We look up; there is no roof.

Sun: "Do you think you can do this, Nebula? We can wait."

Nebula: "No, it's fine. I can handle this book well, as long as I don't overuse it."

She closes her eyes to concentrate. A green light emits from the book, forming a kind of elevator. The wind pushes us up a little since we are not in the middle of it.

I breathe slowly, preparing myself physically and mentally.

Sun: "Ready?"

They nod. We step into the elevator. Everything around us warps for a few seconds, then we teleport to a place similar to the castle we were in.

Sun: "This must be a lunar fortress."

Miguel: "What kind of genius was this Moon Cult?"

Sun: "They select some that can represent the universal elements. My name already explains my element, Nebula too."

Miguel: "What is mine?"

Sun: "That's that the Moon Cult is about. Finding candidates and what suits them best. You'd have something to do with summons."

Miguel: "Did you create this whole complex system?"

Sun: "Yes, it was all part of Sun's original story."

Miguel: "So you know what we're dealing with, right? That's why you suggested we step out."

Sun: "Yes. Unfortunately, this is the fastest way to get stronger. There might be a way to bring Shizuru, D, and Slinger back."

Nebula's eyes widen in shock.

Nebula: "So this is what you were talking about when you said Shizuru could be brought back?"

Sun: "Exactly. You can learn some way to resurrect people and souls. I don't really know how, though."

Nebula: "Why didn't you say that sooner...?"

Sun: "We had to get stronger before getting to this point. I was also afraid of a Judge or Guardian hearing our conversation and going after us."

Miguel: "If other people heard there was a way to resurrect souls, we would be targets for the rest of our lives."

Nebula: "I guess so, but..."

I place a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Sun: "Listen, this book has the answer to all our questions. Take your time to decipher its contents, but we need to get stronger, because healing and resurrection spells are hella expensive. If we can't defeat the Moon God, we can at least train."

Nebula: "What if he destroys the moon? Or worse yet, destroys our planet?"

Sun: "He won't. Gods have some limitations on what they can do, or the council may punish them. Anima can also stop him in time."

Nebula: "You're putting a lot of faith in someone who has sent people to kill you many times..."

Sun: "She said she had a reason for doing all this."

Nebula: "Besides, she doesn't sound very strong if she can't do anything directly."

Miguel: "Hey, it's no use wondering about her intentions now. We have an objective in mind, right?"

Nebula: "Right... I'm sorry, but I feel like there is something wrong with her."

Sun: "You're not alone. But I created her, and she knows it. She respects me as her creator, at the very least."