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"What. The. Fuck?" Was all Jaden could react.
"Yes, it's true. Xornoth has taken your other friends in as his new partners. We're sorry for not telling this sooner." Serapter looked at them with pity.
"Wait, so they are actually creating an army?" Kalani asked, it had been a year since she last saw any of them, she was still hurt, in healing, from the incident.
"From our information, yes, they call it The Empire."
"So, what do we do?" Ace, still in shock, asked the one question no one dared to ask.
"There is one last chance to convince them, one last chance for them to come back. They are still in there. We just need to bring them out." Ivory stated and everyone immediately turns to Jaden since he was the oldest and knew their old friends more.
Jaden looks at them, then at Ivory,then back at them, and finally looks at the young toddler, the one that they saved at the bridge, Mia, roaming around the place, Kalani's old teddy bear in hand, Jaden exhales sharply and gives his sentence.
"Where can we find them?"
Gem and the others were in their hideout, even though it was temporary, they still made it feel like home, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Gem felt safe.
That was until...
"Gem? Pixl? Fwhip? Anyone?" Everyone looked at each other astonished. They all recognized that voice. But it couldn't be her, right? A young girl with straight black hair and red at the ends of her hair, came out the shadows, confirming everyone's suspicions.
"Kallie? What are you doing here?" Katherine asked.
"We're here to help you get out of this illusion." Behind Kalani, Jaden alongside the others walked out of the shadows, revealing themselves.
"Illusion? Guys, you got this all wrong, this is not an illusion. We're going to get revenge!" Shubble said, not understanding their point of view.
"No, guys you don't understand! Xornoth can't be trusted!" Scott yelled.
"But he actually understands our pain Scott, he is willing to let us avenge her!" Lizzie yelled back.
"Yeah! We're building a whole army to take HACC down." Jimmy, even through the yells and fighting, looked proud, a smug look emerged from his face.
"It will all be worth it, once we bring peace to the underground for destroying the Surface!" Fwhip yelled.
"But it won't be worth it! You'll lose more people, you'll change yourselves into people that even your own reflection won't be able to recognize!" Kalani wasn't about to give up on them so easily, she loved them, she knew them, they are coming with them--.
"No."
What?
"We're not coming back."
"But, we were supposed to be a family..." She was losing hope quickly, her smile vanished and her mouth was open in shock and denial.
"And yet, you couldn't even understand where we're coming from! We can avenge her!"
"But revenge isn't the answer!" Jaden was getting more and more frustrated with them, how could they see the trap they're going into?
"But... We need to stay strong for her as well--."
Scott was met with a slap by Sausage on his cheek. Scott held his cheek, now with a burning sensation.
Without thinking, Ace pushed Sausage back and got punched by Joel. After that? It was war, everyone was fighting, weapons were brought in and Gem started shooting, while Kalani threw her daggers at her. Ace was still fighting Joel, and Kalani had no idea what the others were doing, it was chaos, bullets echoed through the place.
Then, a piercing cry of pain was let out. Everyone stopped their fighting and everything was silent. Kalani turned to the noise and sees Joey holding a knife covered in blood and Jaden... Was holding his eye, blood seeping through his hand. Oh dear Ish, Jaden's eye...
"Jaden! Are on you okay?" Wifies asked. It turns out, while fighting Sausage, Joey had snuck up behind Jaden and slashed his eye with his knife.
"It hurts, it hurts so... much..." Jaden said while Avery, Wemmbu and Wato checked on him.
"Are you guys insane?!" Spoke yelled.
"We, are just trying to bring justice!" Joey argued back. "And besides, the bitch deserved it anyway."
Kalani screamed, her hands holding her head and she started shooting everywhere in rage.
"Kallie! Kallie, stop! Calm down..." Ken said to her as the others get away. Kalani slows down her breathing and closes her eyes as the last bit of rage left her body.
They returned to the Crossroads, mission failed and a family forever broken. As they returned home, Serapter sees them and gasps, covering his mouth. Ivory ran to Jaden's aid and Rejoice looked like he was about to throw up just by looking at Jaden's state.
Scott and Egg then explained what happened and all the three adults did was sigh.
"We came in too late... They're gone... for good." Kalani said as Rejoice hugged her. Jaden was with Ivory and Wato, trying to stop his bleeding eye.
Kalani and the others came into the room after Ivory said that they can. They walk in and are horrified to see, Jaden's right eye was blind. Ace, slowly walks to Jaden and gives him a hug, and Jaden starts crying and hugging Ace back.
It broke her, seeing her friend and caretaker like this was traumatizing. Kalani swears to herself.
'I will burn the Empire down, just wait...'