Ibis saw him and cried.
“Acheus,” she screamed.
Ace tensed up, thinking that it was still Deceit.
This is it. I’m ready. Just let it happen.
Ibis ran up to him and hugged him. Ace was confused and she sobbed into his chest heaving and sniffling.
“Where is Aelius,” she whispered. “Where is my son?”
Ace’s eyes went wide at the mention of his name and he started to hyperventilate.
“Where is my father,” she pleaded. “Say something!”
“They’re gone,” Ace cried.
He dropped the sword and gripped her tight. “I’m sorry,” he cried. “I’m weak. I’ve failed you.” Ace and Ibis consoled each other, crying in each other's arms, and Amity watched, angry and jealous.
Amity was there for her, helping her through every step of her plan. This boy was always taking what was hers. No longer would she let Deceit get distracted by the weakness of human emotions. Amity ran and picked up the sword from the ground.
Immediately she burst into flames.
Ace and Ibis screamed, as Amity finally died, in the white-hot flames, and collapsed to the ground.
“What did you do,” Ibis whimpered.
“It wasn’t me,” Ace whispered. “It’s the sword. It’s alive.”
Ibis gave him an incredulous look, and Ace nodded furiously. “Why don’t you believe me? You died, and now you’re here!”
The fire extinguished, leaving only ash, and Ace grimaced as he picked up the sword from the ground. It was warm, and Ace no longer wanted to die. The warm embrace of his wife, and the sunrise filtering through the trees, made him want to stay.
His thoughts were interrupted yet again by his misguided guardian angel.
I will only let those worthy touch me, Unas declared. Only those of pure blood or pure soul.
“ What does that even mean,” Ace asked.
You must be a virgin or one of us.
Ace didn’t understand what virginity had to do with anything and didn’t want to know anymore.
“Where are we,” Ibis asked.
She was hysterical and confused, and Amity’s death did nothing to abate her fears, as to her Amity was a good person who had led her to her husband.
“We’re at my home,” Ace told her. “Back to where I should have been.”
“Your home is terrifying,” Ibis screamed.
“It’s not always like this. I promise.”
He took her hand and rubbed his nose with the other, trying to get the snot, dirt, and tears off his face. “I’m not going to fail you this time,” Ace said. “We’re getting out of here.”
“You never failed me,” Ibis assured him. “You loved me, didn’t you? Cared for me?”
Ace nodded but he still did not believe her. She stood on her toes, and Ace noticed she was waiting for him. He leaned down to kiss her, and he was no longer scared or worried.
It was only him and the woman he loved, and he knew that was all he wanted for the last two and a half days. The sounds of war, the sounds of the forest, everything disappeared as he kissed her, and held her tight. They stopped kissing and Ace looked into her eyes, feeling that he was seeing her for the first time all over again.
“I love you. I want to be with you forever. I want to leave here, and start all over with you. I want to forget about this place.”
Ibis sniffled and hugged him hard. “I love you too,” she said. “I told you I’d be back. I’m just glad you waited for me.”
“It wasn’t very long,” Ace grinned. “Only about three days.”
He kissed the top of her head, and she sighed, happy once again to be in his arms. “How can we leave here,” Ibis mumbled. “There are demons all around us.”
You have no idea how many there truly are.
“I don’t know how,” he admitted. “But I’ll try to make it out. Come with me.”
Ibis held his hand and they traveled back the way Ace came. By the time he had returned, help from the city of New Springfield and the National Guard had arrived.
They made a blockade around the Training Center and the nearby dorm buildings. Helicopters whirred above, shooting down the flying balls of flesh in the sky, striking the skin beasts.
“What are these strange animals,” Ibis asked, pointing at the cars.
“Those are cars,” Ace replied. Ibis was even more confused.
“Iron horses,” Ace tried.
“ Iron horses, ” she screamed. “ Is everything here magic!?”
“Kind of,” Ace mumbled.
A soldier approached them, and Ibis panicked. She clung to Ace, and Ace reassured her that he was a soldier to help them.
“Your soldiers are made of metal as well,” Ibis whispered.
His clothes were normal combat armor, in all black, with protective metal on top of his joints. He held an M4 assault rifle and tried to keep his distance as Ibis was terrified of him and he had enough problems already.
“The shield is down,” the man shouted. “The train is in operation! Leave with the other civilians while we take care of the rest!”
“Thank the gods,” Ace sighed. “We’re getting out of here.”
He took Ibis’s hand and walked as fast as he could. The rain had long ended, but there were still many limbs on the streets, bodies, and blood smeared around.
“Where are we going,” Ibis asked.
“We’re getting on a train,” Ace said. “We can be done with this. ”
“What is a train,” Ibis asked.
Ace spent the rest of their walk towards the train station behind the western Training Center explaining what trains, steam, electricity, science, and lightbulbs were.
“This is magic,” she asserted. “It has to be.”
“Kind of,” Ace mumbled. “Science is just magic with more rules.”
Ibis seemed to take this for an appropriate answer, and she was now in awe of the Training Center’s entrance.
“What is this temple’s purpose,” she wondered aloud. “What god is it for?”
“The god of capitalism,” Ace said dryly.
“This god is he the strongest of them all. He must be if his temple is so large.”
“Sadly yes."
They joined a crowd of many other people that were trying to evacuate, and the train could only fit so many people at once. Those without abilities were given preference, and Ace was furious that they would be the last to leave. He started to complain, but then one of the soldiers raised his rifle.
“Why did you bring that monster here,” he screamed.
“This, this is my wife,” Ace shouted.
Everyone turned to watch, and when some of the people recognized Ibis, they ran in terror.
“What is happening Acheus,” Ibis screamed. She was terrified because everyone else was terrified and didn’t understand what was happening. Ace remembered that the only difference between Deceit and Ibis was eye color and that everyone thought he had brought in a war criminal to kill more defenseless people.
“Back away from her,” the soldier screamed.
“No,” Ace barked.
Another soldier came from behind him and pried her off him. She screamed and was silenced as they shot her in the chest, her body limp as the soldier held her by the back of her costume.
“I got her,” he shouted. “I, we win!”
“Let her go,” Ace cried.
“Are you a traitor,” one of the soldiers asked. “Did you bring her here, knowing what she is? ”
They glared at him, and Ace was now afraid to die when an hour earlier he had accepted he would. He swallowed his pride and lied.
“No,” he replied. “I’ve been hiding inside the dorms with the others.”
The soldiers believed him, as he was slightly cleaner than everyone else, with his change of clothes and shower.
“I’m taking her with me,” the first soldier said. “She’s dangerous.”
“Let me come,” Ace pleaded. The soldiers now did not believe his lie, and instead believed that he was working with her.
“Let’s take him to Maximillian,” the second soldier said. “He’s working with the demon.” Swiftly, the soldier put a grounder on his wrist.
Ace was unable to tear it off.
Most grounders were made of cheap material, but this military-grade one was thick and weighed down his entire arm. They dragged him and took Ibis’s body into a vehicle.
“I’m not working with any of those monsters,” Ace told them. “They tried to kill me!”
“Then why did you call her your wife,” the soldier barked.
Ace cried as he sat next to the corpse of his wife in the back seat, praying that she would come back again, that she was strong enough to make it. Halfway to their destination, the corpse started to twitch, and Ace stopped crying.
She’s okay. We can go home.
Her eyes opened and terror washed over Ace as Deceit’s brown eyes stared at him.
