I opened my eyes I saw nothing but black. I couldn't hear anything, feel anything, nothing. I held my hands in front of my face, and they seemed slightly transparent, but still the usual fire-orange. It was like when I first died. I blinked, and the world flashed into view. It was calm, unlike when I was killed. My home civilization, Silevlia, seemed more advanced, almost as if I travelled forward in time. I looked around, and saw no hybrids whatsoever. It was only humans.

Great.. they've taken control of Silevlia. Nice job, younger me. Couldn't even protect your home, family, and friends.

I was still confused as to how I was floating, trying to make sense of the world around me, when a purply-indigo spirit swirled around me. She had two tentacle-like antennae on the top of her head, the two fading into white. She introduced herself fairly quickly, naming herself Petrona. I asked cautiously,

"W- where am I?"

"You're in the afterlife, kid. Blaze, right?"

"Uh, yeah, actually."

"So were you caught and killed by the humans too? I remember hearing the name Lewis.."

That name immediately unleashed a wave of hatred within me. All of my memories then flooded back into my mind. The good, the bad, the sad, the scary, the enlightening. The thing I remembered and seemed the most distant from was.. my parents. She obviously noticed, and continued,

"He killed me too. How were you killed?"

I started getting suspicious, as she was weirdly obsessing over my death, as if she was trying to hit something. She wanted to set me off for some reason, wanted to know everything about my death for some reason, and she wanted something from me. She asked how I was killed, where, when, why, who killed me, who was there, who witnessed, and she seemed very hyper.

"Why are you so adamant about my death.. it's not that much different compared to everyone else's."

"Oh, but it is. Over the years, I've talked to hundreds upon hundreds of hybrids."

She seemed to emphasize how many hybrids she's met, but in a tone that tried to seem condescending. It made me feel uncomfortable, like she was superior to me. I then remembered that time existed, and asked,

"Wait a second. What year is it?"

"From the last calendar I checked, 1920."

I was speechless. Seven-hundred and six years had passed. I had no idea. I kept falling asleep and waking up at random intervals and experiencing random things through time. I didn't expect it to be hundreds of years, but I don't think anyone would.

"What's a calendar?"

"Right, you've been asleep for the past seven-hundred and six years. It's a thing humans use to keep track of what day it is."

I thought, letting an annoyed expression stretch across my face. I pressed my finger tips against my temples, angrily exhaling. I criticized,

"Can't they just use their brain for once and do it themselves."

Petrona shrugged. She then taunted,

"You know all hybrids are.. extinct?"

"Wait, not a single one made it? But, I thought Vercon and Cinder ran away in time."

Petrona only stared at me, letting the news sink in. Sticky, black tears welled up in my eyes as I regretted not spending as much time with everyone as I should've. It's been seven-hundred some years. Would my parents and friends still remember me, or would they just see me as the reason they're all dead. I could've saved them all, but my stupid healing ability wouldn't work.

"Say, I have a deal you won't be able to resist."

I stayed silent, confused but also wanting to let her finish.

"You want revenge on all of the humans.. so why not just kill them all like they killed us?"

I stayed silent, processing the words that just came out of her mouth.

"But- what would you do for me in return if that were even remotely possible.."

"I will present you with reconnection of the ones you value, as long as I can check in with you every once in a while."

"You mean we could be altogether again?"

"Yep. So do we have a deal?"

"How can you do that? Also, how am I supposed to do something that crazy? Isn't that a little out of reach?"

Petrona's eyes became a light yellow, contrasting with her purple base. A few seconds later, they returned back to a brilliant white.

"Well, humans are pretty stupid. So it shouldn't be hard."

She paused instead of answering my first question. Instead, she asked,

"Do you mind if I call you Blazikin?"

"Don't call me that. You never explained how I'm supposed to kill all the humans. Aren't there a gizillion by now?"

"Correctamundo, Blazikin."

I shot her a glare, saying I was getting angrier by the second from that stupid nickname. She continued anyway, though she stared into my eyes without any hesitation or hint of fear. She continued,

"Don't worry, I'll keep you company for the next century before you actually agree.."

"Excuse m-"

"Also try not be aggressive once your little friend, Kiwi, finds you. It'll only end badly."

Could she tell the future or something? Is she insane?

Silently begging the universe to get Petrona away from me, I turned away and looked around. The grand survivor still stood in its place, triumphantly. That filled me with an unknown yet hopeful pride, even though there should've been none. In front of it, however, there were many metal boxes with wheels rolling around. They carried humans inside of them, who wore spiffy-looking, black and white clothes with short, boxy hats. Everything that was hybrid was completely replaced with human society except for that one tree. It was, for a lack of better words, a "dorf-borenic", which translates to "bad thing to see". The more I looked at it all, the more my confusion and sorrow became anger and hatred. It got to the point I wanted to go back in time and repeat the massacre, just to feel the blood running through my hands. I stared at the Grand Survivor as I entered the blind, burning rage again just like I had seven-hundred and six years ago when I was fourteen. Petrona slyly asked once again,

"Do we have a deal, Blazey?"

I growled and snapped at her,

"DON'T TALK TO ME, YOU CREEP. ZAIT OFF MY TAILS, ALRIGHT? JUST LEAVE ME ALONE."

"Who would I be to let you suffer in peace?"

Void-colored tears of frustration and grief flooded my eyes like waterfalls. I was experiencing so many, maybe too many emotions at once, and it all just came out in a mess of sobs. I was sobbing so hard I gagged on nothing but plasma, even though I had no stomach to vomit from. I wanted to be with my parents at the least, but instead I'm stuck with this annoying nut-job of a purple ghost, who looks like a rhinoceros and a gnome had a child. I wanted to die again, but for real. If this wasn't the hell that the humans talked about, then I don't know what is. Petrona sighed like she's done this as a career her whole life, and simply said,

"Ah, waterfall syndrome. The tears just don't stop rolling down, do they?"

I choked on my sob and muttered,

"Why are you acting like it's such a great thing."

"I never said that."

"Just leave me alone."

"Sadly, I can't do that, Blazikin."

"Why not."

"It's only destiny. It's not my fault."

I breathed in as slowly as I could, trying to calm myself down. I wanted to punch her face in, but I couldn't bring myself to. I thought back, and settled on the first thing that came to mind. I replayed her voice, gently singing:

"No matter what, I'll always be there.."

I closed my eyes to focus, as the world seemed to be closing in on me. I took deep breaths, despite the raggedness.

"Whether you're sad, angry, or scared."

My breathing slowed. I could control whether I sobbed or not.

"Doesn't matter if you cry or fuss, forget all the bad times and the unjust."

I focused solely on Victoria's voice. I tuned out the rest.

"I'll always be there when you need me most."

I stabilized myself. I whispered the rest of the rhyme along with the thought of Mom's soft voice.

"Fun times will follow, remembrance we boast."

Calm, I exhaled. I wiped off my face with the back of my hand, and opened my eyes. I stared at Petrona dead in her glowing, pure white eyes. Determined and stubborn, I demanded,

"Keep your distance from me. I'll keep your deal in the back of my head."

Before she could speak, I turned around and floated away, gliding through the streets of the new, current Mystania.
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"He'll warm up to me sooner than later. Just give him time, that's all he needs. It's all according to plan."

:)

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