Still Lies Pt. 2

Zephyr of Calypso, a name known all too well, and just as widely feared as all the other Calypsos. The most notable feature about her was her katana. With the most precision and accuracy with the blade, she can behead anyone with a single slash.

"Solas De Leux, huh...?" she muttered bitterly. 

"You... know me?" I asked.

"Hah. Are you saying that I shouldn't? Amnesia... What a convenient excuse."

I don't understand. What is she talking about? Am I supposed to know anything more than just her name?

"Zephyr," Astrid called out. "Not now."

Zephyr glared at me one last time, before turning away.

"Pft... And what do we have here?" Alexandria chuckled. "You recovered quicker than I thought. The first time wasn't enough for you?"

"Alexandria..." she muttered.

"Hah. What's this now? What's with that look? Are you starting to feel sorry for little ol' me? That's fucking hilarious. You... don't get to call me by my name."

She raised her arm high into the air, and at that moment, the diamonds in her eyes pulsed.

"Code: Metamorphosis."

Her arm fell, and so too did a massive blue lightning that shot down from the clear skies above. Zephyr immediately lifted her blade, successfully blocking the strike. It was amazing, but... Her arm fell into a limp. The sleeve of her jacket was burnt off, revealing bloody spots all around her hand and wrist.

"Zephyr!" Astrid shouted as she ran over.

"Ugh... Shit."

"Whoa~! Looks like you did learn some new tricks," Alexandria scoffed. "Then... Shall we try again?"

The moment she raised her arms, a flashbang flew right in front of her. As soon as it touched the ground, it popped, rendering all who looked at it blind. From the roof of a nearby building, a woman jumped off, pointing her sword at Alexandria. Before she could land a clean hit, Alexandria lifted her hand, blocking it.

"Minerva!" the woman shouted.

As she jumped away, yet another woman broke through a glass window from above. While falling, she aimed down a sniper rifle, tunneling on Alexandria's head. The gun fired with such force that she was sent flying back. The bullet flew through the sky, but Alexandria caught it right in between her two fingers. With a light snap, the bullet was cut in half.

The pair landed next to us, and I immediately recognized who they were.

"You're..." I muttered.

"Oh! Hey, Solly!" Loki grinned. "Long time no see, eh?"

"Uh... Hey...?

"Don't worry, buddy!" Minerva shouted. "We'll get you out of this pickle!"

"Oh gosh," Alexandria chuckled. "Calypso in the flesh, the traitorous squad—all gathered here, and for what? That boy... Just what is it that you're planning?" 

She began walking forward very slowly, but with each step, a bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky. I always knew Alexandria had a twisted side to her... but seeing it in person, I could only watch in fear.

"Just what did the High Order do to you, Frankenstein?" Astrid muttered. "Your code wasn't always this... destructive."

"Is it much of a surprise to you? Alexandria smirked. "Progression is everything in this city. There's only so much you can do without stripping your humanity and embracing progress. Like... protecting those you hold dear. How are you supposed to do that when you're just a lump of flesh?"

"It's sad to see that you learned nothing from Captain Nemesis," Zephyr said.

"Oh, please. Had I taken her words to heart, I would've ended up dead just like her. She's gone, so quit acting like her words hold any value to me."

"...What?" I mumbled.

Loki, Zephyr, Astrid, Minerva, and even Alexandria—they all turned to look at me, yet I could do nothing but focus on the words that kept repeating themselves in my head.

"Nelia... is dead...?"

"Huh? You didn't know?" Alexandria scoffed. "Of course she's dead. Why wouldn't she be?"

"But... Y-you... You told me that—"

"What, that she was still alive? Seriously? Hah. Well, guess what?" She then tilted her head with a taunting smile. "I lied."

It felt like everything inside me had shattered, leaving a hollow ache that gnawed at my chest. Every breath was shallow, and my heart pounded so hard it felt like I might pass out at any moment.

"Oh, why the sullen look, Solas?" Alexandria asked. "Did you really not know all this time? Nemesis was the captain of Calypso during the insurrection. Isn't it obvious since the High Order is here and Nemesis isn't?"

"Franky..." Loki growled. "That's enough."

But she ignored her. "You know what the funniest part is, though? All these years, you kept looking for her, believing that your precious older sister was still alive. And yet, you knew nothing of the monster she was—a killer who would take the lives of those she held dear! I guess it runs in the family, huh? Since it was none other than you who caused her death... Regulus."

"...What...?"

Suddenly, a sharp pain strung my head, even worse than before. My vision went bright then dark in just a single second.

It's... raining. Is that why it's so blurry?

"Solas..." a comforting, familiar voice of a woman whispered to me.

The moment I looked up, my eyes shot wide open.

"...Nelia...?" I mumbled.

But I couldn't make out her face. It was blurry, as if my mind was refusing to let me remember her features. I wouldn't have ever guessed who it was, but my heart was telling me... It was Nelia. A sword was piercing through her torso... and I... was the one holding that sword.

Just as quickly, the scene faded, replaced by a hall of shining light. Down an aisle with a red carpet, soldiers stood left and right, saluting me. Despite that, it was cold... and suffocating.

"We gather here today to honor Regulus, a valiant soldier of the High Order," a loud voice announced. "Due to his efforts, we have defeated Calypso and their defective allies. Please, a round of applause."

"Regulus! Regulus!" the soldiers chanted.

I fell to my knees, clutching my head, but the chanting of the name 'Regulus' continued.

Who is he...? And why are they looking at me? Make it stop... These are not my memories...! So why do I keep seeing them?!

My visions cleared as a single, heavy footstep rendered the entire area silent, commanding the attention of everyone around. Alexandria fell quiet, as if the mere presence of this person was enough to steal her voice. The sound of approaching footsteps continued, steady and deliberate, until they stopped... right behind me.

I turned slowly, dread creeping over me, unprepared for the sight that awaited. It wasn't who I was hoping it was, but at the same time... It wasn't at all who I was expecting.

Her long pink hair swayed slightly, and her mismatched eyes—one yellow, one blue—pierced through me just as deeply as they had before.

"...Judan?" I muttered, barely able to speak.

She remained silent, her gaze fixed on me, eyes narrowed with intensity. Her brows furrowed, her fists clenched, and her unchanged face... Every aspect was exactly as I remember it.

"Solas..." she whispered. "I..."

Even though I had always known it was possible I'd see her again someday, now that the moment was here, I had nothing to say. No words, no questions—just a blank stare at the person who was once my sister's best friend. My mind was as empty as the space between us. But the one thing I noticed, more than anything else, was that Nelia wasn't with her. She wasn't here at all.

"Nelia... Is... Is she really...? I... I killed her...?"

Holiday bit her lips, a sure sign that what I wanted to believe wasn't real was definitely real.

"I'm sorry, Solas..." she whimpered. "I'm... so, so sorry..."

My body went numb. Judan's face, along with everything else, became blurry.

Dead. Nelia... dead. I had held onto hope for so long, convinced she was out there somewhere, alive and waiting for me to find her. But this? It feels like every bit of air was crushed in my lungs.

I'd always been cautious about the possibility that Nelia was dead. Seven years is a long time to vanish without a trace, and yet, I'd stubbornly clung to the hope that she was still out there somewhere. Not gone—just missing.

I had convinced myself that one day I'd find her and bring her back home. Maybe that was just the wishful thinking of the kid I used to be, desperately trying to give himself a reason to keep going.

Seven years of searching, fighting, and hoping—all for nothing. My chest tightened, a painful, suffocating emptiness spreading through me. The world felt so much darker now, and for the first time, I realized… she was truly gone. All the questions and sleepless nights didn't matter anymore.

"Solas..." Holiday said as she rested her hand on my shoulder.

I looked up and met her gaze, her expression just as gentle as it had always been whenever we saw each other in the past.

"We don't have time right now," she mumbled. "I... I know how you feel. I know that I don't even have the right to show my face in front of you... but I promise... I'll explain everything. First, we need to get out of here."

She extended her hand toward me. For a moment, I hesitated. It was too much. My head was throbbing, and my heart felt like it was being weighed down by a ball and chain. But in that same instant, despite everything, there was a flicker of reassurance.

Just as my fingers touched hers, a deafening gunshot shattered the silence. I froze, unable to move. My fingers trembled, and though I willed myself forward, the searing pain in my back anchored me in place. My vision shifted, but I quickly realized it wasn’t my eyes tilting—it was my body.

Holiday dropped to her knees, catching me just before I hit the ground, her hands pressing against my back. I tried to speak, to say something, anything, but the pain swallowed every word before I could get it out.

"Jeez, what is this?" I heard Alexandria's voice call out. "It's like I'm watching a freaking melodrama."

"Solas...!" she called out with urgency. "Hey, Solas! Stay with me!"

Even as I heard her voice, I couldn't do anything about it. Instead, it felt like I was falling deeper and deeper into darkness. My eyes twitched, and slowly, they closed.