Fantasy Dimension Hopping With You

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"...Sara's not allowed to watch television until Tuesday...and Michael's allergic to cinnamon, so if you do bake anything, avoid it." The mother finished, handing Nova a list of emergency numbers. "And one more thing-" She stepped close to him with a dangerous look in her eyes. "-I've hidden cameras all around the house young man. If you try anything, I'll know."

Nova nodded seriously.

Michael and Sara watched the exchange with innocent expressions.

The mother turned to her children, kissed them both on the forehead, then said "Now don't misbehave, or you won't get any dessert for a month."

"Yes, Mom." Michael and Sara said in unison; they'd heard this before.

"Bye, dears." She said sweetly to them. "Goodbye, young man." She said in a severe tone, then headed for the door.

Nova tightened his grip on his briefcase, taking a deep breath.

"Remember the plan." Charlie said supportively. "We've got this."

As soon as the mother locked the front door, both children scampered from the couch to the window. They watched their mother leave with blank expressions, until the Uber was out of sight.

Their father worked sixteen hours on weekdays as an accountant. The mother needed a part-time job to pay for the vacation they were planning to take on Christmas. She couldn't leave the children alone while she went to her interviews, so she'd hired Nova as a babysitter. Michael was twelve, and Sara was seven.

Michael and Sara turned to Nova, who was busying himself with tidying up the coffee table; someone had left magazines open all over it.

"Mom was lying about the cameras. She always tells babysitters that." Sara said slyly.

"And we always do what we want when the sitter's here or else we'll say you tried to hit us." Michael spoke quietly, grabbing Nova's collar threateningly. "Mom says that if anyone ever hits us she'll have them arrested. Do you know what jail is?"

Sara sucked on her index, middle, and ring fingers while he spoke, gazing out the window.

"Could you explain it to me?" Nova smiled, laughing weakly with his hands up in surrender. "I've never heard of that place before."

"It's an underground apartment building where everyone's always grounded and you eat the same bad food. Sometimes, if you're lucky, it's above ground. Does that sound fun?" Michael let go of Nova's collar roughly, and tried to push him.

Nova pretended to fall off his chair. "Nope." He replied. "I've got a suggestion for you. Why don't we play together?"

"What does sug-suggestion mean?" Sara asked, snapping out of her daydream.

"It means he wants us to do whatever he wants. Don't listen to him." Michael hurried to explain.

"If that's what you think it means, someone lied to you." Nova stood.

Michael stared at Nova sceptically. He didn't believe him, but he wanted to hear more.

"Arm yourself." Nova pointed a finger-gun at Michael.

Michael and Sara copied Nova, the former realizing he could have two at once.

"Suggestion means you can choose to listen if you want to. Now, do you guys have any Nerf guns?" Nova asked.

"Mom says they're dangerous." Sara replied.

Michael shot Nova with one of his finger guns.

"Ow!" Nova boomed and fell to the floor, rolling around in pain.

Michael flinched in surprise, smiling when he realized Nova could possibly be quite different from his predecessors. Michael kept shooting as Sara laughed at Nova's stellar acting.

Charlie made his way to the kitchen.

"Nerf...guns...aren't...dangerous!" Nova panted, trying to roll around to dodge Michael's 'bullets'. "Darn it, stop shooting me Michael! I beg you, make the pain end!"

Michael neared Nova, and made to 'shoot him' in the head point blank.

Charlie pulled a pan from its hanging place just as Michael pulled the trigger, and the resulting bang corresponded perfectly with the 'shot'.

Michael looked at the tip of his finger gun in surprise; it took him a moment to realize the sound had come from the kitchen.

Sara ran to the kitchen to pick up the pan and bring it to Michael. "A pan fell when you shot!"

Michael wrote it off as a coincidence, then stared at Nova, who was playing dead.

"Shot incoming!" Charlie informed, peeping his head out of the kitchen.

Michael 'shot' Nova and Charlie dropped another pan, timing it perfectly with the shot again. Nova's whole body jerked upwards slightly even though his eyes were closed.

"How are you doing that? Nova? Nova!" Michael shook Nova, who was holding his breath quite convincingly. "He's not breathing!" Michael turned to Sara. "Call Mom!"

Nova started laughing, opened his eyes and stood straight. "Did you have fun?" He ruffled Michael's hair, and Michael let him in his surprise.

A few seconds later, Michael took a step back. "Can we have more fun?"

"More fun!" Sara laughed.

"You're fun." Michael smiled to Nova.

"Thank you." Nova smiled back. He walked over to his briefcase, opening it to reveal three six-bullet Nerf guns and belts with several bullets holstered into them for refills. "Let's have a gunfight in your backyard, with real guns this time. " He smiled, handing each of them a gun and a belt. They eagerly put them on. "The rules are: if you get shot three times, you lose. If you get shot, you have to say so. Don't lie and say you didn't get shot, I'll know. If you need to drink water or use the bathroom, you'll have to walk through the battlefield, so call 'break time' and everyone else will stop shooting. Last man left standing wins the right to know the secret of how I did the trick with the gunshots. " He whispered for dramatic effect. "We'll play twelve games. May the best shooter win!"

Michael smiled happily, and Sara jumped up and down in excitement.

"Poor kids. They're not used to adults wanting to play with them." Charlie said. "Busy parents trying their hardest." She logisized.

From eleven to two, Nova played with them. In the beginning, Charlie informed him when one of the children tried to lie, and he called them on it. After they admitted to it, their games continued. After a short while he'd memorized their tells and he excused Charlie to clean up the house and cook lunch while he played with the children. Just as the children were getting hungry, Nova told them to take a seat on the grass in the shade. They were surprised when he returned from the kitchen five minutes later holding three plates of delicious lasagna. He finished his lunch first, and started reading a Batman comic book out loud, sitting in between them so they could see the pictures. Their mother called just as they were finishing up lunch to inform Nova that she'd be returning soon, and apologized for the hour and a half delay.

"That's quite alright-" Nova checked his phone, realizing it was already four thirty-two. "-I had fun with the children. They were delightful little angels."

"Lies, young man! We'll see what the cameras have to say when I return!"

"Of course, Ms. Green." Nova laughed.

Nova had let the children win the first few games, but made sure he won the most to leave them hanging on his secret. "I'll tell you next time." He replied when they begged him to tell them anyway.

Nova walked home with a smile on his face, and suddenly felt extremely tired when he arrived at his front door. He entered the house, and was soon asleep on his bed. It was unnatural for him to take a nap while the sun was out, so his tiredness had surprised him.

The first thing he heard when he awoke was the sound of someone he didn't recognize. His eyes snapped open, and he looked around to find himself in an unfamiliar place. "Any calls for me while I was out?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.

 

[aaaah]

Melly lied on the ground in an strange place, unconscious and still. As she slowly came back to her senses, she felt the touch of the cold floor on her body. She also heard the voice of an unfamiliar person beside her. Melly slowly opened her eyes and observed her surroundings. A laboratory of sorts, but not like any she's seen. The lab had a sleek, black design with a bunch of computers and control panels placed in various areas. And he saw a guy looking at one of the computers with a mug in his hand and wearing headphones, not noticing her and the other guy. He looked to be about her age.

This...was strange. The last thing Melly remembered was taking a nap after binge-watching Sailor Moon Crystal in her apartment. Is this a dream? No, certainly not. This feels all too real. Plus, dreams are much weirder than this. Melly didn't want to summon Azazel just yet, Azazel would probably make the situation worse since he's known to be aggressive towards strangers and people who look at him funny. She rose up and looked towards the large windows on the right. She sees various tall buildings with neon lights that illuminate the night sky. This is not her home. And she's sure it's not the other guy's home either. Melly stares at the other person slowly awaking, she doesn't know what to say to him at all.

The young man on the computer turns around. He has brown, messy hair and wore thick black glasses. His wardrobe consisted of a lab coat with a black AC/DC shirt, ripped jeans, and red sneakers. The man grinned. "You two are finally awake!" He said gleefully.

Melly had no clue how to react. So she just sat there, staring at the man with total confusion.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"We've got Star Wars-esque scenery here!" Charlie reported from the window.

Got it. Nova thought. He turned to the lady beside him, stood, and offered a hand to help her up. After she was on her feet he turned to the scientist. "Good evening." Nova offered his hand to shake. "Do you know where I might get a glass of water around here?"

Thus far, Nova had figured it was a dream. In most of his dreams, he couldn't tell if he was dreaming or not. He suddenly remembered his one test to tell reality and dreams apart: he was never able to read anything in his dreams. He focused on the man's shirt, soon realizing he could easily read the ACDC logo. "My my, it looks like we're not in Kansas anymore." He remarked in surprise. "Where are we?" He asked calmly.

 

[aaaah]

"Indeed you aren't." The man replied to Nova. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Dr. Micheal Willames and you two are in the city of Cipher for an important mission!"

Cipher? Important mission? Melly thought this situation was insanely odd. And why her and this other guy? Is it because of our powers?

"Here's the gist. There is a demon another dimension who plans on invading every dimension in existence and his name is Eros. He hasn't conquered any dimensions yet, so you two have to find him and stop him from doing any damage. The fate of the multiverse lies your your hands." Dr. Willames ranted to Melly and Nova.

"The fate of the multiverse? That's a lot of pressure to put on two random people don't you think?" Melly said.

"I'm sorry miss, but you two are were summoned randomly. I was looking for strong heroes to help me fight and you two were the first to appear." Dr. Willames replied. "Oh, apologies, where are my manners? What are your names?"

"...My name is Melissa Winslow, but my friend call me Melly for short. Nice to meet you." Melly replied back. None of this still made any sense to her, but she had no other choice but to play along.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"My name is Nova F. Garnett. The 'F' stands for..." His middle finger gave a standing ovation. "My father's idea, but it's still funny." Nova laughed. "Jokes aside, what is our motivation for doing as you ask? I'd love to help, but I also believe in equivalent exchange. Are you holding us hostage on this planet...city...laboratory...?" He guessed. "...until we defeat this villain? Is our motivation our lives?" He tilted his head to the side, observing every movement the scientist made to try noticing his tells.

 

[aaaah]

"Correct, my dapper friend. If you two don't do something, then the whole multiverse, including your dimensions, could be enslaved for god knows how long." Dr. Willames claimed.

Melly gulped. "Sounds like a big deal." She said while walking up towards Willames and Nova.

Willames reached into his back pocket and gave Melly a device. It was a small control device with a big, red button, an antenna, and a small screen that said Dimension #17.

"What's this?" Melly asked while analyzing the device front to back.

"This machine is able to jump dimensions. Just hold the machine, press the red button and you two will be teleported! But the catch is that you can jump dimensions one by one and it needs to charge after teleporting. But Eros' dimension is only a few dimensions away so it shouldn't take you to long." Willames explained to Nova and Melly.

Melly stared at the device. "Guess I have no other choice." She thought. "Alright, I'm in." Melly said with confidence and a tinge of fear. She knows that she's gonna get into trouble, but if Azazel is with her, it won't be too much to handle... hopefully.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"You could easily random-summon two other heroes for your amusement, could you not?" Nova asked. He wasn't using a disrespectful tone, but a curious one. "May I ask again what our motivation is if...ah-" He held up a hand, interrupting himself "-'If you want something done right, do it yourself'. I see." He chuckled, lowering his hand. "I'm in." He sounded certain now. "I cannot trust saving the universe to anyone else. I'm grateful for my brave partner." He turned to Melissa with a smile, before asking the scientist "Might I ask for a map of the dimensions? If you cannot supply us with one, might I ask for the number of dimensions in existence, according to your knowledge?"

 

[aaaah]

"There are about millions and millions of dimension in existence. We're currently in dimension number 17 and Eros is in dimension number 21. You have to travel through dimensions 18, 19, and 20 to get to him. Do whatever you can to stop him. Good luck." Willames said as he pushed to button for Melly.

And before she could say anything, Melly and Nova were in another dimension. Dimension 18. Melly looked at the device, the small screen said 10 min recharge. Melly looked up see a vast jungle, but all the flora and grass were pastel colors. Bright reds, blues, pinks, and yellows as far as the eye can see. Melly's eyes brightened up. "This place is so beautiful!" She said out loud. It was like a dream come true and it was absolutely her aesthetic.

She took a deep breath and the air was cotton candy scented, which made her even more giddy. "Nova, smell the air! It's so amazing!" Melly said to Novas as she kept smelling the sweet air.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

Before Nova could ask just how they'd need to recharge the machine, the scientist pressed the button. In his last moments in that dimension, Nova had tried to block the scientist from pressing the button, but he'd been closer to Melissa than Nova.

Nova and Charlie looked around with wide eyes when they appeared in the forest.

"This place is so beautiful!" Melissa said.

"It is quite lovely." Nova agreed, inhaling deeply while he turned his head this way and that to see everything. He was about to comment on the scent when Melissa beat him to it.

"Nova, smell the air! It's so amazing!" Melly said.

"It smells amazing." Nova replied happily. "Like cotton candy."

"Venus Flytrap." Charlie reminded.

"Did you know that the Venus Flytrap lures flies to its jaws with sweet scents that appeal to them? This could be a trap." Nova pointed out, still smiling. "I suggest that we tread carefully for ten minutes, the leave as soon as possible. This environment has too many variables that could hinder our travels. Let's search for higher ground; in a normal jungle, we'd be standing in the dinner plate of various predators. Let's enjoy this view from higher ground." He nodded to a tree. "I'll climb first and handle any snakes that might try to hurt us. I can fight them off. If you have any combat-related powers, please think of using them now. From the tree, we should be able to play defence for...nine minutes." He noticed the time on the machine go from ten to nine. "Of course, this is all a guess." His expression informed her that he'd love to hear her opinion as well.

 

[aaaah]

"Sounds like a good idea." Melly replied to Nova's plan. Melly paused for a moment, she saw something move and constantly shift from bush to bush. Melly's joy became fear. Piercing red eyes peaked from the bushes, facing both Melly and Nova. The creature slithered towards them, it's a pastel green human-sized snake. And it did not look friendly.

"Oh man," Melly thought to herself, as she backed away from the creature.

The snake accelerated towards the two. Screw it. Time to bring him out.

"Azazel!" Melly yelled at the top of her lungs. Suddenly, a red, swirling portal opened up before her and Azazel himself leaped from the portal and struck the snake with his sword before it could harm the two of them. The portal closes and Azazel sheaths his sword. He looks around and looks towards Melly.

"Last time I checked you were in your bed watching that magical girl show. Without any company." Azazel sneered.

"Yeah..I was, wasn't I?" Melly said while looking very flustered.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

Melissa backed away from the creature as Nova stepped in front of her protectively, preparing to attack with everything he had. He had never faced a foe so large, and he didn't know its weaknesses. Charlie stepped in front of Nova, and before either of them had to see if he had what it took to kill the beast, Melissa used her powers.

"Azazel!"

Nova didn't feel fear, only emptiness. His last thought was that if he died, he'd feel sad since he still had so many fun things to try.

"Last time I checked you were in your bed watching that magical girl show. Without any company." Azazel sneered.

"Yeah...I was, wasn't I?" Melly said while looking very flustered.

"My life didn't flash before my eyes." Nova said to Charlie in surprise. "We've found another untrue movie cliche!" Once he'd gotten over his surprise at this fact, he turned to Melissa. "Might you introduce me to your friend here?" He smiled, turning to offer his hand to Azazel to shake.

"Seven minutes." Charlie informed, peeking at the machine's screen.

 

[aaaah]

Azazel quickly turned to Nova and pointed his sword at himself. "Identify yourself!" He yelled out to Nova, rejecting his handshake.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Melly said as she moved Azazel's sword away from Nova. "He's a friend, Azazel. And friends don't stab each other. This is Nova. He's here with me to save the multiverse from Eros." Melly said to him.

"...Eros?" Azazel questioned.

"You know him?" Melly asked.

"His name sounds familiar. I get butterflies thinking about it for some reason." Azazel said. He glares at Nova, Azazel doesn't trust him just yet, but if she's friends with Melissa, then he'll tolerate him.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

Azazel quickly turned to Nova and pointed his sword at himself. "Identify yourself!" He yelled out to Nova, rejecting his handshake.

Nova put his hands up in surrender while Charlie walked around Azazel, preparing to knock him out with a blow to the back of the head in case he tried to attack. Nova opened his mouth to introduce himself, before Melissa intervened.

"He's a friend, Azazel. And friends don't stab each other."

Nova couldn't help but laugh at the line. Charlie stayed in position.

"This is Nova. He's here with me to save the multiverse from Eros."

"...Eros?" Azazel questioned.

Is it a popular name where he comes from? Like 'Smith' or 'Tom'? Nova wondered.

"You know him?" Melissa asked.

"His name sounds familiar. I get butterflies thinking about it for some reason." Azazel said. He glared at Nova.

Nova understood that he couldn't be expected to gain Azazel's trust just because Melissa said so, but he felt relieved that he was no longer in the mood to attack him. Charlie moved to stand beside Nova again. Since they had five minutes left now and Azazel seemed more than capable of defending them on the ground, Nova decided it was time to go over their powers to make strategizing easier. "Winslow, may I ask what your powers are?"

"I see." He paused momentarily to form the explanation properly in his mind. "I can move things without touching them, but only if no one's looking. I can also grant other peoples' wishes, but not mine, and if the wish-ers aren't ultra-specific it turns out terribly. I can't control the outcomes of the wishes...so I've never counted it as a skill or a power, more like a curse." He thought for a moment. "For example, if you wished for a strawberry cupcake with vanilla frosting and cinnamon sprinkled on top, you'd bite into it to find a mouldy cupcake. If you specified that the cupcake was fresh and wouldn't cause you harm in addition to all those other details, then everything you ate but the cupcake would cause you harm; you'd be dependent on those cupcakes for the rest of your life. There are too many variables, so I don't suggest trying it out." He shook his head.

 

[aaaah]

"Powers? Well, I can summon monsters like Azazel. Though, no monster I can summon is as powerful as he is. Plus, I see him more as a bodyguard than a summon." Melly explained. "Azazel's sword is ridiculously powerful and can cut even the hardest of metals. It's super cool."

Melly and Azazel listen carefully to Nova's explanation of his powers.

"That's an interesting set of abilities. Though, your ability to grant wishes sounds more like a curse unfortunately." Azazel said.

"Azazel, don't be so mean! He can't control which kind of powers he gets." Melly snapped back. Melly looked at the device. 5 minutes left.

"5 minutes left! We gotta take this place in as much as we can!" Melly exclaimed as she took her phone out in started to take pictures of the landscape.

"But we should also be aware of any creatures lurking about, Melissa. We don't want another situation like earlier." Azazel warned.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"Azazel, don't be so mean! He can't control which kind of powers he gets." Melissa snapped.

Nova shrugged. "I agree with you, it is a curse." He said to Azazel. "But at least I can control whether I grant a wish or not. Imagine if it was automatic." He laughed at the idea.

"5 minutes left! We gotta take this place in as much as we can!" Melissa exclaimed as she took her phone out and started to take pictures of the landscape.

"But we should also be aware of any creatures lurking about, Melissa. We don't want another situation like earlier." Azazel warned.

"We'll do both." Nova agreed with both of them, taking out his phone as well. He was grateful that he'd fallen asleep fully-clothed instead of changing into his pajamas like usual. He checked the brightness, lowering it to 40% since he wasn't certain when he'd be able to charge it again. He noticed his battery was at 69%, laughed at the number, then switched to 'record' to take a ten-second 360 degree video of his surroundings. "Too bad we can't capture that delicious smell." He said, smiling as he rotated slowly. When he finished with that, he made certain his camera was completely zoomed-out, then took a multitude of pictures, rapidly pressing the 'capture' button in case a few turned out blurry. "Excellent idea, Winslow." He turned to her, grinning as he slid his phone back into his pocket.

 

[aaaah]

Melly spent the rest of her time taking photos of the flora and fauna of the pastel jungle while Azazel kept watch of her and Nova. After many photo-ops, the device's cooldown was finally finished.

"Guys, it's ready!" Melly shouted excitedly while gripping the device tightly.

"I'm sorry, but what is that thing?" Azazel asked.

"It's the dimensional travel device we need to get to Eros. Watch and learn!" Melly said as she gathered together with Nova and pressed the button. Then, they were all automatically transported...into an abandoned prison cell with all the cell doors open. The air was cold and the colors were a lot more dark and drab than the pastel forest. The device read dimension 19 and was set back to 10 minutes.

"Something tells me that this is not our aspired destination." Azazel said.

"...Nope." Melly gulped as she observed the new area around here, it was a lot less friendly than the forest. And she was too scared to move on.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

Charlie informed Nova every time the number got smaller on the machine.

"Guys, it's ready!" Melissa shouted excitedly.

"Okay." Nova smiled, moving to stand beside her quickly. His mind raced with ideas of how lovely and colorful the next dimension would be in comparison to this one. Or, how interesting a monochrome space city would be. Or a steampunk-esque town.

Post teleportation, the first thing he laid eyes on were the bars. His heart traveled from his throat to his chest again when he recognized the cell was open. He turned to Melissa, noticing that this time, she was the worried one. She protected me in the last dimension. I admired her bravery and quick thinking. And now, it's my turn to repay the favor. "Here-" Nova's smile seemed to increase the cell's warmth significantly. He held out a hand to Melissa, his posture indicating that they'd be leaving this cell as soon as she took it. "-in case the doors close. Let's find a way out." I don't have time to recall what it feels like to be trapped in a cell. If I take even one second out to do that, I won't be of any use to my partner.

 

[aaaah]

Melly glanced at Nova's reaching hand. "You're right, we should find a way out. This place is giving me the creeps anyway." Melly said. They all exited the cell and observed the area even more. The place looked quite old. The air conditioning was barely working, the concrete floor and walls were cracked, and some cells had skeletons in them. As they walked down the hall, there were two doors at the end. An elevator and a flight of stairs. Melly tensed up and slowly walked towards the elevator and pressed the down button. The doors automatically opened to reveal no elevator at all. Melly quickly backed away fro they elevator and towards Azazel.

"Okay, elevator's not happening unfortunately." Melly said, nervously.

Then Melly shifted towards the door leading to the stairs. She took a deep breath and swung open the doors. The stairs were barely illuminated with only one flicking lightbulb on the ceiling attached to a string. Suddenly, the string broke and thr lightbulb fell to the bottom of the stairs and small crash sound is heard from below. The stairs were now bathed in total darkness.

Melly shuddered at the sight of the dark stairs and gripped Azazel's hand. "Oh dear. Anyone got a light?"

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"Okay, elevator's not happening unfortunately." Melly said, nervously.

"It's a good thing, too." Nova replied. "We should avoid any cell-like spaces." We could've been trapped in there, or something could've been waiting for us when we reached another floor and we would be out of escape options.

"Oh dear. Anyone got a light?"

"Right here." Nova turned on his phone flashlight. It was bright enough to illuminate two feet to their north, west, and east, but not much more.

"I've got the way out." Charlie informed from the end of the staircase. "Take a right after you reach the end of the stairs. I'll guide you from there."

"I've found the way out, Winslow." Nova informed Melissa with a grin. "We'll start by taking a right at the end of the stairs."

 

[aaaah]

"Oh, right! I forgot phones had flashlights on 'em." Melly said while taking her phone out and turning on the flashlight setting.

"Alright... let's go. Be careful everyone." Melly told.

Melly and Azazel slowly walked down the dark and foreboding stairs. Melly shone her light in front of her to see where she was going. After going down a couple of flights of stairs, Melly and Azazel finally reached the bottom. The remains of the lightbulb can be barely seen. Melly shines her light around the room to see a red door with multiple scratches on it. Azazel crept towards the door, sword in hand. He slowly opened it to reveal the outside.

It was a lot less pleasant-looking than the pastel jungle. The sky was grey and cloudy, most of the buildings are broken and abandoned with no signs of plant life or people anywhere at all.

"I believe we're in some sort of ghost town." Azazel stated.

"Nova, check this out." Melly said while peeking through the door.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"There's the exit." Charlie said.

Nova's flashlight followed Charlie's voice, and Melissa followed suite.

Azazel slowly opened the door to reveal the outside.

"I believe we're in some sort of ghost town." Azazel stated.

"Nova, check this out." Melissa said while peeking through the door.

"Oooh, creepy." Nova smiled. He didn't seem creeped out. His curiosity overpowered his worries. "Let's check it out. How much time's left?" He asked, meaning the machine's recharge. He stepped outside, and inhaled, expecting to get a breath of fresh, cool air.

 

[aaaah]

They slowly exited the room to be greeted with a mix of fresh air and the stench of rotten garbage. Melly checked the device for the time.

"8 minutes left." Melly replied to Nova. "Though I'd wish this thing would go faster now."

Melly observed her surroundings. Around them was an abandoned gas station, an abandoned restaurant, and an abandoned motel.

"Jeez, whaddya think happened here for it to fet so...empty?" Melly asked.

"This place is unusually quiet. My guess is this might've been an aftermath of an apocalyptic event." Azazel said.

Melly shuddered. The concept of an apocalypse has always unnerved her. The thought of the world she was living just ending without being able to stop it is enough to give her the shivers.

"I think we should stay inside the room." Melly suggested.

"You're not scared, are you?" Azazel asked.

"Well, I, uh, maybe a little." Melly retorted.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"Even if we want to explore, she's not doing so well." Charlie said, meaning Melissa. "You should help get her mind off things."

"It's fine to feel uneasy in a strange place." Nova smiled to Melissa, stepping back inside and gesturing for her to do so as well before closing the door. "Let's stay inside, together. We'll stay near the door, in case we need to escape from danger inside. If danger comes from outside, we'll move away from the door. It's as simple as that. We have Mr. Azazel here, and his swordsmanship is impressive." He meant it as a fact and not a compliment to Azazel. He wasn't aiming to score points. "While we're waiting, let's talk a bit to lighten the mood. I think happy memories will make us feel better." He kept smiling as he began. "I'll start. When I was young, my father used to let me sit beside him in the car even though I wasn't old enough. He didn't even make me wear a seat belt. One day, I asked what a particular button was for. It looked so mysterious, always glowing red on the dashboard. He replied that it was for emergencies only, and that it would blow the entire top of the car right off with real explosions!" He exclaimed. "So, you can imagine how mischevious I felt pressing it without his permission. As soon as my finger lifted off the button, my father yelled 'Boom!', so loud I flinched and covered my head. When I looked up, I saw that nothing had happened. 'What's the matter?' father asked. 'Didn't you see it? The top blew off, and since this is a car I bought off a superhero the top is immediately replaced, with minimal time and noise.' We both laughed, but he never said directly that he was joking. Every time after that, I made a joke when I entered the car. 'Shall I blow the roof off again, Dad?'" Nova laughed. "And he would say 'If it would make your day any brighter, yes, you may'." Nova had pictured the events while he spoke, so reminiscing had lifted his mood. "Your turn. Try to think of something happy or sweet, like in Peter Pan. Do you want me to hold your hand?" He asked gently, aiming only to comfort her, and not like he was looking down on her or pitying her for feeling scared.