Weber had been unconscious throughout the driving, off the woman that rescued him and Josh.
Josh had fallen asleep, but every few minutes woke up, glared at the woman, then fell back asleep.
Then the car stopped abruptly and Josh woke up.
"We're here," the woman said.
Josh opened the door and went out. He looked around the forest where they had stopped. It was quiet, cold, and full of shadows from tall trees. Only the occasional chirping of birds could be heard.
As Josh looked around, he noticed they weren't far from a valley.
She began walking and turned back to see Josh still looking around, then he met her eyes.
"It's cold out here. There's somewhere we can stay," she said, but Josh only glared at her. She rolled her eyes, then sighed.
"There's a lot we need to talk about. But we can't do it here," she said.
Josh grumbled, carried Weber on his shoulder, and followed the woman, the crunching sound of leaves trailing through the area.
Then a cold breeze blew, and he quickened his pace.
The woman led them to a cave, but they met a dead end, which made Josh stiffen.
The woman sent a pulse of mana to the wall and it faded, which made Josh gasp.
As they went inside, they saw a large room—boards, files at a desk, weapons.
Josh laid Weber down on the floor.
"I think I'm dumb for trusting you," Josh said, breaking the silence, smacking his head with his hand. "Trusted a complete stranger at a time like this—"
The woman handed Josh a picture, and Josh was ashened.
It showed Weber with a bright smile and calm in his eyes, a sight he couldn't remember the last time he saw, since Weber had become more of a ghost.
But what really made his heart drop was the woman holding Weber's hand and doing a peace sign, both of them looking really happy.
And it was the same woman in front of him.
"No..." Josh said, then looked at Weber, who was much more pale these days. He suddenly remembered Weber used to be more tanned.
"I warned him to stop..." the woman said, tears rolling down her eyes as she began wiping them, "but he didn't listen."
Josh looked at her. "What do you mean?" he asked hurriedly.
"In the past, I warned him of his powers, but he refused. He made himself forget everything. His life. His family. His values and... me," she said, squatting next to Weber and squeezing his hands, which were very cold, though Weber showed no sign of being bothered and just remained asleep.
The woman looked at Josh. "I'm Ariel. Your name?"
Josh cleared his throat. "Josh Winston."
The woman sat down next to Weber, still holding his hands in spite of the cold.
Josh sat down next to her. "My apologies for my rudeness earlier. I just needed to be sure we weren't in trouble. Because if we were, I'm... useless," Josh said.
Ariel looked at Josh. "You don't have to think that. Don't let mana users make you think you're powerless without mana," she said.
Josh folded his arms. "Easy for a mana user to say," he scoffed.
"I used to be like you too," she said, which made Josh meet her eyes with bewilderment.
"I thought it was a generational power?" Josh remarked.
"It was, until I met Weber," Ariel said, with a small forced smile.
"I think there's more to you two I need to know," Josh said.
"There is." She carried Weber and laid him on a bed in the corner.
Then she turned to Josh.
"Josh, what happened was rather saddening for me," Ariel began.
---
2 years ago.
Weber was tanned and his green eyes were bright and clear, unlike in the present where they were still green, but faint.
Weber was looking at the town from a balcony when Ariel came and joined him, looking around the place in silence.
"Ariel, if given the power, will you stop the endless wars between soldiers and their captains?"
Ariel squinted at Weber. "Sure. But why are you asking this all of a sudden?"
Weber shrugged. "I got bored, so I just asked."
Ariel smirked. "That's not how to lie," she shot back.
Weber raised his hand. "Fine," he said smiling, "you caught me. I think I've got something that might end the war."
Ariel started laughing at him. "End the war? The war that's been going since the beginning?"
Weber's face had gone straight. Ariel noticed he wasn't joking.
"I think I've actually seen a power that mana is useless against if used well," he said, looking up at the sky. "If I could use it, then it's game over."
Ariel looked at him. "Aren't there caveats to such? Where'd you find such a thing?"
Weber held his chin high, folded his arms, and grinned. "The caveat has to do with being able to see ghosts, that's all. And I found clues to it while on a walk in the woods."
Ariel was about to talk, but Weber held up his hand while smiling. "Watch," he said, and jumped off the balcony. They were on the fifth floor.
"Weber! No!" Ariel screamed at the top of her voice. Her heart raced, but she didn't see him.
Then she looked up and was ashened.
Several faceless ghosts with barely any form were holding him in the air, keeping him from falling.
Ariel's heart jumped at the sight, and she shook as she saw Weber grinning, his irises glowing white.
Then Weber jumped down and landed on the balcony floor. Ariel took a step back.
"Weber, what have you become?" she asked, her breath hitched.
Weber's eyes glowed brighter. "The only possible way to end that useless war."
---
2 years later.
Ariel felt a sharp headache while recalling her past with Josh, which made her clutch her head and close her eyes tightly.
Josh gasped and looked her over. "What's wrong all of a sudden?"
Ariel managed to open one eye and looked at Josh. "It's Weber that did it," she said, which made Josh's stomach drop, since Weber was still asleep.
"He sealed off my memories. But I gained them back, and when I recall them too much at once, it causes me pain," Ariel said, staggering to her feet.
Josh's jaw dropped and he looked at Weber, no longer sure what type of person he was.
Then the temperature dropped and the room dimmed, making Josh's heart leap because of the all-too-familiar anomalies.
Weber slowly opened his eyes, and seeing he was in an unfamiliar place, his heart raced and his irises glowed white.
Josh was about to grab him, but Weber became intangible and sank into the ground.
"We've been captured, huh? No matter," Weber said, emerging from the ground behind Ariel and Josh.
"Wait, Weber, don't!" Josh yelled. Ariel's heart dropped as she saw Weber drop to one knee and place his palm on the ground—an all-too-familiar move of his.
"Wail of the Abyss," Weber said, and it felt like the whole structure began shaking with unseen forces that invited fear, accompanied by incoherent whispers.