“I have some more questions, Olympia,” I say cautiously.

“What is it?” She responds, sitting back at her desk.

“Well, for starters, why aren’t you worried about the crack in the sky?”

“Bruno told me to focus on you three and the royal’s conflict, him and Mikey will handle it.”

“Aren’t you curious as to what it was?”

“I know what cracked the sky. It's happened before, Bruno and Mikey have always repaired it.”

“Ok, my next question is a little strange.”

“Try me.”

“Is it true people can’t die in The Mesa, and you don’t get weak with age?”

“Yes, why do you ask?”

“Are you the one who put that spell up?”

“Mofu, The Mesa is as old as the sun. I only arrived in 2020.”

“Then how did you kill Amani?” Olympia’s expression changes from an amused smirk to a dead stare, her posture snapping into straightness.

“Who told you that name?”

“I overheard Mikey and Petra talking about someone named Amani, and how you killed her? If you did, how did she crack the sky?”

“Nobody named Amani ever came to The Mesa, and nobody named Amani cracked the sky. Get ready for tomorrow, your fights are at noon.” Olympia turns her back to me, putting the helmet back on. I walk out of her office with my curiosity at an all time high. I bolt straight into Amelia’s room, my need for answers erasing any concept of manners. My eyes are greeted with an empty room, the immediate disappointment escaping my body as I rush out of the apartment and into the streets of The Mesa, my budding obsession only fueling my curiosity more. The streets are weirdly empty, a sight I haven’t seen in all my time here. The streets normally overflowing with life makes The Mesa feel like a ghost town when empty, filling the marrow in my bones with an eeriness only experienced in the early days of my travels. I crash through the doors of the buildings I’ve only gazed upon from Amelia’s room, a need to see someone, anyone building as my curiosity transforms into fear. The panic takes me to the waterfall, hoping to find Aku, Amelia, or anyone. A small gap absorbs my attention, a something in the nothingness. My fingers reach out for it, looking just out of arm's reach, before it grabs my arm, heaving itself out of the slit.

“Why are you seeking me?” A woman calls out. My blood freezes, my need to see someone confronting my growing fear of seeing anyone. My breath staggers as my hands begin to shake, the nerves of my newfound situation finally setting in. “Oh, don’t get cold feet now. Aren’t you on a quest to look for somebody? If so, you found somebody.” Her sultry voice penetrates my heart, letting absolute terror creep through the entryway and suffocate the delicate organ. The woman walks up behind me, her gloved hand attaching itself to my forearm. Her ice cold palm forces the blood in my forearm to retreat to safety, “Don’t forget to breathe, I wouldn’t want you dying before you get all of your precious little answers.” Her other hand pokes at the center of my back, forcing my body to exhale, releasing all the air I was holding. “You know, I’ve been watching over you longer than she has. I’ve seen everything. All the cities you thought nobody would see, all the pillages you prayed nobody would remember. All the travels you desperately try to forget.” Her hand leaves my forearm, allowing my blood to take back its home. Her hand travels up my arm, tracing the veins in my neck before firmly wrapping her fingers around it. “Why are you scared? You wanted to find somebody, right?” Her grip tightens, squeezing the air from my lungs. “How does it feel? The struggle for air, your brain begging your lungs to inhale, all while being denied the possibility of death. The pain in your chest is only growing and growing and growing for eternity. If only Olympia told you, this would be so much different. You’d probably be in your room right now, dreaming of tomorrow, your big day. Instead, you’re with me, suffocating, but never being able to make it end.” She lets go of my neck leaving me gasping for air as my body plummets to the ground. Her laugh echoes through the empty space, relentlessly taunting me. “What a poor baby, you can’t even tell anybody. I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll leave you alone if you promise me one thing.” Her face parallels mine, her nose centimeters away from mine. “Learn the truth, not what Olympia feeds you. Now be a good boy and head to sleep.”

“Wait!” I force out, my throat vibrating from the sudden noise.

“Hm? You can actually speak?,” The woman asks, a look of confused amusement captivating her face. “How perfect.”

“You’re Amani, right?” I ask, gasping for air.

“Why yes I am. Tell me, what are they all saying about me these days?” She asks, squatting down, her eyes locked onto mine.

“Petra said you wanted to break The Mesa, and Olympia killed you,” I spit out.

“Ah, still running with that story I see,” She says, sucking her teeth. “You were looking for me for the truth, right?”

“Y-yeah,” I respond.

“Why?”

“The story sounded way too interesting for me to resist.”

“An insatiable curiosity, huh? Wanna hear the real story?”

“Yes,” I say, sitting up.

“Olympia, Mikey, Petra, Rafael, Sophie and I all came to The Mesa at the same time,” She starts. “We were extremely close friends, doing any and everything together, much like Aku and Amelia. It was like that for decades, until a parasite infiltrated The Mesa. Bruno was sent here by the queen back when Sipha was united, and his sole mission was to take rule of The Mesa and feed her children soldiers for their army when they claim a throne, which is exactly what he’s doing now. He got all chummy with Mikey, who brought him into the fold, and seduced everyone into supporting him blindly. Only I could see the truth, what he was really sent here for, but it was his and Olympia’s word versus mine, who had no proof of anything, so I became the black sheep. That’s when I began researching the history of The Mesa, what it used to be, and found it used to teach a forgotten art. The ability to reach into hell and pull your other half out, to make yourself a whole person once again. To access The Underside. I began teaching myself this art, and mastered it extremely quickly. Once I became whole again, I set my sights on exposing Bruno and removing him from The Mesa, but because he was held in higher regard, he won the election to become The Mesa’s leader, so I set my sights on eliminating him. See, by the time the election took place, I was the strongest being The Mesa has ever seen, and knew all its secrets. Only Olympia could hold a candle to me, and only because she’s my little sister did I ever allow her to do what she did. I disabled the immortality spell, and aimed to end Bruno. Olympia, my own sister, my own flesh and blood, betrayed me. Only she stood in my way, her love for Bruno fueling her to side against the one who protected her for years. She toyed with Mikey’s feelings, obsessed with Bruno. This obsession forced me into the endless void, falling for eternity. But I found out, it wasn’t endless, rather it was an entrance. An entrance to The Beyond. I’ve rested there, waiting for somebody curious enough to pull me back so I can save them. Mofu, I’m going to save you. You are now my student”

“Save me from what?”

“Ignorance. I can tell you exactly what will happen if you stay with Olympia and Bruno. First, you’ll win against Team Chrome. The boxer was casting, which is why you couldn’t contact your team. Then, you will struggle against Aku before sucking his blood, powering you up. Amelia will shoot an explosive bullet at you, but it won’t go to her plan, giving you the win. Then, Olympia will come to the infirmary and bring you three to the roundtable room, where Bruno will tell you that you three need to graduate in a month due to the overworld conflicts worsening, and he will send you all to the real world, where you'll die. Come to me tomorrow night after he tells you this, and I will save you three.”