Chapter Text
The bright, blaring, glorious fire. It was extremely hot, burning everything and anything in its path. It was a beautiful sight from afar, but if you were to get caught in its crossfire, everything would be over. All the hardwork of the residents kept those flames burning. The shaking of the ground, the loud yells and screams of agony and fear, and the brightness of the chaos that was created from it. Some might even call it beautiful. Residents escaped in their own ways, in the air, underwater, or on the water. But some, like herself, stayed behind. Jaiden knew this was the end. She would be able to see Bobby again. She was fine with the idea of death, after all, she wouldn't call herself suicidal, but more or so a gift to see everyone she had lost again. Almost all her wishes had been answered and completed, except for the final one; her ultimate death. She knew it'd come eventually. It wasn't necessarily a wish she asked of, more or so a personal one.
Jaiden limped to a nearby tree to rest. She had been wandering on her own for quite some time, and the pain and tiredness was finally catching up to her. When the tree was finally in her grasp, she practically collapsed against it, fixing herself so her back was propped up against the thick trunk. This was it. She had many wounds on her body, some patched up poorly, others healed, and most open. There was nothing that she had left to use to patch them up, so she left them untaken care of.
Closing her eyes, she rested, letting herself have a break. Jaiden was tired. So tired. She had tried to live her life to the fullest, and she would say she did pretty well. She was able to get through hard and good times, finding out more and more about herself along the way. Now in her best and worst moments was she going to die on this rotten, evil island. It wasn't the death she had planned or hoped for but at least it was something, right?
She did feel bad, of course. She was leaving behind everything. Her family, her friends, cucurucho, she didn't even get to say goodbye. But maybe that was a good thing. Maybe it was a good thing that she didn't have to see their faces when they found out. Especially Roier. Especially Foolish. Especially everybody who cared for her, at some point or another. She didn't want to feel guilty in her last moments. And who knows, maybe she'll meet some of them in the afterlife too?
Opening her eyes, she hoped to watch the flames as her final sight, but instead, she found a figure stood before her. She was surprised, but quickly realized who it was. Confused on why he was there, she asked, "Jacob..? Why are you-" Jaiden clutched her torso where her most open and prominent wound was, no matter how much she tried to heal it never got better. She struggled to speak in these circumstances. "-Why are you... here.." She used a lot of her strength just to get those words out. A part of her was glad to see him, another though, was not.
Jacob was a deity, perhaps a god, who was sent to protect Jaiden. She didn't know who sent him, but she had found herself quickly okay with the idea. He called himself the "God of Luck" and whenever he was around, he pretty much gave Jaiden bad luck in her eyes. When he was away however, sometimes his good luck rubbed off on her. He was able to grant her small wishes, but with the cost that they were granted in absurd ways. She never wished for anything big, only small things, because she knew if she wished for something big someone would have to suffer the consequences. Jaiden doesn't remember exactly when she met Jacob, but she would say they became very close in the seemingly long time they knew each other, even before coming to this island did he know her. They practically lived together. And now, in her final moments, would he be here to say goodbye?
"Hi, Jaiden." He seemed sad as he spoke, maybe she was right about him being here to say his final farewell, he knew it was coming. "I know you're in pain, so I wanted to return something to you that was wrongly taken a long time ago. Perhaps it will help you understand more about yourself than ever, more than you could ever wish to know from the Federation. But this may change everything, even your hopes, wishes, and views of all you stand for. Do you wish to accept it, even in these final moments, where it could change everything?" He boomed these words over her. Though Jaiden couldn't understand the suddenness of the situation of learning more about herself right now instead of a earlier time in her life, she chose to ignore it. Right now, she was more focused on his ideals. She could see right through him. Even with his confident personality she could still see the sadness in his eyes, and a little hope for whatever reason may be. She knew him told well. Maybe this little bit of information was his way of saying goodbye to her, or maybe it would be something else, like a way to give her life meaning again.
She brushed the latter thought off, and instead thought more about her past. Jaiden knew little to nothing about her younger self, and she's always been trying to learn more after she found out her past was tied to the Federation. Wanting to find the truth, she thought about how this could be the final piece to her puzzled past, a way to learn everything about herself.
"You know what... sure. I accept." She spoke quietly, trying to reserve her last bit of energy. Jacob only gave her a small, almost unnoticeable, smile. "As you wish, Jaiden." He brought his hand up over her wounded forehead, and a bright light emerged from his hand, shining itself right into her head. Unable to look away from the light, she closed her eyes, the brightness causing her head to hurt the more she looked at it. Suddenly, all her pain was gone. It wasn't long, only a few seconds, but she could tell something in her mind awakened. Very quickly her eyes shot open and she gasped for air, reaching to cover the large wound on her torso with her hands and clutching her teeth from the pain. All of it came back to her in one fell swoop, and her chest beat again.
If that wasn't enough, a wave of memories and thoughts flooded her brain. Memories of the past, people she knew and people she didn't. People she perhaps had forgotten a long time ago, or never knew at all. Slowly her thoughts and memories intertwined, putting the pieces together, remembering faces, names, and voices. Places and surroundings she had been so long ago, it almost felt like this wasn't her story but another's. It seemed like it took forever for her to understand, but when she did, she was only left with confusion. When she once again became sentient in her burning world, her eyes immediately scanned for Jacob. After a few seconds she finally laid eyes on him. He had sat himself next to her in the time that she was in her mind, away from the world. She was glad he was still here, but now she had a million questions. Jaiden knew deep down he probably wouldn't answer any of them, though. She'd have to figure out herself, as he would say.
Was this the reason he gave this back to her? To give her another reason to live? Now she once again had a new final wish, before her untimely death. "I... have one more wish." Jaiden spoke softly. Jacob just looked over to her, expecting what she said. "And what will that be?" He asked similarly. "I want to find my... so-called brother." She tried to give a look of something like determination towards him, like a little bit of hope. But she could clearly tell from the face he made at her it only confused him. At least it gained a small, more noticeable, smile from him. Maybe this is what he truly wanted, instead of saying goodbye. Maybe he truly did want to give her life meaning again. He turned towards her, placing his hand on her forehead once again, saying, "May your wish be granted, Jaiden."