“Holy shit.” Zack said, as he saw the grounds of Hell. He was on a Balcony, overlooking a desolated landscape. Lava, and magma was everywhere. He could see, hear souls burning. They were all in pain, a pain that he couldn’t stop, or help. They did something to end up here though, they probably deserved to burn… But, it still didn’t bring him joy to see it.
“Nothing Holy about this place, boy.” He heard Lucifer say behind him. But he sounded different… His voice was deeper, and it sounded… Angrier in general. Zack was almost too afraid to turn around, when he did he was stunned. Standing before him was this large red skinned man. Goat legs, muscular beyond belief. His face was the worst part though, a twisted sneer, that seemed like it was permanent.
“You look… Different.” Was all Zack said, Lucifer glared down at him. Not like he could tell, as far as Zack could see, he always looked like that. Little did they know that after they had entered the Portal. They were followed by Bondeshire.
“That’s because here, I can manifest in my true form. Not that pathetic bag of flesh that you are.” Lucifer told him, Zack huffed. It was better than having a goat dick as far as Zack was concerned. Bondeshire decided to choose this moment to make himself known.
“We shall see Lucifer.” Bondeshire said, coming out from his hiding spot, and standing next to Zack. He glared right up at Lucifer without showing the slightest bit of fear. Lucifer glared at him, Bondeshire smirked.
“What are you doing here?” Lucifer asked, Bondeshire cleared his throat. He was about a head and a half taller than Zack. Though he only came up to Lucifer’s chest.
“I am here to train the boy. You want this Spirit Child, Zack needs to have full access to all his abilities. The only one who can help with that is me. I know how his Spirit works, and you can't touch it yourself.”
“Oh, but I can. That pathetic means of protecting him you had is gone. There is no Divinity in his Spirit. The Cross is gone.” Lucifer told him, Bondeshire glared at Zack for a moment, before looking back to Lucifer.
“He still absorbed the Power from it. The Divinity is still present inside him.” Bondeshire corrected him, Lucifer grunted.
“I would say you’re lying, but I know you aren’t. No one can deceive me. So, fine, you get to train them. But you better not try anything stupid.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Bondeshire responded, Lucifer scoffed at him, and looked to Zack.
“He will escort you to your room. Now, I must go, and torture some poor, unfortunate soul.” Lucifer told him matter-of-factly before striding away. Bondeshire looked to Zack. Seeing if the boy recognized him.
“Are you Bondeshire? Bondeshire Keire?” Zack asked, Bondeshire was happy, but he didn’t show it. He only gave the boy a stiff nod.
“I am. You are my son. Zack Domino Keire.” Bondeshire informed his son, Zack smiled.
“So, that’s my middle name.”
“Your mother picked it out.” Bondeshire told him gruffly, Zack nodded, and looked out to the burning landscape. Then he asked the big question.
“Where is she? She gave up her soul in place of mine, so where is she?” Zack asked, Bondeshire looked down at the ground.
“I do not know. I just got here myself if you recall. But if she is yet here, I will find her.” Bondeshire told him, Zack smiled.
“Good. I want to meet her too… So, did you send Tanner?” Zack asked. At the mention of the name Bondeshire growled in anger.
“No. Why was he after you? What did he want now?” Bondeshire asked, turning to his son, who was surprised by the sound of pure hate in his voice.
“He wanted me to go with him to meet his Boss. Whoever that is.” Zack told him, Bondeshire nodded, and crossed his arms. He shut his eyes for a few seconds before glaring at Zack.
“Why didn’t you bring the cross? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Bondeshire demanded, Zack was taken aback by this.
“I… Gave it to a friend, so she could remember me.”
“That was foolish of you. You are lucky to be alive. I guess it doesn’t matter anymore, come on.” Bondeshire said, before moving forwards at a brisk pace. Zack followed him. The two moved through the large halls. Zack would bet that this was some kind of Dark Palace, most likely in the center of Hell.
He couldn’t believe this was actually happening to him. Hell was real, and so was the Devil. That means that Heaven was real, and it needs a Ruler, so God was a real thing. All these stories about the start, and end of the world. All of it was real. That blew his mind, he wondered however, how did all the other religions get it so wrong if it was here the whole time?
Before Zack knew it he was in front of a large door. Bondeshire had stopped in front of it. Zack looked at it, as Bondeshire opened the door. He allowed Zack to step inside. Zack admired the room for a moment.
It looked more like a house. There was a kitchen, several rooms. It looked like it was meant to be shared, but… Who would be staying with him? Bondeshire? Lucifer himself? No, it couldn’t be them. Zack turned to see Bondeshire with a serious look. That seemed to be his default expression.
“This is your room. I will come get you tomorrow, at six A.M. be ready, and be respectful. You are still my son, and a member of the Keire lineage.” Bondeshire reminded him, Zack gave him a funny look and nodded. Bondeshire closed the door to the room. Zack turned around, and walked through the room.
He heard something making noise in another part of the room, he furrowed his brows, then went to investigate. If it was a demon, he was fucked. The noise was coming from a closed door, Zack frowned, and placed his hand on the handle.
He took a breath, then pushed the door open, looking inside. He was surprised to see a girl in her underwear. He screamed in surprise, this caused her to scream as well, and covered herself with a nearby pillow from a bed.
“Get the fuck out!” She yelled at him, Zack panicked, and shut the door. He turned around and fell against it. He placed a hand on his heart. It was pumping rather quickly, he hoped it wouldn’t explode. A few minutes later, he had calmed down, and the girl opened the door. She was dressed in a black shirt, and dark jeans now. She let Zack inside the bed room. They sat on the bed.
Zack looked at her, she was tan, and lean, like she had been working out. She was also one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen. The girl had black hair put up in a bun, with the bangs covering her forehead, she was pale and wore black eyeliner, and red lipstick. She also had these dark green eyes.
“I… Didn’t think anyone else was here. Sorry.” Zack apologized. She frowned, and crossed her arms.
“I didn’t think you would actually come. Do you know what’s going on?” She asked him, he gave her a funny look, and shrugged.
“No, not really. And, you were expecting me?” Zack asked, the girl made a so-so motion.
“Kinda, they said that someone else was coming, I didn’t know who, but this makes sense… You’re Zack Keire. Son of Bondeshire, and Ellise.”
“You know who I am?” Zack asked her, she nodded.
“Yeah. I’m Rebecca Lancaster. Everyone in the Spirit community knows about the ‘Little Miracle.’” She told him, he hummed.
“Really? That’s what they call me?” Zack asked, Rebecca nodded.
“Yeah. You were a baby when you got the name. Child of two of the most famous Spirit Users in history, saved by some Divine intervention. It was a big deal, it still is. Everyone has been looking for you since then, but no one could find you. I only recognized you because you look like your dad.” She told him, he hummed.
“Well, Rebecca. I’m glad you’re here, make this place seem a bit more bearable.” Zack told her with a smile, she laughed.
“Yeah, I’m sure… So, I was checking this place out, and this is the only bedroom, and the bathroom is in here. That might make things awkward.” She told him, he furrowed his brows.
“I’m more concerned with why we’re here in the first place.” Zack replied, she nodded.
“That’s high on my list too. I hope they tell us soon.” She said, looking down at the ground. Zack smiled at her.
“My dad said that he’ll come and get me at six A.M. I’d assume he means you too, but I’m not sure.” Zack said, Rebecca’s eyes widened.
“Your dad is here?” She asked in wonder, Zack nodded.
“Yeah, apparently. Though he’s not dead, he’s alive. I think…” Zack trailed off, she shrugged.
“Doesn’t matter. He’s one of those people you hide behind while he uses spirit to destroy an entire room with a flick of his wrist.” Rebecca told him, Zack blinked.
“Did he do that?”
“A bunch of times. Though his most famous use of Spirit is when he raged a one man war on The Black Blood Order. This was shortly after you, and your siblings went out of the picture. He used Earth Spirit to collapse an entire cave on top of those guys. When they were finally dug out, we saw that they had torn each other apart.” She explained to him, Zack nodded.
“What’s the Black Blood Order?” Zack asked, Rebecca furrowed her brows.
“They’re an evil order. Not much is really known about them… Other than the fact that they want to destroy the Gem of Life, and kill the Guardians, so they can corrupt it and end all life on Earth.” Rebecca told him, Zack gave her a look.
“Wait, what? That’s stupid, they’d die too!” Zack exclaimed, Rebecca nodded.
“Exactly! That’s why I don’t get it! I was doing some research over them right before I was taken.” Rebecca told him, he hummed.
“How were you taken?” Zack asked, Rebecca thought for a moment.
“Well… It was a member of the Black Blood Order that took me… He was pretending to be a librarian… Then he told me that there was a special section Spirit, and its history. I told him to take me there, and… I think he knocked me out. I woke up here… That was two days ago now.” Rebecca recalled, Zack nodded, and rubbed the back of his head.
“How was he pretending to be a librarian?” Zack wondered.
“From what we know… Black Blood Order isn’t just a pretty name… It’s literal. The members have this… Black Blood flowing through their veins. Don’t ask how, maybe it’s Blood Spirit. The point is that… It gives them unique powers, how they work exactly are unknown… But one is that it lets them take the form of another person for a time.” Rebecca explained to him. Zack pursed his lips, and hummed.
“That’s scary…” Zack trailed off once again, Rebecca nodded.
“I know right? Anyway… I’m pretty tired… It’s like midnight probably? At least on Earth, there’s clocks in here… But, I can't help but wonder why… This is hell.” She said, Zack thought for a moment.
“Maybe… Anything that’s destroyed in anger comes here?” He suggested, she shrugged and fell back on the bed.
“I don’t know… But, I’m tired…” She yawned. Zack smiled and stood up, stretching a bit.
“Okay then. I’ll be on the couch… Do you want me to come and wake you up if I’m up first?” Zack asked, Rebecca nodded. “Okay then Rebecca, see you in the morning.” Zack said before walking towards the door. He placed his hand on the handle, and stopped when he heard Rebecca’s voice.
“Hey… It’s Becca to my friends okay?” She suggested gently, he smiled and laughed a little bit.
“Okay then Becca. See you in the morning, have a good night.” Zack told her respectfully before leaving the room. He shut the door behind him, and walked to the couch. He flopped down on it.
This didn’t make sense… Hell was supposed to be this terrible horrid place. Even if this was a Palace… He didn’t expect it to look so… Well, normal. I mean, the colors were all dark reds, and blacks. Some greys mixed in, but… It just felt too much like Earth. Showers, clocks. No windows however. Zack wondered why exactly he was here, why Rebecca was here, and more importantly… What would the rest of his friends think of his sudden, unexpected absence?
An Unbreakable Bond.
“Okay… So, why are we here?” Zack asked as Bondeshire led him and Rebecca through the palace. Bondeshire didn’t answer him, only kept walking. He had barely said a thing since he got them from their room. He led them out to a courtyard eventually.
It was baron, looked like there had been grass at one point, which had since been burned away, leaving the four large patches black. Several dead trees were also present in the large courtyard. They looked up and saw a red sky. It seemed to have several… What looked like clouds swirling around a large black hole? That was the only explanation Zack could think of.
“So… What now?” Zack asked, Bondeshire grit his teeth, and his hand clenched into a fist. He turned around, and in one motion punched Zack in the face sending him flying into a tree. Zack slammed against it, spreading out like a starfish before falling on the ground. Rebecca just stared on horrified, scared to say anything.
“You are here to train! And judging by how you took that punch, I have a lot of work to do.” He said, Zack coughed and stood up, he held his face. There was no bruise, but it still hurt like hell. That was the thing however… That… Should have killed him, or at the very least broken his spine. But Zack was fine, aside from a sting, and ache in his face, and back respectively.
“Train? For what?” Zack asked. Bondeshire sighed. Zack moved back next to Rebecca.
“Lucifer wants the two of you to have a child. A child that he will then corrupt by raising it here, and teaching it to hate, and to destroy the natural world.” Bondeshire explained, Zack and Rebecca shared a look.
“What?” They both yelled loudly, Bondeshire winced, and glared at them both.
“The two of you have the highest Spirit Level in the current world. That’s the reason. A child born of you would surpass any Spirit User in recorded history. Plus one of you has the aptitude for Divine Spirit… The only Spirit User in history to be able to use this power.” Bondeshire explained to him, Zack frowned.
“If I’m the only one, then how do you know it’s just not more Spirit?” Zack asked, Bondeshire sighed.
“We are able to detect Spirit if we hone our abilities. There are three forms of Divine Spirit we know of. Soul Spirit. Blood Spirit. And Raw Spirit. Each is incredibly dangerous, and unpredictable. No one has had the affinity to control them at all.” Bondeshire told them, Rebecca thought for a moment.
“What about the Black Blood Order?” She asked him. He glared at her.
“They use a special ritual using the Spirit of Darkness, and the existing blood in one’s body. Easy enough to reverse if you know how.” He explained, Zack and Rebecca shared a look.
“So, no one has ever had the ability to control Soul, Blood, or Raw Spirit? Then how did you find it in the first place?” Zack asked.
“We found it in the air. In the place between Dimensions. It was all around us, almost no one can see it however. It is called Divine Spirit because from ancient writings, when the world was new. There are writings about all forms of Spirit. Whether it be what we use. Divine Spirit, or Unholy Spirit. We don’t know who documented this, but everything we know so far about Spirit points this to be correct.” Bondeshire explained, Zack hummed.
“So… The Devil wants me and Becca to have a child? So he can raise it here to be a sociopath, and send it to kill everything… That’s… That’s not good.” Zack said, Rebecca nodded.
“Yeah! I mean, I’m not going to sleep with him! No offense.”
“None taken. Plus, I’m taken myself so, yeah. Not going to happen.” Zack said adamantly, Bondeshire sighed.
“You don’t even need to sleep with her. The Writings also said how to make Life. With Divine Spirit. Thus, you could use Soul, Blood, and Raw Spirit to create life. Or even take it away.” Bondeshire told him, Zack shifted uncomfortably.
“So… You’re saying I could play God?”
“If you were of a weaker mind, you might try to do so. But I know you better Zack. You are my son, not some fool trying to become a God. I’m just telling you, that no matter what Lucifer will try and force you into something. It’s the whole reason your room is the way it is. It’s designed to be comfortable for you two. Designed for you to become close, and then eventually… Create the ‘perfect’ child.” Bondeshire scoffed.
“So, you’re here to train us… Why?” Zack asked, Bondeshire gave him a look, and then smiled. It scared both of them to see him smiling, though his demeanor, and eyes remained hostile.
“We’re going to stop him. Rip him apart. He plans for you to return to Earth three months from now… The reason however… Is beyond me, maybe it is to build trust… I do not know. The point is, when he is on Earth his power is lowered tremendously.” Bondeshire explained, before pausing for a moment.
“It’s too close to Heaven. It weakens him, that’s why he appears human on Earth. If you two are trained correctly by me, the three of us may be able to kill his Natural body. Preventing him from ever returning to that world.” Bondeshire finished. Zack and Rebecca exchanged a look.
“Kill the Devil… That’s… Almost exactly like they explained you to be… Courageous, but also bat shit crazy… I’m in.” Rebecca said, crossing her arms, Zack looked at her curiously.
“Is that really how they describe me? I would have thought that coward would have branded me a traitor, and a threat to the natural world.” Bondeshire said, Rebecca shifted uncomfortably.
“That too, but I’ve always looked at you as a Hero. As far as I’ve seen Udina didn’t have a valid reason for you being a traitor. He just said that you disrespected him, and broke his trust.” Rebecca told him, Bondeshire grunted as anger came to his expression once again.
“He’s a liar. I’ll leave it at that. We need to focus. I trust you’ve been training for two years now?” He asked her, she nodded.
“Yes. I’ve attended the Precipice Spirit Camp for two years as well as my real training with my parents.” She told him, Bondeshire nodded.
“Good. It will be easier to start off. I don’t use traditional methods, in case you couldn’t discern that for yourself.” He told her, she smirked at him, and crossed her arms.
“Bring it on.”
“I like your confidence. But you’ll need more than that. Your opponent can strike at you anytime. You must be prepared for that.” Bondeshire told her seriously, she nodded. She figured that he told her that to prepare her in case he came flying at her randomly. That way she didn’t lose her cool.
“Always.” Was all she said, he smiled and looked to his son with a disapproving frown. Zack was staring at the ground. Bondeshire noticed he was fingering a ring on his finger. He let out a sigh.
“Zack.” Bondeshire said to get his sons attention. Zack’s head snapped up at him. “You’ve had no training whatsoever. That’s what I’d assume, Tanner didn’t try anything did he?” Bondeshire asked, Zack crossed his arms and hummed.
“Well, he said that something in me awakened when I was put into contact with his and Miranda’s Spirit Energy. He explained a little bit, but not much. Said that it enhances your abilities.” Zack said, Bondeshire nodded.
“Correct. Spirit Energy has another effect on you. For you it should be purely passive, no concentration needed. It makes you be able to take more, and dish more out. That’s how I punched you with such force. Only a small piece of that punch was my physical strength. The rest was Spirit Energy enhancing it. Usually you have to sacrifice a piece of your Spirit Energy to do this, it’s small even then… But with you, you just have it constantly going. No effort required.” Bondeshire explained. Zack nodded.
“So, I am stronger now? Because I’ve been in contact with Spirit?” Zack asked, Bondeshire nodded.
“Yes. You can learn to devote more and more energy to this power. But that will be done later, you shouldn’t need it initially. For now you must master the different types of Spirit. You will start with the three main Spirits on the Light side of the spectrum. Fire. Wind. And Light itself.” Bondeshire told him, Zack nodded.
“Where do we start?” Zack asked, Rebecca smiled at his enthusiasm. Bondeshire ignored him and looked to Rebecca.
“What Spirits can you use?” Bondeshire asked her. She didn’t hesitate to answer.
“I specialize in Wind. I can use Fire, Ice, and a little bit of Light Spirit.” She answered, he hummed.
“Good. Your Spirit is compatible with Zack’s. I know he will Specialize primarily in Light, and Wind. Just like his mother.” Bondeshire said, Zack frowned.
“Why wouldn’t I specialize in what you do?” Zack asked, Bondeshire smiled at him.
“If I have my way, you will. The end goal here is for you to Master all forms of Spirit. This starts with the Six Primary. You know what they are right?” Bondeshire asked. Zack thought for a moment.
“I’m guessing Light, Wind, and Fire are three… Ice is probably there too. And if we’re talking opposites then Darkness would be one… But what would the opposite of Wind be?” Zack asked, Bondeshire smiled at his son.
“It would be Earth. Wind represents the freedom of your Spirit. Earth represents you being stuck in the same place. Wind is light, Earth is heavy. It’s important for you to understand these things. You need to know the Pros, and Cons of every Spirit.” Bondeshire told him, Zack nodded.
“What do you specialize in though?” Zack asked, Bondeshire smiled.
“I specialize in Darkness, and Ice Spirit. I predicted you would specialize in Light, and Wind because of your personality.”
“What do you mean?” Zack asked him, Bondeshire sighed.
“Spirit is controlled by several things. The most prominent of which is your Personality, and Emotion. You’re my son. I’ll always know you, and who you are. It’s my job to do so. You’re bright, happy, and friendly. These are all qualities of a person who will specialize in Light Spirit.” Bondeshire told him, this reminded Zack of something.
“Okay… But… What exactly is a Chosen? Tanner said that my friend Rhyme was one, but he didn’t really explain what he meant.” Zack explained, Bondeshire nodded, and crossed his arms.
“The Chosen are a group of people with Unique Spirit Powers. Each holds only one element of Spirit itself. The Chosen were the first Spirit Users. Since the beginning of time essentially, there have been Chosen. Six Chosen to be specific. Light, Wind, Fire, Ice, Earth, and Darkness.”
“So… Is Rhyme immortal then?” Zack asked, Bondeshire shook his head.
“Each time a Chosen dies, if they do not have a child of their own, an Heir essentially, it is passed onto the next person in line. The next person down the list of power. If one were to kill a Chosen however, said power would pass into the killer, not an heir, or anyone else.” Bondeshire explained, Zack hummed.
“So, you’re saying it’s possible that one could kill every Chosen, and get all their powers?” Zack asked, Bondeshire nodded.
“Yes. Though such attempts are usually foolish. A Chosen’s Spirit level easily outclasses most individuals. There have been a few attempts over history, but no one has succeeded in uniting all powers… I suppose, you could do this, with your Spirit Level being leagues above them already. Not even accounting how much we will grow it.” He explained, Zack crossed his arms.
“I’m not going to do it… But what would happen if one were to get all the powers, and die?” Zack asked, Bondeshire hummed, thinking for a moment.
“I… Suppose either all Powers would pass to an Heir if there was one. If not, the powers might be scattered once again. This is all speculation of course, I don’t think it will happen, unless you do it.” Bondeshire noted, Zack shook his head.
“No. I’m not that power hungry. I’d rather this not happen at all, and to spend my life quietly with Janice. Maybe a kid or two… Of course Stacey would be there… Hard to picture her anywhere else…” Zack trailed off with a distant sad smile. Rebecca looked at him for a moment, before focusing back on Bondeshire.
“Regardless, we must proceed with training. Rebecca, manifest some Wind Spirit. Zack, pay attention to her movements.”
“You got it.” Zack agreed. Rebecca took a deep breath, and moved her hands back and forth, pushing and pulling the wind around her. A faint green light began to emanate from her hands, the only indication of the Spirit in her hands. She kept it going just because Bondeshire never told her to stop.
“Now, repeat her actions.” Bondeshire ordered.
“But, you never taught me how to-”
“Just do it!” Bondeshire barked, Zack winced a bit, and began to repeat her actions. Every movement of her hands, he mimicked it, and eventually a faint green light began emanating from his own hands. He made a surprised noise, and moved his hands apart, staring down at them.
“Holy shit. You picked that up just by sight! You really are a Prodigy!” Rebecca exclaimed, Zack just stared at his hands.
“How did I? How did you know I could do that? What if I had failed?”
“I would have punched you if you had failed. And Zack, you are my son. A Prodigy in every sense of the word. Of course you prevailed here, just like I knew you would. But this… This is just the beginning. We have months to hone your skills.” Bondeshire explained, Zack hummed, and smiled moving his hands on his own. Making up his own motions this time, but still retaining the basic style. Bondeshire noted this.
Zack smiled as the light began to emanate from his hands once again. He saw the Wind swirling around his hands. A surprise for sure, he had never seen what Wind actually looked like. It was a light bluish green color, swirling in thin tendrils. He hummed.
“Is Wind Spirit the same color for everyone?” Zack asked, without stopping his motions.
“Yes. Though it is rarely brought up. No one can see your Wind Spirit but you. If I were to throw some Wind at you, you would know until I was upon you. The only indicator would be my motions, but even those can be side stepped by good Spirit Users.” He explained to his son. Zack nodded. He got an idea, and smirked. He spun on his heel and fired a blast of wind at a wall, by his reasoning, it would swirl around, and hit Bondeshire in the side of the head.
Zack smiled and got into a neutral stance, watching the blast from the corner of his eye, but saying nothing about it. Rebecca checked her nails idly, waiting for Bondeshire to talk once again.
“So, we need to continue wi-”
Bondeshire was cut short by Zack’s blast of wind slamming into his face, it knocked him to the side, staggering him slightly. He looked at Zack with a deep, angry glare. Zack laughed, Rebecca just backed up at bit. Bondeshire then looked at his son and smirked.
“Well done boy. You played that off well.”
“That was for punching me earlier.” Zack told him, Bondeshire hummed.
“You’re not here to get even. You’re here to train in Spirit. We should continue, you’re to Master Wind by the end of the week.” Bondeshire instructed him, Zack nodded. Bondeshire began instructing him, and Rebecca. She was good, but she was using very traditional, and limited styles of Spirit, while Zack made it up as he went along. In truth they were almost completely even in terms of skill. Bondeshire smiled. Zack was indeed everything he knew he would be.
“How are you already that good? It took me months to learn how to curb my wind mid-flight!” She exclaimed, Zack chuckled.
“I guess I really am a prodigy!” Zack exclaimed, as he began to move wind faster, and faster. Bondeshire hummed as he watched them. They trained all day, Bondeshire instructed them in a few advanced techniques. The stuff that most Spirit Academies didn’t teach, the stuff you only get from being skilled in your own right. As a warrior.
When they finished, Bondeshire instructed them to return to their room. They were each supposed to exercise before bed, and before he arrived to get them in the morning. Zack collapsed on the couch, Rebecca smiled at him, and moved to the kitchen.
“You want some food?” She asked him, he stared up at her.
“How are you still up?” He asked, she giggled.
“You may be a prodigy Zack, but your endurance is nowhere near mine. I’m built for my powers to last as long as possible. I don’t put much behind individual training. I’m able to go on for days.” She told him, he hummed.
“I’ll catch up to you in no time flat.” Zack told her confidently, she laughed, and looked through some cupboards.
“I bet. So, food?”
“Yes please.” Zack confirmed, she smiled and pulled some things out, making what she could. Surprisingly, they had quite a lot of food. All of it was healthy, and designed to make them better Spirit Users. Also designed for someone to have to cook it up.
“So… This is no coincidence.” She told him, as she sat some plates down on the table in front of them, he looked at her, and started eating.
“What exactly are you talking about?” Zack asked her, she gestured to the room.
“This whole place is one… But, now I’m talking about the food. Did you know that you bond more to someone while sharing a meal? You are more vulnerable to attachment somehow. Also with physical exertion.” She told him, he sighed.
“So, they really are trying to force us together… I’m… Not really comfortable with this whole thing.” Zack told her, she nodded.
“Same… So, can I ask who your Girlfriend is? Didn’t you say something about Stacey?” Rebecca asked, Zack nearly choked on his food. He coughed several times, and just looked at her.
“Oh, she’s not my Girlfriend! She’s my best friend, lived next door to me for all my life. We hang out, listen to music together, and talk about our dreams. She’s great.” Zack smiled, Rebecca shrugged.
“Sounds like you could be dating to me.”
“Well, we’ve been mistaken for a couple more than a dozen times. We just laugh it off, we love each other, but not… We’re not together. That’s the point here.” Zack told her, she nodded, and shrugged.
“I meant nothing by it. Who are you dating though?” Rebecca asked, Zack smiled.
“Her name is Janice, I’ve known her for the last two years, and she’s great. We just started dating like… Two days ago?” Zack half asked, Rebecca shrugged.
“I’m happy for you two. I’ve never really had anyone that clicked with me, like that at least… Not yet you know?” Rebecca asked, Zack smiled.
“Yeah, well… I promise you now, when we get out of here, I’ll gather Stacey, and Janice, and we’ll go on a hunt for some guy for you!” Zack proclaimed, she chuckled and shook her head.
“You don’t have to… But, if you could, that’d be awesome!” Rebecca exclaimed, Zack smiled at her.
“It’s no problem Becca.” He reassured her. They continued eating. Once they finished, Rebecca went to take a shower. Zack just laid on the couch until she finished. He was thinking of Janice, Stacey, Jarcus, May, and all the others… How would he explain this when he got back? How would Stacey, or Janice explain what happened?
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