Chapter Twelve – Reverse Psychology

While Iridessa’s original plan was to go back to the base right away, she felt herself drawn to the forest. Once again, she found herself standing in the wreckage of her home. She stared at each building, reflecting on all of her memories from childhood. She didn’t realize she was crying until she felt moisture on her cheeks. Shaking her head to clear her jumbled thoughts, Iridessa decided to use this to fuel her sense of justice against the one responsible. She made sure to acknowledge that it was Nox responsible, not the poor soul trapped inside. She MUST free her!

While Iridessa was thinking of freedom for Umbra, the group of heroes were currently planning the freedom of a much less deserving group. They were outside the city’s jail, and they would, on normal circumstances, NEVER do what they were plotting. But now, in dire need, they needed to free the villains.

Nimbly (and with tips from Rebel), they snuck past all of the security cameras and guards. They finally reached the cells of Sila, Miss Mirage, and Oblivion. Mystic winced slightly at the sight of his sibling. All three stared angrily at the sight until they realized the presence of Crystal, Rebel, and Zimmer. “What’s going on?” Miss Mirage questioned. Taking a deep breath, Spark responded, “We’re here to break you out. Now,” he clicked a button that opened the cells. “C’mon! We have to hurry. You guys think you can call the few who evaded capture?” Smiling slightly, Crystal said, “I’ve got Odette. Once she’s here, Roulette won’t be a problem.” Running as fast as they can, the large group just barely made it out as the alarms started to blare.

As soon as they were a decent distance, Crystal whipped out her phone. She sent a quick text, shaking her head. Tilting her head, Pacifica asked, “That’s it? You plan on bringing her here with a mere text?” Crystal just held her finger in the air and counted down. Three, two, one… As if on cue, Odette came dashing down the street. “I came as soon as possible! Now, what is this new Frozen fanfic you were talking about?!” she called out. “I’ll save it for Friday. Right now, we need your help.” Finally, Odette looked around, noticing everyone else… and Venus. A frown immediately appeared on her face. “Now why should I help you?” she asked angrily. Crystal whispered into the animal lover’s ear. Odette’s eyes widened and she began to snicker. “Deal! Now, what do you want me to do?” she asked, previous rage gone. “Get Fray to come!” Crystal said. Nodding her head, Odette let out a loud whistle. After a few seconds, a noise sounded shortly after. Down the street, you could just barely make out the shape of what seemed to be a large dog bounding down the street. Looking closely, it in fact was a dog… or should I say wolf… The lycan jumped forward, tail wagging furiously and tongue hanging. Shaking its head, it transformed back to human, fists clenched angrily. “I’ve told you not to do that! It’s so… awkward!” She shivered. Then, focusing on the matter at hand, she questioned, “Why am I here?” It was Pacifica who responded, “We need all of the help we can get. We may not be able to defeat Umbra, but we can help!” Everyone nodded. It was settled. First things first, they had to find Iridessa.

The echo of footsteps was the only sound through the quiet forest. While the silence helped clear her mind, Umbra didn’t want a free chance to think. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the faces of the victims. She watched the gruesome brutality in which she killed them. She hated this. Umbra didn’t want to be responsible for all of the deaths of these innocent people. No choices were granted though. This was her only option for as long as she remained Nox’s puppet. Turning her attention to the green foliage around her, she saw the beauty of the green leaves, untainted and pure. How she wished her soul could be the same, but that was made impossible long ago.

The remains of a wooden pillar rested besides Iridessa as she found peace in the silence. Although this was painful, it was necessary. She needed a reason to fight. Something to give her strength for the inevitable fight to come. Another reason for being here was becoming used to the presence of dark energy. Due to Nox’s time on the town, the place was full of the darkest of sources. If she needed to fight Umbra, knowing the feeling of the dark attacks might just make or break the resolution…