#ian czasa

[sceptilemasterr]

Endless Winter (ES Book 2) Act 2, Scene 5 - A New Year Dawns

Title: Endless Winter

Main Pairings: Estela x Ian (M!MC), Jake x Alyssa (F!MC)

Other Pairings: Craig x Zahra, Grace x Aleister, Michelle x Quinn, Diego x Varyyn

Genre: Full Rewrite

Rating: PG-13 for swearing, violence, alcohol, and sexuality

Summary: It's New Year's Eve on La Huerta, and the Catalysts are determined to make the most of it.

Previous Scene: Any Port in a Storm

Masterlist: Link

INT. ELYSIAN LODGE RESORT - LOBBY

Several hours later, the sun is just beginning to set outside the windows of the Elysian Lodge’s expansive lobby, which has been completely transformed into an ornate party room, complete with marked-out dance floor in the center of the area. A series of tables laden with food have been set up near the walls, with a haphazard arrangement of various candles scattered around. Craig, dressed in a tight-fitting dress shirt and tie, leads Furball around the room as the little fox freeze a series of impromptu “ice coolers” around the bottles of champagne and other drinks scattered about.

CRAIG: Nice job, little guy!

FURBALL (proudly): Mrrrrrffff!

Raj emerges from the kitchen, dressed in a suit and tie with an apron over it, bringing another food-laden tray out into the lobby. Quinn follows close behind with a tray of desserts, a similar apron to Raj covering her ornate blue dress.

QUINN: Where should I put these?

RAJ: Over here is good!

He indicates a table, and she sets her tray down. Raj looks down at one of the fruit trays and frowns.

RAJ: Hey… has someone been eating all the strawberries?

CRAIG: Don’t look at me… but I think I spotted Alyssa usin’ some strawberries to practice her Time Lord stuff.

RAJ: Aww… (brightens) Ah, never mind! Good for her. If I know anything, it’s that the Time Twins are gonna be the key to getting us out of this place. Besides, there’s still a bunch more fresh strawberries in the kitchen fridge!

FURBALL (excitedly): Ffrrrruuulll!

A few of the Vaanti trickle in, all wearing haphazard mismatches of formalwear. Varyyn, dressed impeccably in a suit and tie, accompanies them.

VARYYN: Hello, Centaurus. I am told today is your people’s New Year celebration. I thank you for inviting us.

Varyyn bows deeply. Raj blushes and laughs.

RAJ: No need to be so formal, Varyyn! You invited us to your festival the other day, the least we can do is return the favor!

Michelle and Ian enter the lobby, chatting animatedly about school. Michelle is wearing a sparkling golden dress, while Ian is dressed in a black tuxedo with matching bowtie.

MICHELLE: --so I think you’d only need one more bio elective if you already finished Genetics and Ecology. And the MCAT, of course, but I’m pretty sure you can take that anytime…

Michelle’s voice trails off as she sees the newly redecorated lobby. Behind her, Sean and Grace walk in, chatting excitedly to one another.

MICHELLE: Wow! Look at this place; Raj, you did all this?

Raj turns and grins broadly at her.

RAJ: Yep! With plenty of help, of course. Quinn here was--

He stops abruptly when he turns and sees Quinn is no longer in the lobby. He frowns, puzzled.

RAJ: …Uh, Quinn was right here a minute ago. Huh.

IAN: This place looks amazing! Perfect for a Raj party!

RAJ: Haha, thanks!

ALYSSA (O.S.): Alright, let’s get this thing started!

Alyssa strides confidently into the lobby, wearing a long white dress with a plunging neckline. Michelle looks her up and down approvingly.

MICHELLE: Wow. Looking good, Alyssa!

ALYSSA: Thanks, Michelle! You too!

Alyssa frowns as she looks around the room, evidently searching for something.

RAJ: Hey, Alyssa, everything okay?

ALYSSA: Yeah, I’m fine, just.. y’seen Top Gun anywhere?

It takes Raj a moment to realize who she is referring to.

RAJ: Oh, you mean Jake? Actually, I haven’t seen him since--

A sudden commotion from the top of the lobby stairs draws Raj’s (and everyone else’s) attention. Emerging from the second-floor hallway, Jake, Estela, Quinn, Diego, Aleister, and Zahra stand on the landing, all fully done-up and impeccably dressed. Alyssa, Ian, Michelle, Varyyn, Grace, and Craig all stare open-mouthed at the sight of their respective significant others, completely lost for words. Estela frowns.

ESTELA: What? What are you all looking at?

RAJ: Hey, there you all are! Come and join the party!

All of them descend the staircase, though Estela is blushing heavily as she does so. She doesn’t look entirely comfortable in her formal dress. When she reaches the bottom of the stairs, she beelines immediately for Ian.

IAN (stunned): I… uh. You. Wow.

ESTELA (shyly): I… I know Raj wanted us to dress up for New Year’s, but I never… really went to big parties or anything. Is this right?

Ian smiles warmly at her as he takes her hand in his.

IAN: More than right. Wow. Uh... I actually can’t even think of any other words right now.

In spite of herself, Estela giggles.

ESTELA: You… uh, you’re looking pretty good yourself.

Ian blushes heavily. Near the back of the room, Raj plugs his phone into the stereo system, but nothing happens. He frowns.

RAJ (frustrated): Damn, and here I thought this would work…

Craig and Zahra approach him.

CRAIG: Man, can’t believe it’s been a whole year already.

ZAHRA (frowning): …It hasn’t. We skipped six months, remember?

CRAIG: Oh. Right. Duh. I knew that!

ZAHRA: Raj, y’need some help?

RAJ: Yeah, I’m tryin’ to get the music working, but…

Zahra takes his phone in her hands and fiddles with it for a few moments. Before long, party music starts playing through the whole resort.

RAJ: Awesome! Thanks, my dudes!

CRAIG: Anytime!

ZAHRA: Craig, you didn’t do anything.

CRAIG: What? Naw, I… uh…

Any retort he may have had is cut short when he looks back at her in her formal dress. Craig can only stare open-mouthed.

ZAHRA: Huh. Guess there may be perks to dressin’ up like this after all…

Zahra playfully reaches out a finger and closes Craig’s mouth for him. Near one of the tables, Jake pours himself a glass of whiskey and raises it into the air.

JAKE: So! Who’s up for a toast?

ALYSSA: Personally, I can’t believe I’m still sober. Drink, please!

ESTELA: What are we having?

Jake grins and glances toward Ian.

JAKE: Why don’t we let Hero Boy pick?

IAN (surprised): I… what?!

ALYSSA (smirks): You heard him, “Hero Boy.”

Ian looks nervously at the assortment of drinks laid out on the table, feeling put on the spot.

IAN: I, uh…

Alyssa nudges him, glancing meaningfully toward the glass of whiskey in Jake’s hand.

IAN: Alright, how about this one?

He grabs a similar glass to Jake and pours himself some whiskey as well, then pours two more glasses for Alyssa and Estela. Estela takes a sniff of her glass and frowns.

ESTELA: What is this? It smells like sawdust.

JAKE: Trust me, there’s an art to whiskey. Now, the key to appreciating it is--

ESTELA: Getting it over with. Cheers.

She clinks her glass against Ian’s and throws back the whiskey. She winces.

ESTELA: It burns.

IAN: That bad, huh? Sorry, I--

ESTELA: Pour me another.

JAKE: Looks like Dragon Rage’s a fan, y’all.

Ian pours Estela another shot of whiskey as the four of them clink glasses and toast to the new year. In another area of the party, Varyyn and a few of his Vaanti warriors sip their own drinks as they chat with Diego, Lila, Raj, and Quinn.

VARYYN: It is interesting that your people count your years. You say this year is…?

DIEGO: Well, in a few more hours, it’s about to be 2018.

RAJ: Y’know what Varyyn here needs? One of those party sunglasses with the year on ‘em. Then he’ll never forget!

He, Quinn, Lila, and Diego burst into laughter. Diego claps Varyyn’s shoulder and pulls him into a hug.

DIEGO: Varyyn, I know you probably don’t get it right now, but we will take a picture next year while wearing those, okay?

VARYYN (warmly): I trust your judgement, my light.

Diego and Varyyn snuggle into one another as Quinn glances wistfully across the room. The camera follows her gaze to where Michelle stands chatting idly with a few of the others…

Some time later, the sun has set and most of the Catalysts are noticeably tipsier than they were previously. Several of the Vaanti warriors excitedly clink glasses of whiskey together with a triumphant cheer, then all down their drinks in one shot as Zahra looks on approvingly after downing her own glass.

ZAHRA: Doin’ great, guys! Now this is a New Year’s party!

Behind her, Aleister takes a seat at the grand piano as Michelle stands beside him. The others all crowd around. Aleister begins to play Auld Lang Syne.

MICHELLE (singing): Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never come to mind…

Aleister accompanies her, infusing each note with a delicate, classical touch. A few people sniff back tears, including Quinn and Grace.

MICHELLE (singing): For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne…

Alyssa looks pensively up toward the ceiling while Jake wraps an arm around her. Estela and Ian look deep into one another’s eyes. Raj sniffs back a tear. As Michelle begins the final part of the song, Quinn stands up and joins her:

MICHELLE AND QUINN (singing): We’ll take a cup of kindness yet, For auld lang syne!

Everyone bursts into applause. Aleister stands and takes a formal bow. Quinn and Michelle look at one another; Michelle is the first to blush and look away. Jake walks up and claps Aleister on the back.

JAKE: Nice job, Schroeder. Didn’t think you had it in you.

ALEISTER: Ah. You are most welcome. I did enjoy that quite--

RAJ: Whoa! Everyone, hold up! I almost forgot; we still gotta sing “Happy Birthday!”

Everyone looks back at Raj. He grins broadly and gestures to the crowd.

RAJ: Dunno if I mentioned it to everyone yet, but with the skip forward in time, we missed a bunch of birthdays! Including Aleister, and the Time Twins here! …Not to mention myself, of course!

He steps between Alyssa and Ian, pulling them both into a group hug.

RAJ: Anybody else we missed? Who’s had a birthday between… uh…

GRACE: June 6th and December 26th!

Aleister, Michelle, Craig, Quinn, Estela, Zahra, Raj himself, and the Czasa twins all raise their hands.

RAJ: Alright, cool! Aleister, if you don’t mind?

He gestures to the piano. Aleister nods and takes his seat once again at the keys.

DIEGO: Are we even allowed to sing it? I heard it was copyrighted--

CRAIG: Who’s gonna stop us, bro? Unless… (completely seriously) Dude, does Rourke own the rights to Happy Birthday? That’d be his most evil plan yet!

Zahra shakes her head and sighs. Aleister begins to play, and everyone else starts singing along, with the Vaanti catching on after the first few bars…

EVERYONE (singing): Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear…

A variety of names are all shouted out at once. Ian makes a point to sing Estela’s name rather than his own, and she likewise sings his name in return. They both smile warmly at one another.

RAJ (excitedly): Dudes, that was flawless! Best birthday song ever!

CRAIG: Ha! Take that, Rourke!

Everyone applauds and hugs one another after the song. Lila stands off to one side, glancing around at the others with a strange expression on her face. She glances around furtively for a moment, then quietly slips upstairs as the others continue celebrating.

SEAN (shouting): Hey! Don’t forget, it’s only a few minutes ‘til midnight!

Everyone startles at this pronouncement, glancing at various clocks… which all show completely different times. Sean shrugs.

SEAN: Well… as close as I can tell, anyway. Who knows on this island?

ALYSSA (laughing): Fair enough. Alright, let’s do this!

RAJ: Craig, you ready for our master surprise?

CRAIG: You know it!

Craig and Raj lead the others up onto the roof of the Elysian Lodge. A large crate full of red flares has been set against one edge of the roof; Craig rushes toward it excitedly with a lighter in his hand.

MICHELLE (worriedly): Uh… guys?

JAKE: Are those flares?

Craig stops and turns around, grinning broadly.

CRAIG: Yup! One of those commando dudes dropped ‘em! Me and Raj thought--

JAKE (fiercely): Don’t you dare light those--

RAJ: Aww, c’mon, don’t ruin our fun! I’d have thought you’d be all about this! What’s the harm in--

Estela crosses her arms and steps closer to Raj, glaring angrily.

ESTELA: So, right now, we’re hiding from a death squad of highly trained, well-armed mercenaries… and your plan is to shoot off a bunch of flares directly over our location.

She holds her death glare on the two of them. There is an awkward silence before Craig and Raj finally glance at each other, both clearly embarrassed.

CRAIG: Okay, when you put it like that…

RAJ: Sorry guys. No fireworks this year.

Raj looks down dejectedly and starts heading toward the stairs, when suddenly:

GRACE: Wait! Look!

Everyone follows her gaze off toward a distant mountain range, where the sky is lighting up in beautiful, otherworldly colors. Jake and Alyssa exchange a shocked glance: the colors are identical to those they had seen during their first day on La Huerta, back at the airstrip.

SEAN: What is that?!

VARYYN: Ah, the Lights of Vaanu. Among our people, they are believed to be a sign of good fortune to come.

JAKE: Dunno about y’all, but I’d say we could definitely use some good fortune right about now.

Raj shrugs.

RAJ: Well, it’s not fireworks, but it’s close enough for me! Fifteen seconds ‘til midnight!

Everyone starts looking around at one another, most of them pairing off: Alyssa with Jake, Aleister with Grace, Craig with Zahra, Diego with Varyyn, and two of the Vaanti with one another. Quinn looks as though she is about to approach Michelle, but shies away at the last minute. Ian nods toward Estela, who approaches him. Ian starts to turn away, when Alyssa not-so-subtly kicks him with her heel, pushing him back toward Estela.

IAN (annoyed): ‘Lyss!

He bumps into Estela, who awkwardly catches him in her arms.

ESTELA: Oh! …Hey.

IAN (awkwardly): …Hey.

Everyone else starts counting down from ten. Ian scratches the back of his neck and glances away from Estela. Alyssa shoots him an “are you kidding me?” glance, while Diego raises his eyebrows so far that they nearly vanish into his hairline. Ian sighs and nods in acknowledgement, then takes a deep breath.

EVERYONE: Five… four… three…

Estela steps close, the brilliant otherworldly lights reflecting in her deep brown eyes as she and Ian gaze at one another.

ESTELA: I…

EVERYONE: Two… one… HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The other couples all pull one another into New Year’s kisses as those who are single celebrate in their own ways. Ian starts to hesitate, then relents and pulls Estela into a deep kiss. When they part, Estela smiles up at him.

ESTELA (laughs): I almost thought I would have to do everything myself. Again.

IAN (laughs): Guess I just thought… I was worried you might not want--

He is interrupted by Estela pulling him back in for another kiss. Elsewhere, near the rooftop jacuzzi, Diego and Varyyn sit side-by-side, just breaking apart from their own midnight kiss.

VARYYN: This tradition of yours. Kissing at midnight.

DIEGO (awkwardly): Well, it’s not exactly my tradition--

VARYYN (warmly): I enjoy it quite a lot. Does it apply only to midnight?

DIEGO: Well, uh, if you’re asking if we can kiss again… I won’t say no.

VARYYN (ecstatic): Wonderful! Then, may I…?

Diego nods, and he and Varyyn kiss once more. In the background, Raj can be seen nodding at the two of them, and Craig groans and hands over some cash. Elsewhere, Jake and Alyssa stand hand-in-hand, gazing off at the multicolored lights.

JAKE: Looks familiar, huh?

ALYSSA: How could I forget? That was kind of a big day for me. Y’know.

JAKE: Why, ‘cuz you met me?

ALYSSA (teasingly): Don’t get too excited, Top Gun. A lot more happened than just that.

JAKE: Alright, answer this: were you really looking at those lights the whole time?

ALYSSA: I--

She laughs and rolls her eyes in tacit admission that her attention had indeed been elsewhere at the time. Jake wraps his arms around her and pulls her in close.

ALYSSA: What do you say we take this somewhere else?

JAKE: What were you thinkin’, Princess?

ALYSSA: Somewhere with a bed, if you know what I mean…?

JAKE: I am never gonna say no to that. Lead on.

Alyssa takes him by the hand and leads him back downstairs. As the night continues on, several other couples do the same. Diego and Varyyn are on their way toward the stairs when Diego stops for a moment near where Ian and Estela are sitting.

DIEGO: Go ahead, Varyyn, I’ll catch up. I’ve just gotta check on something first.

Varyyn nods and continues down the stairs. Diego approaches Ian and Estela, resting a hand on the former’s shoulder.

IAN: What’s up?

DIEGO: Can I talk to you for a sec?

IAN: Uh… sure?

Ian gives Estela an apologetic look, and she nods in response. Diego leads him over to a secluded area of the rooftop and lowers his voice.

DIEGO: You know the night’s not over yet, right?

IAN (genuinely confused): What?

DIEGO: Ian! Seriously! Surely you noticed the other couples heading off, right? Me included?

IAN: Yes… and?

Diego seems to be fighting the urge to facepalm.

DIEGO: You. Estela. Do I need to say anything more?

IAN (nervously): Okay, I get what you’re saying, but… where would we even go? It’s not like the lobby is exactly private, and--

DIEGO: This is a hotel, Ian! Are you kidding right now? All the bedrooms you could possibly want! Just go find one!

IAN (laughs): Alright, alright. I’ll ask her. You know, she might say ‘no’--

DIEGO: With how she’s been looking at you all this time? If she says ‘no,’ I’ll literally eat my shoe. Not even kidding. (sighs) Just ask her, would you?

IAN: Will do, Diego. And thanks for the push.

DIEGO (shrugs): What can I say? It’s kinda my job.

He nods at Ian, then turns to rejoin Varyyn and head back downstairs. Ian steels himself, then heads back toward Estela.

ESTELA: What was that all about?

IAN (awkwardly): Diego. He, uh, not-so-subtly hinted that… we should… y’know, ‘find a bedroom.’

ESTELA (coyly): Oh? And what did you think about that?

Ian scratches the back of his neck awkwardly.

IAN: Well, uh… if you said ‘no,’ I’d definitely understand--

ESTELA (genuinely confused): …Why would I say ‘no?’

IAN: Dunno, guess I just thought--

She holds a finger up to his lips and smiles.

ESTELA: You think too much.

With a wink, she takes him by the hand and leads him downstairs…

_______________________

Note: If anyone was wondering, Ian was born at 11:59 PM December 31st, 1995, and Alyssa was born at 12:01 AM January 1st, 1996.

Next: The Fourteenth Vaalta (Coming soon!)

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0 @shaylan211 @griselda1121 @acanthisorbis @marmolady @choicesbabie @mauvecatfic

Endless Summer Tag List: @mysteli @edgydepressedchoicesthot @endlessly-searching-for-you @lovelywrites

#choices endless summer #choices stories you play #csyp #endless summer rewrite #es book 2 #endless winter #choices interconnected universe #ciu project #craig hsiao #zahra namazi #furball #raj bhandarkar #quinn kelly #ian czasa #estela montoya #michelle nguyen #diego soto #varyyn #alyssa czasa #jake mckenzie #aleister rourke #grace hall #estela x mc #jake x mc #grace x aleister #craig x zahra #michelle x quinn #diego x varyyn #still salty that estela never got a canon birthday #grrrr

[sceptilemasterr]

Endless Winter (ES Book 2) Act 2, Scene 3 - An Unpleasant Reunion

Title: Endless Winter

Main Pairings: Estela x Ian (M!MC), Jake x Alyssa (F!MC)

Other Pairings: Craig x Zahra, Grace x Aleister, Michelle x Quinn, Diego x Varyyn

Genre: Full Rewrite

Rating: PG-13 for swearing, violence, alcohol, and sexuality

Summary: While braving the snowy wastes of the island's northern region, the Catalysts are confronted by a new enemy.

Previous Scene: Climate Change

Masterlist: Link

EXT. LA HUERTA - NIXEBEG REGION - EVENING

It is almost impossible to see anything in the severe blizzard that now blows around the Catalysts and their Vaanti escorts as they make their way steadily northward. Almost everyone is wincing and struggling against the fierce winds and pounding snowfall… all except Furball, who freely skips ahead of the others.

FURBALL (happily): Mrrrmph! Murrrrr!

Then, Furball abruptly stops. The little fox-like creature raises his head, sniffing cautiously, before turning back to look concerned at the others.

FURBALL: …Mrroo?

QUINN: Huh? What’s wrong, little guy?

Estela holds up a hand, stopping everyone else in their tracks. The others look at her, confused.

ESTELA: Someone’s there.

Ian and Alyssa look ahead, where the faint outline of a human silhouette can barely be seen amid the white haze. This is REX LUNDGREN, Jake’s former commander, although he is unrecognizable at this time. The Catalysts and the Vaanti stay silent, struggling to keep quiet as a small circle glows red near the outline’s face. An angry, deep voice shouts over the howling blizzard:

LUNDGREN (angrily): McKenzie! Where are you, ya miserable pile of shit?!

At a look from Estela, the others remain silent, though Jake is visibly struggling with some internal conflict. The voice calls out once again:

LUNDGREN (mockingly): Your family’s disappointed in you, McKenzie! First you sold American arms to a foreign dictator, then you resisted arrest, then took yourself off the grid…

Alyssa looks at Jake with surprise. Jake shakes his head frantically, motioning her to stay quiet.

LUNDGREN: Had to break the news to your mama myself. (mockingly) “Sorry ma’am, your son betrayed his country and endangered his fellow soldiers!” Then I held her. As she cried hysterically. Least I could do--

JAKE (seething with rage): Don’t. You. DARE!

Jake finally snaps and lunges toward the voice!

JAKE: Lundgren! Where the hell are you?! Come fight me face-to-face, you piece of--

LUNDGREN: C’mon, where’s the fun in that? As much as I’d love to catch up on old times…

Jake is sent sprawling face-first in the snow as Lundgren draws close enough for Jake (and the audience) to make out his scowling, bald face, as well as the elaborate powered exoskeleton he wears. Lundgren plants a boot on Jake’s back and aims a pistol at his head.

LUNDGREN: You’re dead either way. But if you don’t want your new friends to get hurt… you’d better tell ‘em to come out and surrender.

JAKE (spits): Go to hell, Lundgren.

Estela hisses, her voice so low it’s barely a whisper:

ESTELA: Ian, he’s on his own, I can take him easily. If Jake keeps him distracted for a few more minutes, I’ll just--

LUNDGREN: Arachnids! Into position!

Lundgren gestures with his free hand, and a series of armored Hummers suddenly come roaring over a nearby ridge. Soldiers in face concealing high-tech powered armor emerge from the vehicles, readying their rifles. For the first time since arriving on La Huerta, Estela looks truly nervous.

ESTELA: Uh…never mind.

RAJ: You’ve gotta be kidding me!

DIEGO (terrified): A whole army of evil Master Chiefs is not something I wanna deal with!

JAKE (struggling): Princess, it’s me he wants! Get outta here, all of you!

ALYSSA: No way, Top Gun! I can’t leave you!

MICHELLE: Seriously, Alyssa? You’re doing this now?!

FURBALL: Hff-huff!

Furball suddenly darts forward toward Lundgren! Startled, Lundgren pulls the trigger… but Furball blows a beam of ice from his mouth, fully encasing the gun in ice and causing it to misfire!

LUNDGREN: Stupid dog! All of you, fire!

CRAIG: Get ‘em!

Craig, Zahra, and Sean start pelting Lundgren and the other soldiers with a series of hard-packed snowballs they had been gathering during the previous confrontation. Lundgren grunts in pain.

VARYYN: Warriors, loose arrows!

Varyyn’s scouts draw their bows and fire at the soldiers! Bullets ring out across the canyon, most of the shots going wide. One Vaanti scout goes down as the other Vaanti and the Catalysts sprint toward a nearby outcropping of rocks.

LUNDGREN: Find them! They can’t have gone far!

Concealed by the blinding snow, the Catalysts wait with bated breath as several Arachnid soldiers march around them. One of the soldiers, a woman codenamed FIDDLER, calls out:

FIDDLER: Damn it! Lundgren, are you sure Wolf’s even here? I can’t see shit in this blizzard!

LUNDGREN: He’s here, all right! Had ‘im in my sights before that damned raccoon got in my way!

Another Arachnid, a man codenamed TETRA, responds:

TETRA: Want me to break this ice? I can definitely do that!

LUNDGREN (angrily): And drown us all in the process? No, Tetra! (to himself, annoyed) Why am I surrounded by idiots?

The footsteps recede, headed away from where the Catalysts and Vaanti are hiding. After a few tense moments, Alyssa lets out a huge sigh of relief.

ALYSSA: Okay, are they gone? Because that was literally the most terrifying moment of my life.

JAKE: I think we’re safe. Listen, Princess, I never meant to get you--

ESTELA: Can we do this later? We need to find shelter, right away! Those soldiers may be gone, but we still have no food, no shelter, and barely any drinkable water, remember?

VARYYN: Draco speaks true. We must find shelter immediately. Catalysts, are any of you capable of overcoming the Hydra’s security?

ZAHRA: What, you mean Rourke? Yeah, we’ve beaten that before thanks to Aleister here--

Varyyn visibly brightens.

VARYYN: Excellent! In that case, I know the perfect destination. Come, Catalysts, follow me!

SEAN: Uh, Varyyn? I can barely see you…

DIEGO: I’ve got his hand! Follow my voice!

RAJ: Okay!

DIEGO: C’mon, this way, guys!

As Diego continues to call out, one-by-one the other Catalysts manage to find him and Varyyn and begin following them through the blizzard. After a few minutes of walking, Craig shouts:

CRAIG: Whoa! I think that’s a building over there!

VARYYN: Indeed, Ursus. We have reached another of the Hydra’s caches… and if your--er, if Corvus is correct, we may be able to access this one.

They all draw closer as the blizzard begins to gradually subside. A large ski lodge looms up in front of them. A sign nearby reads “ELYSIAN LODGE RESORT.” Sean frowns in puzzlement.

SEAN: Another resort? All the way up here?

LILA (brightly): Yes, of course! The Elysian! We’re saved!

ALEISTER: Oh, thank goodness. Quickly, let us get inside!

He darts ahead of the others, resting a hand on the doorknob at the entrance. Nothing happens at first, and he frowns as the others arrive.

ZAHRA: What are you waitin’ for, an invitation? Open it up!

ALEISTER: Yes, of course. Just one moment…

He glances down at his palms, as though some secret will reveal itself there. With an annoyed huff, Estela slams a fist against the door as Aleister tries the doorknob once again. This time, he is greeted with a click as the lock opens. He turns the handle and opens the doors, revealing a cozy lobby a bit smaller than the Celestial’s, with an ornate double staircase leading up to the second floor. The others all file in, gaping in wonder at their surroundings.

VARYYN: So this is what the Hydra was keeping from us all this time…

CRAIG: Holy shit, this is awesome!

ZAHRA: Point me to the nearest couch. I’m practically unconscious already.

QUINN: Wow! Look at this place!

Everyone quickly files in, grabbing the first couches, armchairs, or rugs they can find to fall asleep on. Alyssa practically collapses onto a couch nearby; Jake takes a seat beside her, stroking her hair gently.

JAKE: Princess… listen. I’m sorry--

Alyssa waves a hand dismissively and yawns.

ALYSSA: Right now, I’m tired. Whatever’s goin’ on, you can tell me in the morning. Okay?

Jake smiles and shakes his head in amusement, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.

JAKE: Alright. ‘Night, Princess.

ALYSSA (sleepily): ‘Night, Top Gun.

Alyssa flops face-first onto her couch. Jake sighs, lost in thought. Then he shrugs and leans back against the couch, closing his eyes. In no time at all, the two of them are sound asleep.

_______________________

Next: Any Port in a Storm

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0 @shaylan211 @griselda1121 @acanthisorbis @marmolady @choicesbabie @mauvecatfic

Endless Summer Tag List: @mysteli @edgydepressedchoicesthot @endlessly-searching-for-you @lovelywrites

#choices endless summer #choices stories you play #csyp #endless summer rewrite #es book 2 #endless winter #choices interconnected universe #ciu project #alyssa czasa #jake mckenzie #estela montoya #ian czasa #quinn kelly #michelle nguyen #rex lundgren #raj bhandarkar #diego soto #craig hsiao #zahra namazi #aleister rourke #grace hall #sean gayle #varyyn #fiddler #tetra #lila sethi #estela x mc #jake x mc #and so the arachnids make their appearance #will they be the same as canon?

[sceptilemasterr]

"A Year and a Day," an Endless Summer fanfic

Title: "A Year and a Day"

Fandom: Choices: Endless Summer

Main Pairings: M!MC x Estela, F!MC x Jake

Genre: Action-adventure, Romance

Warnings: Violence

Summary: After five years in the Prism Realm, Vaanu has a mission for their twin children...

Note: Takes place in my CIU continuity, following "Convergence."

Ian Czasa had been trapped in the Prism Realm–or, as the local Atiin called it, Jhi’il-tar–for exactly five years now. Five years since he’d last seen another human being aside from his twin sister Alyssa and the other girl who’d been trapped here with them, Sasha Stevens.

Five years since the last time he’d seen Estela.

It wasn’t fair. It hadn’t been more than a day since the two of them had pledged their lives to each other in the heart of the Vaanti city of Elyys’tel… hardly a day that they’d been able to spend together before fate so cruelly yanked he and his sister away from Earth, probably forever.

No. Not “fate.” Fate hadn’t set up that impossible choice he and Alyssa had been forced to make. That was… well. Complicated. Some days, he thought about Everett Rourke, the man who’d been driven so insane with power and fear that he’d threatened to rewrite all of reality to suit his mad whims. Other times, Ian blamed his parent, Vaanu, who’d created him and Alyssa so long ago while knowing full well, given their power over time, that such a choice would eventually come to pass. That he and Alyssa would find love, only to have it cruelly snatched away from them at the last moment. Still other times, Ian found it easy to blame the Endless Ones: the alternate versions of himself and Alyssa, who’d orchestrated things behind the scenes across countless time loops, all because they’d faced the very same impossible choice and hesitated rather than commit to an action.

But mostly, Ian just blamed himself. If Ian hadn’t met her… hadn’t let himself grow close to her… hadn’t fallen in love with her… he wouldn’t have hurt her so badly when he was forced to leave Earth forever. It was his fault, in the end. He should never have… shouldn’t have… he just hoped Estela had moved on with her life. That she was happy. She deserved that. Deserved someone who… someone who was normal, and kind, and human, who wouldn’t suddenly vanish through a portal the day after their wedding. All the time power in two worlds couldn’t undo that. He hissed in frustration as he slammed a fist against the wall of the small dwelling he’d been living in, then slumped down to the floor, his head in his hands.

Ian was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t even hear his sister calling his name, until his door shimmered with time energy for a moment before abruptly “rewinding” itself open. He looked up to see Alyssa frowning at him, her arms crossed. “Hey! Are you deaf?” she asked.

“Nah, I was just… uh. Sorry.”

“Geez, I’ve been shouting your name for the past few minutes. Vaanu’s looking for us.”

“Oh. Okay. Guess I’ll… get ready.”

Alyssa softened when she caught sight of Ian’s red face and downcast expression. “Oh. Hey… sorry. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine…” He sighed and shook his head; there was no point in lying to his sister. “No. I’m not fine. You know what today is, right?”

“Of course: five years. Five years since…” She shook her head. “I was crying my eyes out earlier today. I miss Jake. I miss everyone. So, so much.”

She crossed over to him and pulled him into a soft hug. He sniffed once. “I… ‘Lyss, I should’ve done something. We could’ve… if we’d just…”

“Don’t you start that. This was not our fault. We were stuck with an impossible choice, and we chose–”

“I shouldn’t have ever met her. Shouldn’t have put her through–”

“No. No, Ian. You stop that right now. Understand? If you gotta be mad at someone, blame Rourke. Or Vaanu, even, if that helps… Lord knows I’ve done that enough already that they wouldn’t be too surprised.”

That got a weak chuckle from Ian: he remembered all too well Alyssa’s uncontrolled time-rage against Vaanu that she’d unleashed shortly after arriving in the Prism Realm. “I’ll pass, thanks. I just… I hope wherever everyone is, they’re happy. She’s happy.”

“I know. It’s not easy… but it is what it is. What else can we do besides just move forward?” She paused and smirked faintly at him. “Y’know, I think my brother might’ve said that to me more than once.”

He sighed and pulled back, letting out a soft laugh. “Ha. Yep. Time to start taking my own advice, I guess.”

She nodded toward the gleaming red-and-gold Armor of Perseus that had been stacked haphazardly in one corner. “Exactly. Now suit up, Hero Boy. Vaanu’s got a mission for us… and I get the feeling they think our armor might help.”

He nodded. “Meet you there. I just… I need a minute.”

She nodded in understanding. “Take your time. See you at the Chamber.”

With that, she turned and left the building, leaving Ian alone with his thoughts. He crossed over to the set of armor and began putting it on. Whatever Vaanu needed them for, it was at least something to do… and he really needed the distraction.

~ ~ ~

“My children,” said Vaanu, their ethereal form briefly glowing the brilliant bluish-white that signified happiness. Around the three of them, dozens of other Atiin–showcasing an incredible array of different forms–moved to and fro, most of them ignoring the twins completely. Early on, the presence of humans would draw countless stares, but by now it had become so routine that Ian and his sister barely warranted a passing glance. “I have been in deep conversation with Tua’an and the others. The Fractures are increasing in frequency… and the outskirts are being overrun with the Dimensional Beasts’ emergence. Sasha is already assisting with one of them on the far side of the city. There is another rather large Fracture that has appeared roughly seven liree past the city’s main gate. I will need–”

“You want us to take care of it, I’m guessing?” interrupted Alyssa. “No worries, we’ve got this. Right, Ian?”

Ian shrugged and gave his parent a firm nod. Vaanu’s aura brightened once more. “Excellent. You both have grown so much… I have nothing but confidence that together, you will be able to handle this. Now, go… and may Time be ever at your side!”

Together, Ian and his sister turned and left the Chamber, heading out into the city proper… and beyond, toward the Dimensional Fracture they had been tasked with closing.

~ ~ ~

“Looks like we found our Fracture,” Alyssa remarked as they crested a hill and spotted the swirling vortex of energy in the valley beyond, with all manner of strange and violent beasts pouring out of it. At the far edge of the valley, another figure too distant to make out was already fighting off a few of the creatures. “Wait. They sent one warrior against all that?! No wonder Vaanu wanted us to help out.” She turned to look over at her brother. “So, any ideas?”

“Remember that mini-Fracture we took down in the Prism Forest? Same idea,” Ian suggested. “Fight our way down to the portal itself, then sandwich it between us and squish it away.”

“Works for me.” Alyssa took only a second to concentrate, summoning twin vortices of swirling time energy in her palms. Ian followed suit a moment later, then together, they turned to face the growing horde of Dimensional Beasts below. “Alright, let’s do this!”

Side-by-side, brother and sister charged down into the valley. At first, none of the Beasts noticed their approach; most of them were too busy mindlessly flailing at the dirt and rocks around them or were already battling their other opponent on the far side of the Fracture. But as the twins drew closer, several of the Beasts looked up and began charging in their direction. “Here they come!” Ian called out.

“No shit, genius!” Alyssa snarked back as she sent a net of time energy out toward one of the beasts, enveloping it completely.

One of the Beasts–a six-legged alligator-like creature–charged straight toward Ian, its jaw opening wide. Ian sidestepped at the last second, allowing it to barrel past him. Before the beast could reorient itself, he caught it in his own net of time energy, lifting it into the air–then was suddenly slammed from behind by another creature, forcing him to drop the net! “Oof!” he called out as he turned to face the new threat. This one was bipedal with a more dinosaur-like appearance, but with arms significantly longer and more muscular. It reared back and prepared to grab him, but he leaped out of the way, sending twin blasts of energy toward the ground to propel him higher. While still in mid-air, he sent out two energy nets that caught both the dinosaur and the alligator, then slung them together, knocking the two beasts’ skulls into each other with a CRACK! They fell to the ground, both unconscious, as Ian landed on a third creature’s head, knocking that one out cold as well.

He leaped off of the downed Dimensional Beast, casting his gaze around the battlefield–he’d become separated from Alyssa, who was still fighting her way toward the Fracture. He grunted, then charged straight toward her and the Fracture, tossing a few more Beasts out of the way as he did so. One of them, he even managed to sling all the way back through the Fracture itself. “Three points,” he muttered to no one in particular as he fought to rejoin his sister.

“Hey, slowpoke! What are you doing way over there? You’re missin’ all the fun!” Alyssa called out even as she sent a large yeti-like creature sailing over his head, landing on top of another Dimensional Beast. “You ready to help close this thing, or what?”

Ian sent another Beast sprawling with a prism-enhanced kick. “Yeah, if these things would leave us alone for five seconds, that’d be great,” he remarked as two more Beasts came at him from either side. “This is getting ridiculous!” He caught both of them in time energy, then sent them ‘rewinding’ backward until they seemingly moonwalked themselves straight back through the Fracture.

“Think we should switch to the old divide-and-conquer? Worked last time,” Alyssa suggested as she performed a Prism jump straight upward, then came down on another Dimensional Beast and sent its face slamming straight into the dirt.

Ian lifted another Beast with his powers, then gestured palm-out at the suspended creature, sending it flying into a group of its fellows and scattering them like bowling pins, forming a momentary clearing in the battle. He glanced across the way for a moment, where the other fighter was still holding their own against the Beasts. “Not yet, ‘Lyss, I was thinking we should–”

Then for just a brief moment, he caught sight of the other combatant at the far side of the valley… and his words caught in his throat.

He was vaguely aware that Alyssa was shouting his name, even while she fought off another wave of Dimensional Beasts, but she could’ve been screaming in his ear and he wouldn’t have noticed. Because, for just a brief moment, before more Dimensional Beasts had obstructed his view again, he’d recognized the other fighter. Not just in appearance, either: at that distance, with all the chaos of battle, any vaguely human-shaped figure looked the same as another if he was being completely honest. But the way that she moved, the way she fought… the fact that she was using spears at all rather than some fancy powers or A’atenic weapon… it all pointed to one obvious conclusion.

But it was too good to be true. Wasn’t it? He had to be sure.

“...Alyssa?” he asked, barely recovering his senses in time to throw up a Prism shield, blocking a charging rhinoceros-like Beast.

“Yes, that is a big angry rhino, thanks for noticing,” Alyssa snarked. “Glad you’re done staring at nothing. Help out, would you?”

She kicked another creature in his direction; he caught it in a Prism field and used it as a club to slam into the rhino creature. “Alyssa,” Ian said, with all of the seriousness he could muster. “This is important. Can you get a good look at… the person over there, helping out? Tell me I’m not crazy? It’s not a hallucination, or another test?”

She spared a moment to look over at him, confused. “...What?”

“Just do it, would you? Please. I have to know–”

Alyssa rolled her eyes and sent a series of tiny biting lizards scattering in all directions like the world’s strangest whirlwind. “Fine, whatever,” she sighed, taking advantage of the momentarily cleared “launchpad” of open space around her to perform another Prism Jump. She alighted on a nearby spire of rock and crystal before performing another Jump from there.

With Alyssa gone, the Beasts all began converging on Ian. He lifted one and slung it in a wide arc, momentarily driving its fellows back, then sent the captured beast soaring through the air to fall neatly through the Fracture. He watched his sister out of the corner of his eye. He had to know. If he alone had seen her, he could chalk it up to wishful thinking… but if Alyssa saw…

Alyssa slammed down into the center of a large cluster of Dimensional Beasts, kicking up purple dust in all directions and momentarily obscuring everything around the twins. As the dust cleared, Ian looked over at his sister… who was staring at him, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. “Holy… holy shit,” she said. “Ian, you’re not crazy. I saw her. That’s Estela!”

At that moment, he knew. Had Estela been another Prism illusion, a test for the two of them like the countless others they’d faced since being trapped in the Prism Realm, Alyssa would instead have seen Jake in her place. The fact that she, too, saw Estela… “She’s real,” he gasped, barely recovering his senses in time to join forces with his sister, the two of them working together to send a massive sluglike creature soaring high into the air in an arc that would carry it back through the Fracture. “It’s her. I can’t… I don’t…”

A thousand emotions seemed to flicker across Alyssa’s face, something which was no doubt reflected on Ian’s own face at the same time. Then she glanced away for a moment, taking a deep breath, before returning her attention to her brother. “Well, what are you waiting for?” she asked him. “Go help her out!”

“Are you sure?” asked Ian, kicking another Beast into Alyssa’s path, which she caught neatly in a Prism field before catapulting it clear out of the valley. “What about you?”

“Geez, you waited five years, Ian. Just do it! I’ll shut the Fracture, then come help you two mop up the stragglers.” She turned and gathered twin swirls of energy in her palms, before flinging them outward, sending multiple Beasts flying and creating a small open area of ground in front of Ian. “There. One launchpad, ready for business. Now go!” She paused for a moment, smirking at him. “Say hi to my sister-in-law for me, would ya?”

He paused for only a moment to smile gratefully at his sister, nodding once before turning back toward the makeshift ‘launchpad’ she’d provided him. Concentrating, gathering Prism energy to a level he’d never done before, he focused and unleashed it all toward the ground below him, sending him soaring high over the battle, straight toward Estela. As he descended, he saw that Estela had been backed against a rocky, crystalline spire. Two spears of high-tech steel flashed in her hands, bringing Dimensional Beasts down one after another, but more kept coming. He targeted the center of the pack of creatures at the edge of his jump radius, gathered Prism energy in his palm, and struck true. The Beasts were sent flying in all directions. Ian picked himself up from the ground… and then he and Estela caught each other’s gaze.

For a moment, time seemed meaningless. He couldn’t have said how long he and Estela simply gazed into one another’s eyes, their mouths agape: it could have been seconds, or hours, or heck, another five years for all he knew. Somehow, despite no words passing between them in that moment, they both understood. It was Finally and I’ve missed you and Thank God and You’re beautiful and countless unspoken questions and phrases between the two of them, all at once. For that moment, for just a brief moment, it felt as though nothing could come between them.

Then a giant angry scorpion decided to come between them. It lashed out with its tail, and Ian caught it in a prism-field and angrily shoved it aside. He’d waited five years. All the Dimensional Beasts in the multiverse weren’t going to keep him and Estela apart any longer. A flying reptilian creature dive-bombed him, and he leaped aside, ducking and rolling. As he came up, he briefly caught a glimpse of Estela again: she’d charged back into battle with renewed fury, battling Beast after Beast like they were nothing. Slowly but surely, the two of them fought their way toward one another, Ian’s powers and Estela’s spears carving identical paths through the melee.

A large reptilian creature lunged at Ian with its massive jaws, and he threw up a Prism shield to block it–and at the same time, Estela deflected the same blow with a shield projected from one of her spears. At long last, after all this time… they were side-by-side once more. Without any need for words, Ian and Estela locked eyes, then shut their eyes tightly… and when their eyes opened again, the battle-bond forged over thousands of looping timelines on La Huerta activated once more. For the two of them, it was like water for someone dying of thirst, oxygen for a drowning sailor, food for someone on the verge of starvation… they’d been deprived of the bond’s sensation for so long that to experience it again was pure euphoria. As one, they faced the reptile and the hundreds upon hundreds of its fellow Dimensional Beasts.

Less than five minutes later, it was all over.

Every last one of the creatures had either been driven back through the Fracture or were lying dead or unconscious around them. Ian and Estela looked at each other, both panting heavily, as the battle-bond dissipated. Ian was vaguely aware of his sister finishing her task of shutting the Fracture in the distance, but that didn’t matter to him at the moment. One hundred percent of his attention was focused on the woman beside him.

She was panting heavily, her skin and clothing scratched and torn from battle in dozens of places. Her hair was a mess, held back haphazardly by what looked like a makeshift hair tie made of some kind of plant material. She was completely drenched in sweat, and had clearly not had access to deodorant or a shower in several days. She was limping heavily on her right leg.

She was the most beautiful being Ian had ever seen.

For several moments, neither of them said a word. Then, finally, Estela looked him up and down, nodding approvingly. “You’ve… upgraded,” she said, smiling softly at him.

He smiled back. “So have you,” he said, gesturing to her new spears.

Then they pulled each other into a tight embrace that quickly turned into a deep kiss, that turned into an even deeper kiss… five years’ worth of heartbreak and loss and desperation and desire all wrapped into one moment.

~ ~ ~

Somewhere between a few minutes and an eternity later, Alyssa coughed. “A-hem,” she said. “You two gonna come up for air anytime soon?”

The two of them broke apart in a flash, looking at Alyssa with matching deer-in-headlights expressions. Alyssa couldn’t help laughing. “Oh, man, you should see your faces! Seriously, though, keep kissing. I don’t care, you two have earned it.”

“Well, this just got way more awkward now. Thanks, ‘Lyss,” Ian said sarcastically.

“I mean, I was gonna help mop up the rest of the Beasts, but… seems you two had that covered already.” She gestured at the dozens upon dozens of dead or unconscious Dimensional Beasts littering the valley before turning back and awkwardly waving at Estela. “Hey, sis. It’s been a while.”

“Alyssa!” Estela hugged her briefly. “It has been a while. We… we all have a lot to catch up on, it seems.”

“You got that right,” Ian said.

Alyssa was looking this way and that around the valley, apparently searching for something. Ian quickly put two and two together. Frowning, fearing the worst, he asked Estela gently, “Uh… ‘Stel? If you’re here… where’s Jake?”

Alyssa’s eyes went wide. She stared at Estela, awaiting her answer with bated breath and clearly fearing the worst. Estela noticed her expression and smiled reassuringly. “He’s fine. He’s okay,” she informed her, and Alyssa let out the breath she had been holding. “That portal I came through… he’s keeping it open for us. Long story short, Rourke has control over the Earth side.”

If Ian had been drinking anything, he would’ve spat it out at that moment. “Wait, what?!”

“Oh, come on!” groaned Alyssa. “Everything we went through, and he’s still not in prison?!”

“Well, he was,” Estela clarified. “He escaped. And now he’s got an army of nearly-invincible robot people and… well, whatever he’s trying to do, it can’t be good.”

“He has what now?” asked Ian. “How did you manage to–”

Estela shook her head. “Wasn’t just us. We had help. If it hadn’t been for the superheroes and elemental wizards and the other robot helping us out–”

“Wait, the what?!”

Estela laughed in spite of herself. “You two have… missed a lot.”

“You don’t say,” snarked Alyssa. “Even with five years, we didn’t expect–”

“Wait. Five years?” asked Estela.

Ian looked at her. “Yeah… that’s how long we’ve been stuck here. Why?”

Estela frowned. “That’s not right. It’s only been a year since… since the top of the Celestial.” She held onto Ian tighter as she said this, as though afraid that simply by talking about that night, she might lose him again. “Actually, today marks exactly one year since…” She hesitated. “Since it happened.”

Alyssa and Ian exchanged a glance. “Prism time,” Ian said, breathing a huge sigh of relief. “So it wasn’t as long for you… thank God for that. I was so scared… I thought I’d left you alone for… for five years…”

He shut his eyes tightly to ward off the tears. Estela took hold of his head and made him look at her. “I know. I know… but listen, Ian. We’re here. We’re together. And nothing, not Rourke, not any Prism being, not any force on Earth–or off it,” she added quickly, “nothing is ever going to separate us again. Not like this. Do you understand? I will personally fight whatever tries to–”

Her last statement had the intended effect: Ian couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t doubt that for a second, Estela,” he told her sincerely. He kissed her again, shorter this time.

“That’s great and all,” Alyssa said. “You two may be able to survive on love alone, but I am still a being who requires food and water and stuff. Can we take this someplace else? Like, not a barren valley filled with dead Dimensional Beasts?”

Estela and Ian exchanged a glance, then both started laughing. “Sure, ‘Lyss, how about the city?” said Ian, still laughing.

“I don’t even know why we’re laughing,” Estela remarked. “It’s just… I never thought this day would come. I’m… I’m just… so happy.”

The three of them began walking back in the general direction of the Atiin city when a thought occurred to Alyssa. “Hey, you two,” she said. “I’ve got something that’s… well, either adorable, hilarious, or really weird depending on how you look at it. Estela, you said today’s exactly one year from the day… that happened, right?”

“Yes…” said Estela, clearly unsure where her sister-in-law was going with this.

“And that happened the day after our handfastings, right?”

“Yes…” Then it hit her. She gazed at Ian in wonder. “A year and a day.”

“No way,” Ian gasped. “It really is.” He squeezed Estela’s hand as they continued toward the city. “‘A year and a day…’” he muttered, quoting the words that the Vaanti had spoken to them at their handfasting.

“‘...And from then, ‘til forever,’” Estela finished.

And at that moment, Ian Czasa didn’t care what awaited them in the future. Whether it was Rourke, or ten thousand Dimensional Fractures, or some other unknown threat… he knew that with himself and Estela working side-by-side, they could overcome anything. For the first time in five years (to him, anyway), his future felt… hopeful.

————————–

Note: At long last, it's the reunion story I've been wanting to write for ages! The actual story once I get around to it in the CIU proper will be written from Estela's perspective, hence why I decided to tell it from the twins' perspective here. And yes, Alyssa does reunite with Jake later that very same day, once they dive back through the portal to the other side!

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0 @shaylan211 @griselda1121 @acanthisorbis @marmolady @choicesbabie @mauvecatfic

#estela montoya #jake mckenzie #vaanu #ian czasa #alyssa czasa #estela x mc #jake x mc #endless summer #choices stories you play #csyp #fanfic #convergence #choices interconnected universe #ciu project #happy valentine's day!

[sceptilemasterr]

CIU Kids Part 1 - Estela and Ian

As I mentioned in the Next-Gen masterpost, I'm breaking the details of the CIU kids down by family (mostly to cut down on length.) First up is Estela and Ian, one of our twin Endless Summer MCs:

Estela and Ian Czasa

After Ian's return from the Prism Realm in Summer 2019, the two wasted no time in settling down for some much-deserved normalcy. Estela insisted on having a more "traditional" wedding ceremony/reception back home in Colombia, which, naturally, everyone was invited to. Much like at their handfasting, Diego was best man, but Estela chose Ian's twin sister Alyssa as her maid of honor this time around (since Zahra had made it very clear that even Estela couldn't force her to do that twice).

Estela: Shortly after the ceremony, she went on to form her own group of trained fighters, which she dubbed "Montoya's Guardians." As a group, they rented themselves out free of charge to any cause she felt could use protection, for everyone from resistance fighters battling tyranny to Match communities being harassed by rioters. All they asked for in return were a share of the spoils from whoever they fought, a request which those they assisted were always happy to indulge.

Ian: When he wasn't busy jumping in from time-to-time to help out with Estela's more difficult missions when asked, he was finishing up his degree at Hartfeld. He later enrolled in medical school at Michelle's suggestion and eventually became an emergency physician at Edenbrook, the same hospital where Michelle worked as a neurosurgeon. He frequently used his abilities to hold critically injured patients in time-stasis, vastly decreasing the mortality rate at their hospital. This earned him the nickname "Dr. Time," which Diego thought sounded like a great superhero name.

Olivia Rebecca Montoya Czasa: The oldest of Estela and Ian's children, as well as the oldest of the entire next generation of Prismics (as those with similar abilities to Ian, Alyssa, and the others have become known as). She was born in 2021, and at first her life was quite nice, if uneventful. That changed at age 2, when the Finem Servis cult attempted to kidnap her and her infant brother Antonio while Ian and Estela were out. Luckily, they'd chosen Hayden Young as their babysitter for the evening, and she made quick work of the intruders... but in the process, Olivia Awakened, revealing her to have inherited Ian's powers of time manipulation! Her parents quickly adjusted to the situation, and she grew up being gradually trained by both Ian (in Prism abilities) and Estela (in ordinary combat).

As she grew older, she began to resent the constant outpouring of attention she got wherever she went, and she started trying to keep herself incognito, enrolling in school after school under various aliases. But every time, her instinctive desire to help others always won out, and she accidentally revealed herself numerous times in an effort to help a fellow student in need. Eventually, she and her parents decided this wasn't working, and decided to enroll her in the one school where Prismics weren't anything unusual: Oliver M. Berry High, where her cousin, Mike, and their fellow Prismic, Jordan, were already enrolled.

Generation: HSS

LI: Emma Hawkins

Link to awesome drawing of age ~6 Olivia, courtesy of @marmolady!

Antonio Nicolas Montoya Czasa: The middle child of the family, Antonio is about two and a half years younger than his older sister. His Awakening happened during a much less dangerous situation; Olivia was trying to leave the room while they'd been playing together, and Antonio got mad, trying to make her stay. Which worked, though it only resulted in a very annoyed Olivia once their father arrived to cancel out the ability. Like Olivia, he was trained in both Prism ability use as well as hand-to-hand combat by his parents once he was old enough.

He and Olivia didn't get along very well once they got older, as he started to resent her forcing him to switch schools every time she made a mistake and revealed her powers. He grew very close to their younger sister, Kristal, due to their mutual frustration with that situation. Once he enrolled at Berry alongside Olivia, their rift started healing again.

Generation: Class Act

LI: Skye Crandall

Kristal Grace Montoya Czasa: The youngest of Estela and Ian's children, at nearly four years younger than Antonio. Her Awakening was a bit late, at three and a half years, which is one reason her "Auntie" Fiora dotes on her in particular (as she herself wasn't Awakened until age 21). It occurred while Estela was leaving for work and she wanted her to stay, successfully freezing Estela in a time-field for over an hour before Olivia and Antonio came home from school and managed to cancel the time-field.

Kristal adores her older siblings, though like Antonio, she has begun to resent Olivia as she grows older due to the constant changing of schools. It was heartbreaking for her once Antonio was old enough to attend high school, leaving her alone in junior high.

Generation: Northbridge Junior High School

LI: N/A

--------------------

Back to Masterpost ~ Next: Alyssa and Jake

#choices interconnected universe #ciu project #ciu kids #prism legacy #estela montoya #estela x mc #ian czasa #olivia czasa #antonio czasa #kristal czasa #choices endless summer #endless summer #choices high school story #choices high school story class act #emma hawkins #emma x mc #skye crandall #skye x mc

[sceptilemasterr]

Endless Winter (ES Book 2) Act 1, Scene 8 - High Council of the Vaanti

Title: Endless Winter

Main Pairings: Estela x Ian (M!MC), Jake x Alyssa (F!MC)

Other Pairings: Craig x Zahra, Grace x Aleister, Michelle x Quinn, Diego x Varyyn

Genre: Full Rewrite

Rating: PG-13 for swearing, violence, alcohol, and sexuality

Summary: The Catalysts are escorted through the city of Elyys'tel, where their fates will be decided.

Previous Scene: Lord of the Waves

Masterlist: Link

CONTENT WARNING: This chapter contains a scene involving a character's struggles after being outed as gay. If such content is triggering or otherwise discomforting for you, please feel free to skip over this chapter; a link to the next one has been provided here for your convenience:

Next Chapter: Trial by Water

EXT. ELYYS’TEL - DAY

Escorted by a troop of warriors, Estela helps a still half-conscious Ian along as they and the others are brought to the base of the great tree that was seen earlier. Kele is notably absent from the group as they approach the tree. From up close, its true scale becomes apparent: the trunk alone is wider than a skyscraper, and countless branches strewn with walkways and staircases crisscross the area, making it seem even more massive. Seraxa signals to someone up above, and a wooden elevator descends, allowing the group to enter the city itself.

RAJ: Duuuuude... this is so dope--

One of the warriors pokes him in the back with a spear, and he yelps in surprise.

RAJ: Okay, okay! I’m going!

The remainder of their journey continues in silence as they are escorted along the winding walkways. Countless Vaanti civilians stare at them, a myriad of emotions evident on their faces: fear, awe, surprise, reverence, curiosity. As they continue walking, Varyyn starts to stir.

VARYYN (groggily): Marr sahn...

The two warriors carrying him immediately stop, setting him gently on his feet. Varyyn looks around, confused, and then spots Diego.

VARYYN: Diego! I do not-- What has happened?

DIEGO (shrugs): It’s... a long story.

As they continue through the city, Diego fills Varyyn in on what he missed. Finally, the group arrives at the entrance of an ornate set of double doors, carved into the trunk of the great tree itself. Seraxa turns to face Alyssa and the others, a prideful smirk upon her face.

SERAXA: Prepare yourselves, Catalysts. The Tribunal awaits.

_______________________

INT. ELYYS’TEL THRONE ROOM - DAY

The great double doors swing open, revealing a vast chamber into which the Hartfeld students and Jake are quickly shepherded inside. The Vaanti warriors file in behind them. At the far end of the room is an ornate wooden throne that appears to grow directly into the wall of the tree itself. Seated in the throne is an older Vaanti woman, her clothing significantly more ornate than anything seen previously. She wears an elaborate red headdress and gazes down at the new arrivals with a stern expression mixed with curiosity. This is XIMAEDRA.

XIMAEDRA: War-Chief Seraxa. Keeper Uqzhaal. What is the meaning of this?

SERAXA: These outsiders attacked our prince! They attempted to destroy the Temple of Canis, and--

MICHELLE: What? No we didn’t--

TUPAAN, a Vaanti wearing a ram’s head mask, hits Michelle sharply in the leg with the blunt end of his spear.

TUPAAN: Quiet!

XIMAEDRA (dismissively): And why bring them here? Exile them to Sharktooth Isle and be done with it.

Seraxa nods, her expression triumphant, but before she can give any orders to her warriors, Uqzhaal hobbles forward. He declares, surprisingly loudly:

UQZHAAL: I would invoke the Rule of Tribunal!

Seraxa glares at him as Varyyn’s jaw drops. Diego looks over at him, confused, as the other Vaanti all begin talking excitedly amongst themselves in the Vaant’igua language. Seraxa and two other Vaanti warriors, a man named VILOKO and a woman named CALVIA, take up positions on either side of Ximaedra’s throne.

ALEISTER: What on Earth is a “Rule of Tribunal?”

VARYYN: A process by which they shall judge your fate. Three will speak against you, and three in your defense...

SEAN: All right, that’s not so bad. I’ll do it--

Sean approaches the throne, but another warrior pushes him back. Varyyn shakes his head and frowns.

VARYYN: The speakers must be citizens of Elyys'tel. Outsiders are not permitted to speak for the Tribunal--

ZAHRA: What? That’s bullshit! How the hell are we supposed to--

Uqzhaal hobbles back toward the group, turning to face Seraxa, Calvia, and Viloko.

UQZHAAL: I shall speak for the accused.

Varyyn and Diego exchange a glance. Varyyn then nods and steps forward to stand beside Uqzhaal.

VARYYN: As shall I.

XIMAEDRA: Varyyn, what is the meaning of--

VARYYN: I know Diego’s heart. He is no destroyer.

Ximaedra sighs.

XIMAEDRA: ...Very well. And the third?

Uqzhaal and Varyyn exchange a glance. Jake nudges Diego.

JAKE: Any chance you’re close enough with these guys to step up?

Diego shakes his head.

DIEGO (apologetically): Sure, I know them well enough, but I’m still an outsider. Sorry.

XIMAEDRA: ...Does a third citizen of Elyys’tel deign to speak in defense of the accused?

There is an awkward silence. Seraxa crosses her arms and gazes triumphantly down at Uqzhaal and Varyyn. Varyyn looks back at the other warriors in the room, hoping for assistance, but no one volunteers.

SERAXA: As we are all well aware, without a third citizen willing to stand in defense of the accused, the Tribunal is forfeit. It would seem--

A thick mist suddenly fills the entire chamber, making it impossible to see anything.

VILOKO: Saneha?! Anco jest--

XIMAEDRA (calmly): It would seem they have their third defender, War-Chief.

The mist dissipates as abruptly as it had appeared, swirling out the windows and doors. Kele is now standing beside Varyyn and Uqzhaal, facing the throne.

RAJ: Wait a sec... who the...

KELE: That’s right, Elyyshar. I will speak for the accused.

SERAXA: You would interfere again, Wave-Lord?

KELE: I’m a citizen, aren’t I? I have that right.

Seraxa sighs and crosses her arms, but says nothing more. Kele nods back at the Hartfeld group.

KELE: Looks like I’m saving you all again, aren’t I?

JAKE: Listen, Mr. Waterbender, you owe us a lot of explanation after all this--

XIMAEDRA: Silence. The defenders may speak first. Varyyn?

Varyyn takes a step forward, addressing Ximaedra directly.

VARYYN: Mother. Members of the Tribunal. You know that I have never given any of you reason to distrust me. And neither has the one we call Canis.

He turns, gesturing toward Diego.

VARYYN: For five sheaves of days now, I have spent more time with Diego than has any other citizen of Elyys’tel. I have worked alongside him, traveled with him, stood by him. I have taught him of our ways, and in turn he has taught all of us his language. And I wish to point out that in all this time, he did not once attempt to harm us or flee from us. In truth, as you all have witnessed, he has made every effort to try to understand us.

Diego gives Varyyn a grateful smile. The Vaanti warrior turns back to face the crowd.

VARYYN: And so I ask all of you, citizens of Elyys’tel: do we not owe him that same courtesy? Should we not make the effort to try and understand Diego’s people, just as he was willing to understand us? I believe we should. “For Time’s great cycle ever repeats, and that which is given, in Time one shall receive.”

There is a brief muttering among the Vaanti warriors. Varyyn gives a short bow and steps backward. Ximaedra smiles proudly for a moment, then turns serious.

XIMAEDRA: Well said, Varyyn. And now for the opposition. War-Chief Seraxa?

Seraxa nods and steps forward, glaring angrily at Varyyn before turning to face the rest of the crowd.

SERAXA: Hydra. Lyra.

Fear and anger ripple through the room in equal measure. Estela frowns in confusion as she leans in to whisper to Ian:

ESTELA: That’s the second time now she’s mentioned “Hydra.” What’s that about?

IAN (whispering): No idea.

SERAXA: We trusted outsiders once before, and we all remember how that story ended. They betrayed us. Tried to destroy us! Kidnapped the children of Vaanu from this very city! And now you would repeat that very same mistake? I refuse to risk another betrayal. Exile them and be done with it.

Seraxa stops talking and takes a step back, gazing out at the assembled Vaanti warriors around the chamber. Ximaedra nods.

XIMAEDRA: You are finished, War-Chief?

SERAXA: I am.

XIMAEDRA: Very well. Keeper Uqzhaal, you may speak.

Uqzhaal takes a few slow steps forward.

GRACE (quietly): I don’t like this.

ALYSSA: Yeah, the war-chief really hates us. I hope the old guy’s got a good argument...

UQZHAAL: War-Chief, you speak of the one we call Hydra, and the betrayal that he committed. Yet you would treat these outsiders the same, despite Hydra being their enemy as well! You forget that I was with them when the Temple of Canis was set alight. I witnessed with my own eyes as Hydra attempted to burn them alive within it! They are no friends of his, I can assure you that much.

SERAXA (angrily): They are still outsiders! This--

XIMAEDRA: Silence, War-Chief. You speak out of turn.

Seraxa bows her head, embarrassed at her sudden outburst. After a moment, Uqzhaal continues:

UQZHAAL: You mentioned as well the betrayal that Lyra inflicted upon us. How she took the children of Vaanu from our people, depriving us of such a blessing, and then sent her warriors to attack us, nearly burning Elyys’tel to the ground.

JAKE (whispering): Hey, ain’t he supposed to be on our side? That doesn’t sound like a defense.

SEAN (whispering): Yeah, I really hope he knows what he’s doing...

UQZHAAL: Yet none of you have recognized what is plain to see! That betrayal--that tragedy--has been corrected!

Uqzhaal suddenly turns and approaches the Hartfeld group, walking straight toward Alyssa and Ian. He uses his staff to reach out and pull the two of them forward, out of the group and into the space directly in front of Ximaedra’s throne. The Czasa twins look around in confusion as Uqzhaal declares:

UQZHAAL (proudly): At long last, the children of Vaanu are returned to us!

The entire chamber erupts in an uproar. Excitement, anger, and confusion can be felt in equal measure despite most of the words spoken being in the Vaant’igua language. Alyssa and Ian exchange confused glances, clearly bewildered.

SERAXA: Uqzhaal, how can you know that? Your gluptala fantasies have blinded you--

UQZHAAL (exasperated): Hydra vezm, War-Chief! I was there! I saw that one summon the Vaanulux with my own eyes!

He points to Ian.

IAN: What’s a ‘Vaan...’ uh, thing?

SERAXA: You see?! They do not even know our ways! They cannot be--

XIMAEDRA (booming): ENOUGH!

The entire room immediately goes silent. Ximaedra rises from her throne, stepping forward to stand between Seraxa and Uqzhaal. She takes a moment to allow her analytical gaze to sweep over first Ian, then Alyssa.

XIMAEDRA: If what you say is true, Keeper Uqzhaal... then we have not only the children of Vaanu, but truly the Thirteen Catalysts of legend standing in our midst. It may be a grave mistake to punish them.

Seraxa flinches, looking as though she desperately wants to object, but she holds her tongue. Ximaedra turns back to face Uqzhaal.

XIMAEDRA: If what you say is true. In order to know for certain, we shall need proof of this matter before proceeding. Tupaan? Sixal?

Tupaan and SIXAL, a female warrior wearing a golden mask, step forward.

XIMAEDRA: Go to the Temple of... hmm, Cygnus should do. Retrieve the vaalta there and bring it to us. We shall know the truth of Keeper Uqzhaal’s claim soon enough.

SIXAL: Yes, my elyyshar.

She and Tupaan move to leave the throne room, but Uqzhaal stops them with his staff.

UQZHAAL: Wait! There is no need. I have the vaalta of Canis right here.

He reaches into his satchel and withdraws the dog-headed statue he had taken from the temple earlier, holding it out before Ximaedra.

XIMAEDRA: Ah! Yes, this will work nicely. Keeper Uqzhaal, you have said nothing to the outsiders of the vaalta?

UQZHAAL: That is correct. They know nothing of our stories.

XIMAEDRA: Excellent. Will this suffice, War-Chief?

SERAXA: Yes. We shall witness their ignorance soon enough.

Uqzhaal turns and gestures to Diego, who steps nervously forward. Uqzhaal hands him the statue.

UQZHAAL: Canis. Take the vaalta.

DIEGO (hesitantly): Uh... okay.

He takes it, but nothing happens. Uqzhaal gestures toward the twins.

UQZHAAL: Let them touch it.

Diego approaches the twins and holds out the idol. Realization dawns on both Alyssa and Ian as they understand what the Vaanti are trying to do.

ALYSSA: Oh! They want us to--

IAN (simultaneously): Is this about the--

They reach out to touch the statue. The moment all three of them are touching it, a familiar blinding flash of light envelops the twins. When it clears, they are standing in the living room of a small house, near the front door. Ian and Alyssa stumble back in shock when they see it.

ALYSSA (emotionally): I... this is...

IAN (shocked): Home.

The two of them look almost on the verge of tears at the familiar sight. Before they can react further, the door swings open to reveal YOUNG IAN and YOUNG ALYSSA, about 12 years old, their backpacks slung over their shoulders. Behind them, looking terrified and so nervous that he seems to wish he could disappear on the spot, is an equally YOUNG DIEGO. He is disheveled, his hair messy and his clothes wrinkled. His own backpack is stuffed to bursting, and he holds a wrinkled bedsheet in his hands.

YOUNG IAN: It’ll be okay. I promise! They love you.

YOUNG DIEGO (shakily): I thought m-my parents did, too. And then--

YOUNG ALYSSA: Well, they’re stupid! None of that should matter. Want me to go yell at them for you? I could totally do that!

The adult Ian and Alyssa exchange a glance.

ALYSSA: This is... It’s another memory.

IAN: Yeah. Wait--you’ve seen this, too?

ALYSSA: Not this one, but... same concept. Wait, hang on--!

IAN (sighs): Yeah, I’ve seen one too. Gotta say, it’s really weird seeing ourselves like this.

ALYSSA: No kidding--

She stops talking as footsteps can be heard from upstairs. The younger Alyssa, Ian, and Diego enter the living room and shut the door. A woman in her late 40’s, her black hair pulled back into a loose ponytail, walks down the stairs as the adult twins’ gazes are immediately drawn to her. This is BECKY CZASA, Alyssa and Ian’s adoptive mother.

IAN: Mom!

ALYSSA (simultaneously): Mom!

Without thinking, the two of them approach their mother, only to be interrupted as the younger Ian runs up to Becky, sprinting right through his older self in the process. The older Ian glances down and sighs, shaking his head.

IAN: Right. Memory.

BECKY: Hi, Ian! How was schoo--

She abruptly stops talking mid-sentence as she catches sight of Diego, taking in his disheveled appearance.

BECKY (concerned): Diego! Oh my Lord, what happened? You look like a mess! What’s wrong--

Diego flinches and attempts to hide behind Alyssa. Ian takes a deep breath and looks back at his sister and his best friend. Alyssa gives him a nod.

YOUNG IAN (nervously): Mom... uh... something did happen. It’s kind of a big deal. I... um... I don’t really know where to start. How to explain... um... it’s...

YOUNG ALYSSA (shouting): Diego’s gay, Mom!

Diego looks even more terrified. Ian fixes his sister with an angry glare.

YOUNG IAN: ‘Lyss!

YOUNG ALYSSA: What? You were taking too long. (furiously) Mom, if you think you’re about to kick Diego out like his mom did, then I’m kicking myself out, too! Nobody deserves to be treated like this for somethin’ they don’t choose! You don’t--

BECKY: What? Alyssa, please, I am not--

YOUNG ALYSSA: --and it's such a big bunch of crap, too! He’s so scared, and everyone keeps bullying him, and now even his own family won’t--

BECKY: Alyssa, listen to me--

YOUNG ALYSSA: --so if you and Dad think you can keep treating him like this, like everyone else does, than me and Ian are runnin’ away with him, you got that? You kick him out, you kick all of us out! I'm not gonna--

BECKY (suddenly shouting): Alyssa Meghan Agbayani Czasa!

Alyssa abruptly stops talking. Becky shakes her head, an amused smile on her face.

BECKY: I know you care about your friend. But your father and I would never dream of treating him any different because of who he loves! Diego, you have always been welcome in our home, and that has not changed. That will never change, do you understand?

The younger Alyssa blushes heavily at the realization that her whole rant was for nothing. The adult Alyssa, watching the vision, blushes heavily as well, from secondhand embarrassment. Ian gives her an amused smile.

ALYSSA: God, was I really that quick to start yelling all the time back then?

IAN: And I could barely work up the nerve to say anything at all. Wow...

ALYSSA (playfully): Not much has changed on that front.

IAN: That goes for both of us, y’know.

They share an amused grin before turning their attention back to the memory. Becky approaches Diego and bends down to pull him into a tight hug as Diego starts sobbing into her shoulder.

BECKY: Shh. It’s okay. You’re safe here.

YOUNG DIEGO (sobbing): I thought... I thought you’d--

YOUNG IAN: Mom? That’s why... I wanted to ask if he can stay with us. His parents kicked him out. He had to sleep on a couch in the library last night! And he barely had anything to eat besides my lunch from today! He needs--

BECKY: Of course he can stay. As long as he needs to, he can stay.

Becky stands up and gives young Ian a smile.

BECKY: He’s no stranger to that guest room of ours, after all! Come on, you three. Let’s get you all some food.

YOUNG DIEGO (tearfully): Thank you, Mrs. Czasa. Thank you. I-- thank you!

As the older Ian and Alyssa move to follow their younger selves into the kitchen, the blinding flash of light returns once again and the twins are yanked backward. Within the light, they hear a familiar voice:

VOICE (V.O.): Canis. Always quick to cast his own needs aside for fear of rejection. He must accept himself for who he is, in order to find the true strength he carries within. All of you must, if you wish to find the sole path forward.

In a flash, they are back in the throne room of Elyys’tel. The twins stare at Diego in shock.

DIEGO (confused): Uh... did something happen? Are you two okay?

IAN: We, er... we saw...

XIMAEDRA: Describe your experience upon touching the vaalta.

IAN: I... uh... it was kinda...

ALYSSA: We saw a vision. A memory. Diego’s memory.

DIEGO: Wait, what?

UQZHAAL (triumphantly): Oho! You see?

ALYSSA: We could, like, walk around and stuff. But we couldn’t interact with anything. We saw it as clear as day!

DIEGO: Wait, what memory?

IAN: From when we were little. The day you--

SERAXA: They lie!

XIMAEDRA: And how could they lie about this, War-Chief? They have no way of knowing what the correct answer could be--

Uqzhaal takes the statue from Diego’s hand and holds it aloft.

UQZHAAL: It is a proven truth! They are indeed the long-lost children of Vaanu, returned to us at last! Which means... before us stand the Thirteen Catalysts of legend!

Gasps of astonishment come from the surrounding crowd of Vaanti. The Hartfeld group simply look even more confused.

SERAXA: Claq shen zarvii, Uqzhaal. It is said that they will bring about great change, yes? And change itself can be good... or very, very bad. The Catalysts may prove to be our enemies yet.

Uqzhaal scowls in annoyance.

UQZHAAL: And you would make enemies out of them in the process? That is not--

XIMAEDRA: Keeper Uqzhaal. Tell me, is it not true that the Endless Ones once spoke of the Catalysts’ capacity for salvation and destruction?

UQZHAAL: It... it is true, my elyyshar.

XIMAEDRA: Then we may in fact be enemies, after all. Even the Catalysts--indeed, even the children of Vaanu--are not without the ability to choose. Even to choose evil, should they wish.

VARYYN: Diego is not--

Ximaedra holds out a hand for silence as she settles back into her throne.

XIMAEDRA: The Tribunal continues. Keeper Uqzhaal, you have said your peace. Warrior Viloko, step forward.

The male Vaanti warrior standing beside Seraxa takes a step forward and nods at the assembled crowd.

VILOKO: Our War-Chief speaks the truth! Even if they are the Catalysts, it changes nothing. We all know of what happened when our warriors went to retrieve them from the Torehydra! They attacked us without cause!

He points accusingly at Varyyn.

VILOKO: Varyyn, you should know full well that the Catalysts are our enemies! You were with us in that battle that should not have been a battle! We have no need to wonder. It has already been made clear: the Catalysts are our enemies!

He draws a ceremonial knife from its sheath at his waist and holds it aloft.

VILOKO: Why are we talking? We should be acting!

SERAXA: Heed my warrior’s words! He speaks the truth!

Piercing war cries erupt from the crowd. Ximaedra raises both hands in an attempt to quiet the crowd as Uqzhaal pounds his staff on the ground. The Vaanti warriors press closer toward the Catalysts, who huddle in more tightly together. As the din crescendoes, Kele stomps a foot on the ground and makes a few quick gestures. A thin surge of water whips in through a window to impact with a resounding CRACK! against the opposite wall. Immediately, the room goes quiet.

KELE: HEY! Tribunal’s not over.

He bows quickly to Ximaedra before stepping back to his original position.

KELE (respectfully): Elyyshar. Proceed.

Ximaedra nods gratefully in his direction before returning her gaze to Viloko and Seraxa.

XIMAEDRA: There is a time for war-frenzy, and a time for order. You would do well to remember this.

VILOKO (ashamed): Yes, my elyyshar.

XIMAEDRA: Have you any more to say, Warrior Viloko?

VILOKO: Only that I stand by my words. We must treat the Catalysts as our enemies, lest we wish to be--

He stops talking as a deep, shuddering rumble echoes throughout the chamber. The other Vaanti all look up in fear, as do the Catalysts.

SERAXA: Wave-Lord! What trick of yours is this?!

KELE: This isn’t me. I’m not--

An impossibly tall wave crashes into the side of the chamber, water dripping through the windows. Kele quickly runs toward the water, doing his best to keep the torrent from drowning everyone inside the chamber. He visibly strains to send the water pouring harmlessly out another window.

SERAXA: Go! Tell us what happened!

Calvia nods to her War-Chief and dashes out of the chamber. Not fifteen seconds later, she comes sprinting back inside, wide-eyed with terror.

CALVIA (quaking with fear): Elyyshar. War-Chief.

She swallows hard, then looks back up at Ximaedra nervously.

CALVIA: Cetus has returned.

_______________________

Scene Notes: Yes, we're skipping Yvonne's entrance for now. Don't worry, I'd never miss including her in the story! She'll show up eventually. Next up: the battle with Cetus!

also I can finally start referring to them as 'Catalysts,' that was getting annoying

_______________________

Next: Trial by Water

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0 @shaylan211 @griselda1121 @acanthisorbis @marmolady @choicesbabie @mauvecatfic

Endless Summer Tag List: @mysteli @edgydepressedchoicesthot @endlessly-searching-for-you @lovelywrites

#endless winter #es book 2 #choices endless summer #choices stories you play #csyp #fanfic #choices interconnected universe #ciu project #estela montoya #jake mckenzie #diego soto #varyyn #ian czasa #alyssa czasa #grace hall #ximaedra #kele endless summer #kele tubigan #uqzhaal #variego #estela x mc #jake x mc #sean gayle #becky czasa #viloko (ciu) #calvia (ciu) #yes diego eventually gets adopted by the czasas #as mentioned in convergence #he deserves a happy ending dammit

[sceptilemasterr]

"With Great Power," an Endless Summer fanfic

Title: “With Great Power"

Fandom: Choices: Endless Summer

Main Pairing (not the focus): M!MC x Estela

Other Pairings: Hints toward Diego x Varyyn, F!MC x Jake

Genre: Slice-of-life

Warnings: Brief swearing (in Spanish)

Summary: Six-year-old Olivia Czasa is eager to use her Prismic abilities to help out in a blizzard... but things don't exactly go according to plan.

Note: Just a cute small story introducing the next generation of CIU kids! Takes place with the rest of my CIU continuity, several years post-Convergence. The twin ES MCs have developed time powers from Vaanu, which have now been passed down to their children...

For those wondering, Estela and Ian have three children: Olivia (age 6), Antonio (age 4), and Krissy (four months). Will make a CIU Generation 2 masterpost soon with more details!

Adding a link here to an awesome drawing of Olivia, courtesy of @marmolady!

December 11th, 2027

“Livi, it’s snowing!” Antonio shouted excitedly, shaking his six-year-old sister Olivia awake. “Look, look!”

“What?” asked a still-half-asleep Olivia, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Then she looked out the window, where a raging blizzard was currently in the process of covering every possible surface with snow. “Whoa. You’re right!”

“We should go play! Mommy’s at work, and Daddy’s busy with little Krissy,” her little brother informed her. “C’mon, let’s go!”

“Calm down, Antonio, we’ve gotta eat first!”

Antonio frowned. “Oh, yeah…” he admitted as Olivia got out of bed and haphazardly shoved her blankets into an approximation of something that might generously be described as “made” if one squinted very tightly, tilted their head, and pretended the bed looked made. “Breakfast first, then play!” He dashed out of the room so quickly that a few stray sheets of drawing paper flew off of Olivia’s dresser and onto the floor.

She sighed as she crossed over to the dresser, picking up the papers and preparing to get herself ready for the day. Then she paused as some movement through the window caught her eye. She looked closer, and saw a single vehicle doing its best to power through the snowdrift-covered road outside. It was the mail truck, braving the weather to attempt to deliver their mail for the day. As Olivia watched further, she realized the truck was having a very hard time. It could barely move at all, and every few feet, the driver had to get out, shovel some more snow out of the way of the truck, then get back in. She frowned. “That’s no fun,” she said to herself, shaking her head.

Then an idea crossed her mind. She could help the mail truck! After all, Daddy melted snow all the time, and it didn’t seem too hard. Sure, her parents had told her to practice on small things, but snow was just… snow. You couldn’t hurt anyone with it, even if it exploded all over the place. And besides, snowflakes are pretty small, so technically, she wasn’t doing anything wrong. Right?

~ ~ ~

Several minutes later, she was tugging on her snowpants, jacket, and boots by the front door. Antonio watched her, frowning. “But Livi! I thought we were gonna play!” he whined.

“I told you, I have to help first. Then we can play, okay?”

“I wanna play now!”

“You can play by yourself.”

“No, I wanna play with you, Livi!”

“Then wait! This will only take a couple minutes. Promise!”

Antonio pouted and sat down on the nearby staircase. “Fine…”

Olivia had finished bundling herself up and opened the front door. The fierce winds of the blizzard blew it wide open, sending a scattering of snowflakes into the house. She decided to use her muscles to tug the door back closed; a door was a little big for her to try Prism-ing. Besides, she didn’t want to accidentally hurt her brother, even if he was being annoying. “Be… right… back!” she grunted, managing to yank the door shut once more.

She stood in front of the house, alone except for the howling of the blizzard around her and the grunting of the postal worker bravely shoveling the snow in front of the truck. She took a few tentative steps through the snow, sinking into it until it was up to her hips. In any other situation, this would have been perfect snow-fort-building conditions, but right now, Olivia Rebecca Montoya Czasa had a job to do. She could be a real hero, like her parents! Braving the storm to save the mail carrier from the terrible blizzard! She could do this. Easy! She took a deep breath, concentrated on the snow stretched out in front of her, closed her eyes, then stretched out her arms in front of her, slowly but surely.

Olivia felt the time energy welling up from inside of her. She called it her “time-spot,” which felt like it was right underneath her heart. Maybe it was in her tummy, she didn’t know. But that was the spot she always felt the power coming from whenever she tried to use it (and sometimes even when she didn’t try, like if she got really mad. It tended to just do its own thing when that happened.) She concentrated, willing the power to leap out of her hands and envelop all of the snow, and only the snow. Not the house. Not the air. Not the truck. Just the snow. That was all. Just the snow–

There! She felt the power take root. She opened her eyes, straining to maintain the field… sure enough, the greenish-golden energy of the powers she shared with her father and Antonio (and probably little Krissy too, but she was just a baby so nobody knew for sure yet) had perfectly enveloped the snow all around them, forming a neat little circle of cut-out space around the truck. The mail carrier was now staring at her, a little surprised. She’d seen Prismic stuff before, of course–everyone in the neighborhood had, especially when it snowed–but she was probably just surprised to see Olivia rather than her daddy. Well! She hadn’t seen anything yet!

Olivia smiled proudly at the mail carrier before scrunching up her face in concentration and moving both hands in a slow, clockwise rotation. This part was always the worst, but she could do it–she was a hero!

All of the snow around them started to melt. Slowly at first, then a little bit faster. Olivia knew, of course, that moving something backwards in time was always harder than moving it forwards. Auntie Lyssa had told her once that anybody, Prismic or no, could move something forwards in time, by one second every second. All Olivia was doing was speeding up the process a little. Nothing too crazy. She was doing it!

The strain on her body got worse, but she powered through–she was a hero! And heroes don’t give up!

This seemed harder than she’d expected. Ice cubes were easy to melt, snow shouldn’t be that much harder. Sure, there was a lot of it, but…

The melting got faster. Olivia smiled to herself in spite of the strain. She could almost picture herself in a red-and-gold armored costume, like the ones her daddy and Auntie Lyssa had… Olivia, the newest Hero of Cordonia! Maybe Tio Varyyn would give her a cool Catalyst name like the grown-ups. She’d have to ask him for one.

The strain started to overwhelm her, so she shut her eyes again. Come on, Livi, she thought to herself. Not much longer now. You’ve got this.

Just a little more… she could feel it–

“Malpar– ah! Livita!” shouted a familiar voice. Clearly, her mother was home early. Olivia smiled to herself. She must’ve been really impressed to almost swear in front of her. Well, it wouldn’t be long now. The snow couldn’t have much more to go.

Then she heard the door behind her swing open. “Livita!” her father shouted frantically from behind her. “Stop!”

Olivia groaned inwardly. She was so close! “No, wait!”

“Ian,” her mother’s voice said. “Stop her!”

“Olivia!” her father warned again. This time, he sounded a lot angrier. Not that it mattered. She couldn’t have much more to go–

Though there wasn’t any noise, she felt the impact in her mind: a super-strong force that had grabbed her own power, stopping her right in her tracks as if she’d run straight into a wall. She flinched back from the shock. She’d felt this before, of course, plenty of times, but it never stopped being frustrating. There was no point in fighting it. Just like she couldn’t beat Mommy in arm wrestling no matter how hard she tried, she could never beat Daddy when it came to Prismic stuff. “Ugh…” she groaned as she reluctantly released her power, allowing it to flow back into her time-spot.

Then she opened her eyes.

“...Oops.”

Everywhere between their house and the house across the street, except for the circle around the mail truck, the snow had all been melted. That was good. What wasn’t good was that all the grass was also dead, both houses’ driveways and the streets were old and cracked, riddled with holes, and two of their yard’s smaller trees had grown humongous while the other trees were now withered and dead. Worse, her mother’s nice, new car was falling apart, its sides now caked with rust. Her mother herself stood beside it, fury plain on her face. Olivia stared, open-mouthed, at the sight. She could feel her face turning a deep red.

Her father took a few steps into the snow, not even looking at her right away. He waved to the mail carrier. “Sorry about that,” he called out. “I’ll take care of it.”

Olivia watched him make a sweeping gesture with his right hand, allowing his own time energy to sweep across the road, driveways, trees, lawns, and car that she had accidentally sent forward in time a little too far. He made a quick spiral gesture with his other hand, neatly encircling the same spot she had done around the truck. Then, with a grunt of effort, he raised his right arm over his head, moving it slowly counter-clockwise. Everything slowly restored itself to its previous state in time with his movements.

Less than a minute later, it was all over. Her father dropped his arms to his sides, gasping for breath. She flinched as her mother approached, fixing her with a look that was… well, she didn’t even look mad, really. Just… confused, maybe? Mad or not, Olivia was still really embarrassed, so she looked away. “I… I’m sorry, Mommy, Daddy,” she said.

“It’s okay. You were only trying to help, and that’s a good thing!” her mother said. “You just have a lot of practice to do before you’re ready for something like this, that’s all. Come on, let’s go inside.”

She took her mother’s hand and allowed her to lead her back through the front door, her father a few steps ahead. The blizzard still howled around them, but the ground beneath their feet was now mostly dry. “I just wanted to save the mail lady,” she admitted. “I wanted to be a hero. Like you guys, and Auntie Lyssa and Uncle Jake!”

Her mother smiled and shook her head as she opened the front door, leading her back inside. “You know, being a hero isn’t just about having flashy powers or being good at fighting,” she told her. “It’s about knowing when to use our abilities, too.” She winked. “And when not to use them.”

“I guess…”

“There’s a famous quote, y’know,” her father added. “‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ Have you heard that one?”

“Yeah! Yeah! I know that one. Tio Diego came up with that!”

Her father laughed to himself. “Well, no, that was from Spider-Man, but your Tio Diego would be flattered that you thought he made it up himself. Anyway, why don’t we–”

They were interrupted by Antonio running down the stairs toward them, his footsteps always so loud for someone so small. “Daddy! Is Livi okay? Is she hurt?”

She peered out from behind her father and waved at him. “I’m okay, ‘Tonio,” she reassured him.

“Yay!” he said, running up to her and giving her a big hug. “I thought you were gonna go away!”

She sighed. “I told you only a couple minutes. It wasn’t that long.”

“Okay. So, can we play now? Please?”

Little baby Krissy decided to wake up and start crying at that moment. Her parents exchanged an exasperated glance, both of them looking over toward the nursery. “I think that sounds like a great idea,” her mother told them. “Livita, don’t forget what we told you. Okay?”

“Okay, Mommy, promise. C’mon, ‘Tonio!” The two of them rushed toward the back yard, which thankfully still had plenty of un-melted snow, and they had all day to play in it. Like she’d noticed earlier, this was perfect snow-fort weather. Which she would be building with just her hands, of course. Not the Prismic stuff.

Olivia had had enough of that for one day.

--------------------------

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0 @shaylan211 @griselda1121 @acanthisorbis @marmolady @choicesbabie @mauvecatfic

#endless summer fanfic #choices endless summer #choices stories you play #csyp #ciu project #choices interconnected universe #estela montoya #ian czasa #olivia czasa #antonio czasa #krystal czasa #alyssa czasa #jake mckenzie #diego soto #varyyn #expect more stories about olivia and her siblings in the future!

[sceptilemasterr]

"It's a Long Story..." an Elementalists/Endless Summer fanfic

Title: “It's a Long Story..."

Fandom: Choices: The Elementalists and Choices: Endless Summer

Main Pairings (not the focus): F!Atlas x Beckett, F!MC x Shreya, M!MC x Estela

Genre: Slice-of-life

Warnings: Mild swearing

Summary: Estela and Ian's daughter Olivia finds herself yanked through the mirror to help fix Atlas and Beckett's house, which has been completely destroyed... by a toddler?!

Note: Takes place in my CIU continuity, starring Olivia Czasa and Atlas and Beckett's children. A couple of other TE characters also make an appearance! Follows "A Little Problem" and "With Great Power."

April 17, 2032

NOW

The house across the street was in ruins. Two uprooted trees floated lazily in the slowly draining stagnant “pond” that now covered most of the lawn. The driveway was cracked and marked with the distinctive scorch patterns of multiple lightning strikes. The roof that had once covered the house’s playroom lay in several pieces in the middle of the road. Several windows had been shattered, and–

“Also, the basement is completely flooded,” Evie Luxen added. “And the power’s out. On the whole block.”

Eleven-year-old Olivia Czasa could only stare, openmouthed, at the sight. “I–what–how?!” she asked finally.

“As I stated earlier, young Relzhek had his Awakening this morning,” explained Beckett Harrington III, Evie’s older brother.

“I think her question was rhetorical,” Evie said. Beckett frowned.

“Okay, yeah, but… you’re saying that he…” Olivia gestured to Evie and Beckett’s two-year-old brother, now sleeping peacefully in their Uncle Zeph’s arms a few yards away. “He caused all this?!”

“Yes,” said Beckett.

“Not exactly,” said Evie.

Olivia sighed. “Okay, okay. I’m so confused right now. I still don’t get where I come in–”

She was interrupted by a tug on her pant leg. She looked down to see Beckett and Evie’s other brother, five-year-old Zeph, looking up at her. “You’re gonna fix it! They said you can put it all back to how it was, right?”

“Yes, Olivia, please?” asked Evie. “Preferably before Dad gets home.”

“Or worse… Mom,” added Beckett, a note of terror creeping into his voice.

Olivia looked back at the scene of utter destruction that had apparently, a few hours ago, been the Harrington-Luxen house. “Uh…” she stammered out as she took in the daunting task that evidently lay ahead of her. “Alright, listen, can you guys just… back up for a sec? Beckett, you randomly show up, yank me through the mirror, then tell me this disaster zone was apparently your house before a two-year-old got involved?! I’m gonna need a lot more explanation first.”

Beckett, Evie, and little Zeph all exchanged glances. Then Beckett shook his head and sighed. “Very well, I shall explain,” he said…

EARLIER (Beckett III)

The four siblings’ father, Beckett II, sat across the kitchen table from his children. Evie held little Rel in her arms, though the toddler was making every effort to squirm out of his sister’s embrace. “Children,” the elder Beckett said, “Aleister and Grace have requested my input on a project of theirs. Their latest analysis has yielded some interesting preliminary results about Sourceborn Attunements and how they differ from–”

“‘Prismic,’” Evie interrupted rudely. “They call us ‘Prismics’ over there, remember?”

Beckett II frowned at his daughter. “You are correct. But we are currently on this side of the mirror, and as such, the term is ‘Sourceborn.’”

“But you’re about to go over there. You just said so! Dad, can I come with you?” Evie whined.

Beckett II shook his head firmly. “This is a matter for adults. Uncle Zeph shall be along in a few hours to watch the house until either I or your mother return.” He looked over at his namesake son and nodded in approval. “Beckett will be in charge until that time.”

“I wanna be in charge!” little Zeph whined to his older brother. “Beck, can I do whatever I want? Please?”

“No,” said both Becketts simultaneously.

“No fair,” little Zeph said, pouting.

Beckett II stood up from his chair. “Very well. I trust the four of you to get along whilst I am away. I trust you are all aware of the house rules?”

His oldest son nodded respectfully. “Of course, Father. I shall not let you down, I promise.”

“Excellent. Then I will see you all this evening.” He stopped to hug each of his children once, then turned toward the large transit mirror set into one wall of the kitchen. “I love you all very much. Take care!” With that, he placed one palm on the mirror’s surface, concentrated for a moment until the mirror adopted the shimmering bluish-gray sheen of an active transit, then stepped through. A moment later, Beckett II had vanished completely.

Rel took advantage of that moment to finally wrench himself out of his sister’s inadequate grip on him and sprint headlong toward the mirror after his father. Before he could injure himself running face-first into the now-inert mirror, Beckett III deftly ran through the series of thoughts and hand gestures necessary for a Hydrocushion technique, which manifested perfectly-formed between Rel and the mirror. The toddler bounced off of the soft bubble of water, then looked up at it in confusion. “Wawer?” he asked, poking at the surface of the Hydrocushion curiously.

“Dad had to leave,” Evie said, rushing at Rel and scooping him up too abruptly, making him cry again. “He’ll be back soon!”

Beckett III dispelled the Hydrocushion. “Evie, please set him down, you are making it worse,” he said. “We must be rational about this…”

NOW

“Excuse me? That is not what happened,” said Evie, interrupting Beckett’s story.

Her brother gave her a look. “What do you mean? I told it exactly as it happened.”

“For one thing, I did not make Rel cry. That was you, when you got rid of the Hydrocushion!”

“Beck, Evie, shush! Stop it!” whined little Zeph.

Beckett ignored his brother’s protests completely. “What are you talking about? Rel had already started crying before I did anything!”

“No, he was still playing with it! And then you yanked it away and he started crying!”

“One does not ‘yank away’ a stoicheal technique; the proper term is ‘dispel,’ Evie–”

“What’s that got to do with anything?!”

“Everything! Ensuring we use the proper terms for things is vital to–”

Olivia had had enough of this argument. “Alright, you two, shut up!” she yelled, shoving herself between the two siblings. “This really isn’t helping, and we still have a disaster to fix. Can you two just get to the point? Specifically, how the heck this happened?” She gestured to the scene of destruction across the street.

Evie and Beckett both looked at Olivia, equally embarrassed. “You are… correct. My apologies,” Beckett said.

“Yeah. Sorry,” said Evie.

“Yeah, that girl is right!” said little Zeph, pointing to Olivia. “Stop being mad!”

Olivia knelt down to his level and smiled, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Thanks, little guy. My name’s Olivia, but you can call me ‘Liv’ if you want.”

Zeph grinned. “Okay! Hi, Liv!”

“Hi, Zeph.” Olivia stood up again, looking over at the two older siblings. “So, is somebody gonna finish explaining, or…?

Beckett nodded to Evie. “I suppose it is only fair. You may explain further, Evie.”

“Thanks, Beck. Alright, this is how it really went…”

EARLIER (Evie)

The four siblings’ father, Beckett II, sat across the kitchen table from his children. Evie held little Rel in her arms, valiantly holding firm despite the little boy’s best efforts to escape. She was always the best in the family at keeping him calm. “Children,” her father said, “Aleister and Grace have requested my input on a project of theirs. Their latest analysis has yielded some interesting preliminary results about Sourceborn Attunements and…”

Evie gasped with excitement, leaning in closer at the mention of her father’s work colleagues, who she knew worked in the Archikeal Realm. She hadn’t actually traveled there more than once or twice herself, but the world on the other side of the mirror was fascinating to her, and she’d learned so much about it. “In the Archikeal Realm, the word for us is ‘Prismic,’ isn’t it?” she asked, eager to show off her knowledge to her father.

Beckett II smiled proudly at her. “Indeed. Here, you are known as Sourceborn, and across the mirror, the Tuneless call you Prismics. You’ve been studying well, Evelyn.”

“Thanks, Dad!” Evie said. She started bouncing Rel on her knees to calm him down, as the little boy was growing increasingly more restless. “I’d love to go with you across the mirror sometime! Can I?”

Beckett II smiled and shook his head. “Not this time; I am going strictly for work, I’m afraid. But perhaps next time we go for a friendly visit. As for right now, I will need you to watch the house. I’m placing you and your older brother in charge while I am gone.”

“I get to be in charge?” asked little Zeph eagerly. “Can I do whatever I want?”

“No,” said Becketts II and III simultaneously.

“He said older brother,” Evie reminded him.

Little Zeph pouted. “No fair.”

Their father stood up from his chair. “Very well. I trust the four of you to get along whilst I am away. I will return this evening; I love you all very much.” He stopped to hug each of his children once before activating the transit mirror and stepping through it.

Rel immediately started struggling in an effort to chase after his father. Evie held on with all of her strength. “Evie,” Beckett III remarked, “if you are to be in charge here alongside myself, I trust you do know all of our parents’ rules? And that you shall follow them to the letter so as to set a good example for our younger siblings?”

Evie rolled her eyes. “Of course I do; I live in the same house as you do, idiot,” she said. “Now stop bothering me, I’m trying to–”

But in the few seconds she was distracted, the damage was done. Rel managed to wrest himself from her grip, jumping to the floor and sprinting headlong toward the mirror after his father. “Rel, no!” Evie shrieked. She knew he didn’t understand the mirror was now solid; he’d hit his head on the glass surface if he wasn’t careful. “Somebody stop him!”

Beckett stepped forward, performing a quick Hydrocushion technique that sprung into existence right in front of the mirror, just in time for Rel to bounce off of it harmlessly. Evie let out a sigh of relief. “There, you see?” her older brother said. “Problem solved. Now, then, let us–”

He made another few gestures, yanking away dispelling (“happy, Beckett?”) the Hydrocushion while Rel was still poking and prodding at it curiously. The moment the watery sphere vanished, he burst into tears. “Beckett!” Evie said. “Put it back!”

“Well, how was I to know he would begin to cry? He is not being logical!” her older brother protested as she quickly scooped the screaming toddler up into her arms, shushing and rocking him in an effort to calm him down.

“He’s two! Two-year-olds generally aren’t ‘logical!’” Evie admonished him. Slowly, gradually, Rel was starting to calm down. “Beckett, can you find a toy or something for him to play with? We need to distract him.”

“Zeph, why don’t you take your brother into the playroom and play with him for a while?” asked Beckett.

Evie set Rel back down as her younger brother eagerly took the toddler by the hand. “Okay!” said Zeph brightly. “C’mon, Rel, let’s go play!”

As the two boys sprinted down the hallway toward the playroom, Evie gave Beckett a look. “What are you so busy with, anyway? I asked you to get a toy. It would’ve taken you five seconds,” she said.

“I’ll have you know that I have homework to do,” he said. “It isn’t as though all of this reading and assignments will complete itself.”

“Homework?!” asked Evie incredulously. “Since when are you late on anything? I’d have thought you’d have already done all of your stuff for Monday.”

“Well, of course I have,” Beckett said. “And Tuesday’s. But there are a few things to be assigned for the rest of the week that I haven’t finished yet.”

“You are such a nerd,” she teased.

“What in the Realm is a ‘nerd?’ Did you just make up an insult because you could not think of any actual words to–”

“It’s a Tuneless word! It means somebody who spends all of their time studying and doesn’t do anything else,” Evie explained.

“Do they have a word for someone who spends all of their time obsessing over the Archikeal Realm and doesn’t do anything else? Because that word would perfectly describe you,” Beckett shot back.

“We should be learning about the other realm! We’ve got friends over there; fellow Prismics–”

“On this side of the mirror; we are called Sourceborn–”

“You know what I meant! Stop being annoying!”

“Stop being so difficult!”

“I’m not being difficult! Shut up!”

The faintest blue wisps of Water Stoichi began flowing around her hands and fingers. Beckett gasped. “Evie! You know the rules: no stoichi in the house without supervision!”

“You’re not in charge of me! Dad said both of us, remember? Besides, what about your sloppy Hydrocushion earlier?”

“Sloppy?!” demanded Beckett indignantly. “How dare you! And at any rate, that was an emergency. It hardly counts.”

Evie nodded toward Beckett’s own hands, which were becoming encased in rapidly-solidifying gloves of ice. “Oh, sure, it’s okay when you do it–”

“Only in response to you!”

“Wow, that’s a convenient loophole–”

“Shh!” said Beckett suddenly. “Stop!”

“What, did you run out of arguments? Listen, you’re not gonna–”

“No, wait,” Beckett continued, suddenly much less angry. He gestured toward the floor. “That’s not you, is it?”

Evie looked down to see a stream of water pooling around their feet. She shook her head, instantly dispelling (“see, I can remember when I want to!”) the swirling energy in her palms. “No…” she said, looking at Beckett with concern. “It doesn’t look frozen, but I mean, there isn’t a chance it’s you…?”

“Nope,” Beckett said, completely sincerely.

They looked at each other with sudden realization. “Zeph,” they said at the same time.

Evie held out a hand. “Truce?”

“Truce,” her brother agreed, shaking her hand. “We need to stop this.” Together, brother and sister sprinted down the now slightly-flooded hallway toward the playroom. Sure enough, the water was emerging from beneath the door. They could hear the sound of Rel wailing from inside the playroom. “Zeph! No stoichi without supervision!” Beckett shouted.

“We’re coming in!” added Evie.

“Beck, Evie, help!” yelled Zeph from the other side of the door. “I can’t!”

Evie and Beckett exchanged a brief glance of confusion before Beckett stepped forward, shoving the door open wide…

NOW

“Hey, that wasn’t me!” complained little Zeph, interrupting Evie’s story. “Rel did it! I tried to make it stop!”

“Of course, but we didn’t know that yet,” Evie explained apologetically. “Before we knew Rel had Awakened, the only other person in the house besides me and Beckett–”

“‘Beckett and I,’ Evie, please–”

Evie ignored him. “Well, we didn’t know any better. But we know now it wasn’t your fault, Zeph, don’t worry.”

“Oh. I’m not in trouble?”

“No more than the rest of us are, at any rate,” said Beckett, sparing a nervous glance back over his shoulder at the ruins of their house.

“So Rel had already started his Awakening by the time you got there?” asked Olivia.

Evie nodded. “We just noticed the water and went to investigate.”

“Okay…”

“It wasn’t my fault!” protested little Zeph once again. “All I did was…”

EARLIER (Little Zeph)

“Zeph, why don’t you take your brother into the playroom and play with him for a while?” Beckett asked.

Zeph was excited. Usually everyone wanted him to stop playing. Being told to go and play with his little brother was a dream come true! “Okay!” he said excitedly, rushing over to where little Rel was sitting on the floor, sniffling. He was really whiny sometimes, but Zeph was used to that by now. Babies were always whiny. “C’mon, Rel, let’s go play!” Zeph said.

The little boy looked up at him. Zeph grabbed his hand and pointed down the hall toward the playroom. Rel understood what that room meant: toys and games and all kinds of fun things to do! He brightened up right away. Zeph started pulling him down the hall at his little brother’s slower pace. Rel would be as big as Zeph sometime, but for now, he was still too little to catch up with Zeph if he ran at full speed. He could hear his older brother and sister arguing about something in the background, but he was too excited to get back to his toys to care about whatever they had to say. Probably dumb school stuff or whatever. The older kids were boring.

Finally, they made it to the playroom. Zeph led his brother inside, then carefully shut the door behind them so Rel couldn’t go running through the house. “Wanna play in the Grav Bouncer?” he asked.

“Bouncy, bouncy!” said Rel happily.

Zeph led him over to the large spherical structure in the center of the room. Daddy said that some grown-ups had used a power called “Gravity Attunement” to made the toy work. He didn’t know what that meant, but he knew the Grav-Bouncer was a lot of fun! He helped Rel climb inside, then pulled himself up behind him. Once they were both inside, he pulled out one of the small gems from a bag beside the main panel and pushed it inside the socket. A second later, the sphere lit up with a warm golden-brown energy, and he and Rel became weightless. “Wheeeeee!” yelled Zeph in happiness, pushing himself into the side of the sphere and letting himself bounce off of it, back toward his brother.

“Yay! Zeph, go!” said Rel. Zeph grabbed his brother’s hand and pulled him along, letting the two of them bounce together against the other side of the sphere. Rel started laughing happily. “Go, go!”

They bounced from one wall to the next, with Zeph trying different things and using different angles to push himself all over. He tried to go upside down and hit the top of the sphere, but that was hard and he couldn’t quite do it (he did come close one time, though.) All the while, Rel kept clapping and laughing.

Eventually, Zeph got bored of just bouncing around. He’d played a game before where he brought some pillows into the Grav-Bouncer and made up obstacle courses for him and Rel to go through. “Rel,” he said, catching his brother and slowing them down as they got close to the panel, “wanna play the pillow game?”

“No! Bounce! More bounce!” said Rel.

Zeph slowed them to a stop and twisted the gem, undoing the weightless effect. “Yeah, we’re gonna bounce on the pillows! Just wait one minute. I’m gonna add some pillows to it!”

Rel started to cry. “No stop! Bounce, bounce!”

Babies were really annoying sometimes. “Rel, we’re gonna bounce again,” he explained. “Just give me one minute–”

“NO!” screamed Rel, and Zeph flinched back. Not this again. “It’s okay, it’s okay! Shush, calm down, it’s okay!” He tried to imitate what Evie usually did to calm him down, but Zeph wasn’t strong enough to pick up his brother, so he settled for just hugging him. “Rel, it’s okay, we can bounce again, look!” He reached over to turn on the Grav-Bouncer again.

“No, no, NO!” shrieked Rel. Zeph turned to look back at his brother, who thrust his arms out and stomped his feet… then Zeph noticed Rel’s body was glowing all over with a familiar golden-bluish glow. His eyes widened. “Oh no–”

And about a bazillion bazillo-liters of water erupted all at once out of the little boy’s hands and feet, flooding the Grav-Bouncer almost instantly.

NOW

“So that was the inciting event,” said Beckett. “Sounds like a Rushing Current… or perhaps an Aquasurge, depending on the volume of water generated…”

Little Zeph scrunched his face up in confusion. “Stop using weird words,” he said. “Rel flung out a bazillion bazillo-liters of water, like I said!”

“There’s no such thing as a ‘bazillo-liter!’ Nor a ‘bazillion,’ for that matter.”

“You just argue with everyone, don’t you?” asked Olivia.

“I do not! I haven’t argued with you yet, after all!” argued Beckett. He opened his mouth to continue, then stopped at a knowing look from Evie. “...Ah.”

Olivia shook her head. “Whatever, it’s not important. So that explains the house getting flooded… but really? Your little brother made enough water to flood the whole yard? And what happened to the windows? And the roof?”

“There is… more to the story than that.”

“Well, yeah. A broken Grav-Bouncer, we could handle,” said Evie.

“This was… significantly worse than that,” Beckett explained…

EARLIER (Beckett III)

“What on Earth is going on here?!” demanded Beckett. The playroom was flooded in several inches of water. The large Grav-Bouncer had fallen to the ground, slowly collapsing as more and more water flooded out of the open door on the side. Zeph stood near the door, looking at his older siblings with an equal measure of hope and fear on his face. And in the center of the room, just beside the collapsed Grav-Bouncer…

“NO, NO, NO!” screamed Rel. With every no, he stomped his feet on the ground, and another torrent of water erupted from his feet, adding to the flood. Beckett summoned his stoicheal energy in his palms, running through a series of gestures and concentrating. A moment later, much of the water surrounding them had frozen into ice that formed a wall between the three older siblings and their brother, temporarily stopping the water current from sweeping them all away.

“It would seem he has Awakened,” Beckett observed.

“You think?” asked Evie, taking the time to make a sarcastic quip rather than assist with the situation at hand.

“No, no!” Rel screamed again, and Beckett visibly strained to maintain his ice wall against the pressure. The water began to pool on the other side of the wall, rising higher and higher, with Rel along with it. “Go ‘WAY!” he shrieked, and this time, a spiderweb of electrical current crackled around his skin, expanding a moment later into a net that covered the entire room.

Beckett flinched, but he was too busy with the ice wall to handle the electricity. Thankfully, Evie finally decided to help. She grabbed Beckett and Zeph’s hands and concentrated, summoning the Aqua Shield that was one of the first techniques their mother had taught her children. A thin wall of water expanded to surround the three of them, allowing Rel’s electricity to flow harmlessly around them and onward into the house. She dropped the shield a second later, panting heavily. “Ugh… Sources beyond, that was intense!”

The house’s lights flickered as a series of spiderwebs following the pattern of the electrical burst appeared in the walls. Similar cracks erupted all along Beckett’s ice wall. “Oh… this is a problem–” Beckett started to say, before Rel slammed his fists into the pool of water around him, and the ice wall burst completely.

Beckett held tight to his sister’s hand as they were swept away by the rushing current of water. With his free hand, he conjured a quick double-pointed spear of ice that he quickly wedged into the walls. The force of Rel’s current still pushed them along, Beckett’s spear creating two long cracks in the walls as they went, but eventually they slowed to a stop. Zeph looked up at his siblings. “Not supposed to do s’oichee stuff without Mommy or Daddy,” he said. “You guys are in big trouble!”

“It’s an emergency,” Evie told him, tacitly admitting that Beckett had, of course, been correct in their previous argument. Before she or Beckett could say anything else, the lights flickered again… and then the power went out completely.

“Uh-oh,” said Zeph.

“Now what?” Evie asked her older brother. “Please tell me you have a plan?”

Beckett thought for a moment, looking between the flooded hallway, the cracked walls, and his siblings. Then, a thought occurred to him. “Alright, I may have an idea…”

NOW

“How many Awakenings did the kid have?!” asked Olivia. “He pulled off a Primal technique too?”

“Evidently so,” Beckett said. “And I haven’t the faintest idea why. We were all quite pleasant in our own Awakenings.”

“Speak for yourself, I heard you froze Dad’s fingers,” Evie interjected.

Beckett huffed. “That… that is not… at any rate, the point is that Rel was quite fierce. We are lucky the house is not in even worse condition than it is.”

“It could be worse?” asked Olivia. As if to prove her point, a large portion of the house’s front wall shook, then collapsed into a pile of metal, wood, and dust. Rel woke up and immediately started crying, causing all three of his siblings to glance immediately over at him, sheer panic on their faces. Thankfully, however, no stoicheal techniques emerged from little Rel this time, and he simply looked up at his Uncle Zeph’s face, then fell back to sleep. His siblings all breathed huge sighs of relief. “Jesus, even I got scared for a sec there,” Olivia admitted.

“He should be fine now,” Beckett III reassured them. “With all of the stoicheal energy he expended in his little… outburst…”

“That’s putting it mildly,” interjected Evie.

“Regardless, he should be quite exhausted for a week at least. Even at his age, a Sourceborn such as ourselves has quite a large stoicheal reserve, which will take some time to recover.”

“Prismic,” Olivia corrected.

Evie beamed. “See? She agrees with me!”

“Well, of course she would, she’s Tuneless–”

“She’s not Tuneless, she’s a Time-Att, you idiot!”

“You know full well what I meant!”

“Uh, you two? You’re doing it again,” Olivia interjected gently.

Both Evie and Beckett stopped arguing, embarrassed at having been called out. “They do that a lot, actually,” said Uncle Zeph, approaching them with Rel’s sleeping form in his arms. “Olivia Czasa, right?”

“That’s right,” Olivia said. “Hi, by the way.”

“When was the last Cordonia reunion? Must’ve been… eight years ago? Sources, wow, is that right? You were only three!” he said. “You probably don’t remember me. I’m these kids’ honorary ‘Uncle Zeph.’”

“I’ve heard about you! You were in the Prism War with my mom! Thanks for… uh… for me existing,” Olivia said, laughing.

Uncle Zeph looked puzzled. “Uh, what?”

“That whole thing was so my dad and Auntie Lyssa could come back, right? If that hadn’t worked, he wouldn’t be here, which means I wouldn’t be here.”

“Ah,” he said, nodding. “Yep, makes sense to me.”

“Uncle Zeph?” asked Evie. “Any luck on… y’know… fixing all this?”

“That’s what I was gonna come over here to tell you. Aster’s on her way to do what she can with her Wood Stoichi. Between the six of us, we should at least be able to get the house in some kind of presentable shape. Might as well try, right?”

“I was thinking, Uncle Zeph,” Beckett III said, “as we have Olivia here with us, could we not have her simply utilize her abilities to reverse the house back to its former state? Based on what I have studied regarding Time-Attunements, this should be theoretically possible–”

“Whoa, whoa, okay,” Olivia interjected. “You have no idea how this stuff works. First, moving something backward in time is way harder than forward. Second, the more drastic the change, the harder the reversing. And I don’t know about you, but that–” she gestured toward the ruins of the house– “is pretty damn drastic, if you ask me.”

Beckett III frowned. “That is true to a certain extent, but studies show that reversing an object–”

“Are you a Time Prismic? …Didn’t think so.” Olivia shook her head. “You wanna reverse all that, you’d need me, plus my dad, Auntie Lyssa, my brother and sister, my cousins… geez, even that might not be enough.”

“Is that really how it works?” asked Beckett.

“Could you freeze the entire ocean if I asked you to?” Olivia asked.

“Well, no, that is patently absurd–”

“Exactly.”

“Hmm. I had not considered that…”

Olivia scoffed and turned to face Evie. “Yeah, me reversing the entire universe isn’t a thing I can do.”

Evie laughed. “I’d figured that. Still, you could help with the smaller stuff, right?”

“Course! I’ll do whatever I can,” Olivia promised. “Though you still haven’t finished explaining how it got that bad. How’d the roof explode?”

“Oh, right!”

“I can explain that,” Uncle Zeph said. “Listen, Olivia. I got here, thinking this would be a fun day of hanging out with the kids. But then… well…"

EARLIER (Uncle Zeph)

“Alright. That’s new,” Zeph observed, stopping in his tracks at the sight of half of the Harrington-Luxen house encased in a web of ice. He sighed and shook his head. “Atlas is not gonna be happy.

He approached the front door, ready to knock–but then the door practically flung itself open on its own. Zeph glanced down to where his tiny namesake (well, not so tiny anymore–the kid was already five!) stood looking up at him. His skin and clothes were covered in the strange film of half-dried water that was the mark of a botched Absorb technique. “Uncle Zeph!” the little one called. “We need help! Help!”

“Whoa, whoa, little me, okay,” Zeph said, stepping inside. He noticed that most of the inside walls were covered with the same icy “webs” as the exterior. “Has it got something to do with this ice?”

“Yeah… kinda…”

“Okay. Hang on, let me fix you up first,” said Zeph, reaching out a hand and muttering, “Absorb.” The remaining bits of water left on the child’s body and clothes leaped off of him and coalesced into a small stream that flowed into Zeph’s hand. He made a fist, absorbing the excess stoicheal energy into his body. “There, better?”

“Yeah!” said the little Zeph. “Thanks!” The little boy grabbed Zeph by the hand and led him further into the house.

Zeph stopped abruptly in his tracks when he saw Beckett III, crouched in the center of the kitchen braced against a table, ice emerging from his palms in all directions to form the icy webs along the walls. His sister was nowhere in sight. Zeph’s jaw dropped open in utter astonishment. “Beckett Godfrey Harrington III!” exclaimed Zeph, immediately dropping into his ‘time-for-stern-authority-figure’ mode. He hated to yell, but this seemed to call for it. “By the Eight Sources, what are you DOING?!”

“No, no!” protested little Zeph.

“Uncle Zeph!” said Beckett, his voice strained from the effort of the technique he was maintaining. “Sorry, it’s not me–I’m holding the house together–it’s about to–!”

As Zeph watched, an explosion sounded from somewhere down the hallway. From the direction of the explosion, he heard Evie shouting, “Rel! Rel, calm down! It’s me! Shh!”

Then a much younger voice: “Go ‘way! WANT MAMA!”

Another boom, followed by a series of deep cracks sprouting along the ceiling. Beckett grunted with effort, and a few moments later, the ice had expanded to cover up the cracks, neatly sealing them.

The pieces all clicked into place. “Oh,” said Zeph, dropping his bag when he realized what was happening. “Oh… oh no.”

A torrent of rushing water poured into the kitchen from the hallway, with Evie caught in the current. Zeph stepped forward and held out his hands to stoicheally “catch” the current… and was nearly bowled over himself with the sheer force of the technique the little toddler was using. He struggled to stay standing as he pushed back, bending the water to his will and forcing it to be still. “I knew Sourceborn were strong, but I’d forgotten how strong… wow…” he muttered.

Evie pulled herself to her feet, brushing her wet hair out of her face. “I tried to talk to him! He just wants Mom, he got mad at me and–” She stopped when she saw Zeph. “Oh, thank Noeme you’re here.”

In any other situation, Zeph would’ve made a silly joke about hearing the expression ‘thank Noeme’ being used by said Source’s literal granddaughter. But this wasn’t exactly the time. “Rel Awakened, didn’t he?”

“Yeah… in the middle of a tantrum.”

Zeph winced. “Yikes. Sure glad regular Attuned never have that problem. Hang on!” He waded forward into the water down the hallway.

The water current intensified as he got closer, and he could hear Rel screaming. “WANT MAMA! NO, NO, NO!” More water poured from the entrance to the playroom, and a burst of electricity crackled along straight toward Zeph. He easily parried it with an Aqua Shield.

“Rel!” he called out. “It’s Uncle Zeph. I’m right here, it’s okay!” he said.

For a brief, blessed moment, Rel stopped screaming. “Unca Zeph?” he asked. “Where Mama?”

Zeph took advantage of the pause to pull himself into the room and cast a quick Absorb, draining a decent chunk of the water into himself. “She’ll be back soon, Rel,” he assured the child. “Are you hungry? Do you want a snack? Or maybe you want–”

“WANT MAMA!” screamed Rel suddenly, stomping his feet on the ground. This time, no water or electricity emerged, and Zeph breathed a quick sigh of relief. Then, a series of massive BOOM noises sounded from somewhere outside the house. From behind him, he could hear Beckett grunting as some of the ice covering the walls started to melt. “MAMA, MAMA!”

Another BOOM sounded from outside, followed by a huge CRACK! Zeph caught a glimpse through the window… and his eyes widened as one of the trees snapped neatly in two, falling straight toward the side of the house. “No you don’t!” He desperately flung out his arms, summoning two waves of water to engulf the falling tree trunk like a pair of arms as it crashed through the window. He struggled to hold it from falling and crushing little Rel, who simply continued screaming, oblivious. Finally, Zeph managed to fling the tree back outside, and dropped his arms to his sides. “Alright, Rel, I’m gonna need you to–”

“NO!”

Another BOOM, even louder this time since the window was shattered. Zeph saw a bolt of lightning strike down from outside, scorching the driveway and shattering the pavement. “Alright, that’s gonna be a problem. Rel, STOP!”

“Uncle Zeph!” shouted Beckett from the other room. “I can’t… hold this… much longer! Get Rel to safety!”

“I’m trying!” Zeph shouted back. “It’s a little hard to–”

Rel stomped his foot again. This time, a rush of water erupted from his foot, knocking Zeph backward. He reached out a hand to Absorb the water, but felt a distinct knot in his chest–his stoicheal reserve was full to bursting. Of course. No regular Water-Att could hope to match a Sourceborn, even a two-year-old, in terms of stoicheal reserve. “Alright, deflect it, then,” he muttered, taking hold of Rel’s current and directing it out the shattered window.

Rel set off another burst of electricity that covered the walls. Zeph swept some of the water he was controlling into another Aqua Shield as the electricity flowed around him and up into the walls. Behind him, he heard Beckett yelp in pain. A moment later, all of the ice shattered into nothing… as did the remaining windows. “Beckett’s down!” shrieked Evie frantically, rushing into the room, her hands lit up with Water Stoichi. “Uncle Zeph, what can I do?”

“Can you get to him?” Zeph asked. “I’ll keep his attention–keep you safe, alright?”

“Sure,” Evie said. She sprinted forward, straight toward her little brother, as Zeph strained to redirect Rel’s renewed torrent of water away from Evie. The floor buckled under the strain, but Zeph held tight. “Rel! Rel, listen to me! It’s okay! You’re okay!”

Rel frowned at his sister. “No! Want Mama!”

The torrent intensified. Pressure began to build around them; Zeph was forced to switch from redirecting the water to maintaining a simpler Aqua Shield around himself, Evie, and Rel. He thrust out his other arm back toward the door, slamming the door shut and summoning a quick icy seal around the edges to keep the water in and keep the other two kids safe. “Shh. Shh,” said Evie, her voice trembling with fear but her tone calm. “Rel, it’s me. You’re okay. Mama’s coming soon, okay?”

The pressure around them continued to build. It was taking every ounce of Zeph’s focus to maintain the shields and the seal on the door. Rel sniffed, blinking as he looked at his sister, though the water and electricity didn’t stop. “No Evie! Want Mama!”

Evie was finally close enough to reach out and touch Rel on the shoulder as Zeph merged their two Aqua Shields into one. The boy attempted to push her away with his stoicheal abilities, but all of the water he generated was pushed instantly into the surrounding Aqua Shield.”Mama’s coming, Rel,” she said soothingly. “I’m here. Uncle Zeph’s here. Everyone’s okay. It’s fine.”

Rel looked up at her. “...You here? Mama here?” he asked. Blessedly, the torrent of water started to lessen. Zeph didn’t know how much more pressure he could handle–he really wished Atlas were here. As a Sourceborn, she could’ve effortlessly Absorbed everything Rel was dishing out. (Then again, with how much Rel seemed to want his mother, this probably wouldn’t have happened in the first place if she’d been here).

“Shh. Shh. It’s okay. Mama’s coming. It’s okay,” Evie said, pulling her brother into a hug.

Rel sniffed, and the water continued to slow… but it still hadn’t stopped completely. “C’mon, stop now, stop now,” Zeph muttered to himself. His Aqua Shield was being pushed to its limits–the pressure had grown so intense, he wasn’t eager to learn which would break first–his Aqua Shield or the icy seal on the door–

As it turned out, the answer was “neither.”

KRA-KOOOM!

NOW

“Wow. He might be the most powerful Prismic in existence,” said Olivia, once Uncle Zeph had finished telling his story. “All that, all on his own?”

Beckett III shrugged. “Who knows. None of us Awakened during a temper tantrum, as far as I am aware,” he said.

“And thank the Sources for that,” Uncle Zeph said. “Once was bad enough. Speaking of which, we’d better get on with trying to do something about… well, all this.”

“Good idea,” Evie said. “Alright, Beckett, I think we should work on Absorbing as much of this stuff as we can. Olivia, could you–”

She was interrupted by the sound of someone disembarking from an air taxi. “Zeph! Kids! There you are–what happened?!”

They turned to see the familiar face of Aster approaching them. She was barely looking at Zeph and the children, though–her attention was fixed on the destroyed house across the street. “Zeph, you told me it was bad, but I didn’t think–all this, from a toddler?!”

Zeph nodded. “Let’s pray no more Sourceborn children ever, ever Awaken in the middle of a tantrum. This was really bad.”

“Those poor trees! And the yard! And… oh, oh no, none of this is good…” Aster muttered to herself. “We must do what we can! I can heal the trees. Could someone push them upright for me?”

“I can do that,” Beckett volunteered, attempting a stoicheal technique of some kind as they approached the house. Then he winced. “Ah… on second thought… let me work on Absorbing some of this first.”

“Yeah, I think you need it,” acknowledged Evie. “Auntie Aster, I can help with the trees!”

“I’ll get the windows,” offered Olivia. “No way anybody’s fixing that stuff by hand. And it’s small enough that I can probably handle it.”

“Great idea,” Uncle Zeph said.

“Oh! Me! What can I do?” asked little Zeph eagerly.

Aster frowned, thinking for a moment. “You know what? We’ll need someone to watch Rel and make sure he is okay. Could you do that?”

The child nodded. “Yeah! Uncle Zeph, can I see him?”

He nodded, walking over to a nearby patch of dry grass just on the edge of their lot for little Zeph to sit down on. He gently set the child in his brother’s lap. “If he wakes up, call for us, okay?”

“Okay!”

“Once we’re all done with the rest of it, if we pool all of our abilities together, we should be able to fix the roof as well. Sounds good?” asked Uncle Zeph. The others all nodded their assent. “Alright, let’s go!”

Everyone quickly started working: Evie summoned a lattice of ice to hold each tree trunk in place over its stump while Aster healed it back together. Beckett III, drained of most of his stoicheal energy, solved two problems at once by Absorbing all of the standing water out of the house and the yard. Uncle Zeph went along behind him, mopping up the Absorb techniques to fully dry the residue that had been left behind. Olivia took each of the house’s shattered windows, reversing them in time one-by-one and restoring them to their normal state. And little Zeph watched his now peacefully-sleeping brother, still amazed at how much trouble such a small child had caused…

LATER

Atlas walked casually down the street toward her house, having recently gotten off at the nearby Mirror Transit Station. She groaned in irritation, having had a long and annoying day at her High Council meeting. If she hadn’t had Alyssa there to confide in and exchange snarky comments about the other Councilors with, she’d probably have gone insane. Thank the Sources she was home. She needed a nice, long rest. Beckett probably wouldn’t even be home yet; when he got together with Aleister and Grace, he’d be there for hours.

She rounded the corner and approached her house. A small touch of Water Stoichi on the door’s lock, and it swung open. “Hello?” she called. “I’m home! Zeph, you there?”

Her old friend and fellow Pend Pal, Zeph, approached from around the corner. “Hey, Atlas!” he said. “Good to see you again.”

He looked a little worn-out, but Atlas figured spending most of the day babysitting four kids was enough to make anyone a little worn-out. “How were the kids?”

Zeph shrugged. “They’re okay. Rel’s sound asleep, Beckett 3’s studying, and Zeph’s in the playroom. Oh, speaking of which… the kids broke the Grav-Bouncer.”

“Again?” groaned Atlas. “Wonder if they’ve got a ‘buy four, get the fifth free’ deal or something. Fine, we’ll take care of it. Thanks, by the way.”

“Of course! It was… well, you know how kids are. But we managed.”

“That’s the important thing.” She stepped into the kitchen, looking around. Something seemed different about the house, but she couldn’t quite figure it out. Everything was exactly where it should be. “Huh,” she muttered to herself. “Oh, is my husband back yet?”

Zeph shook his head. “Nah. He did contact me a few minutes ago; Dax stopped by, so they’ll probably be talking stoichi and Sourceborn for another two weeks, at least.”

Atlas laughed. “Sounds about right. Figures. I’ll bother him later.” She headed into the living room, eager to simply flop down onto the couch and take a well-deserved nap. “Mind sticking around for another hour or so? I could really use a–”

She stopped talking and did a double take when she spotted the sleeping girl on the couch. She wasn’t one of her children, and she certainly wasn’t her niece Priya… wait. She knew that kid! Atlas frowned and looked back at Zeph for an explanation.

“Gah!” groaned Zeph, and Atlas immediately grew suspicious. “I knew we’d forgot something.”

“Zeph…” said Atlas slowly, fixing him with a glare, “mind explaining what Olivia Czasa is doing passed out on our couch?”

“It’s, uh… it’s a long story…”

————————–

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0 @shaylan211 @griselda1121 @acanthisorbis @marmolady @choicesbabie @mauvecatfic

#choices the elementalists #choices endless summer #choices stories you play #csyp #fanfic #ciu project #choices interconnected universe #estela montoya #atlas luxen #atlas ernhardt #beckett harrington #zeph hernandez #aster d'yew #ian czasa #estela x mc #atlas x beckett #ciu kids #olivia czasa #beckett harrington iii #evie luxen #zeph harrington #rel harrington #aleister rourke #grace hall #grace x aleister #zeph you derp #rel is gonna be a handful #i mean all the prism kids are but he's a whole different level

[sceptilemasterr]

Endless Winter (ES Book 2) Act 1, Scene 6 - Strategy Meeting

Title: Endless Winter

Main Pairings: Estela x Ian (M!MC), Jake x Alyssa (F!MC)

Other Pairings: Craig x Zahra, Grace x Aleister, Michelle x Quinn, Diego x Varyyn

Genre: Full Rewrite

Rating: PG-13 for swearing, violence, alcohol, and sexuality

Summary: With Diego within reach, all that's left is to decide on a plan to rescue him.

Previous Scene: Emits Time

Masterlist: Link

EXT. TEMPLE OF CANIS - MORNING

Rourke leads the others through the jungle until they approach another clearing. From beyond the tree line, a stone building looms up ahead of them, about the size of a small house. Several “Hostiles” stand guard outside. Michelle walks up to Rourke.

MICHELLE (whispering): You’re sure we’ll find Diego here?

ROURKE (whispering): Trust me, Miss Nguyen. I am well aware of the Hostiles’ habits. Your friend will be here momentarily, I am certain of it.

MICHELLE (to herself): Glad one of us is, anyway.

Behind them, Quinn suddenly starts to sway unsteadily on her feet. She reaches out toward a nearby tree to brace herself as Alyssa looks on, concerned.

QUINN (winces): I’m not... feeling so good...

Quinn wobbles wearily and starts to fall backward. Michelle rushes to catch her as Alyssa does the same. The two of them help to lower her to the ground where she can lean up against the trunk of a nearby tree.

GRACE: Oh no! Quinn, are you okay?!

QUINN (weakly): Don’t... ugh... don’t let me slow you down. I’ll catch up in a bit.

Quinn starts coughing. The others all look on, concern etched on their face.

ZAHRA: Heatstroke, I bet.

Michelle shakes her head as she bends over Quinn to examine her.

MICHELLE (thinking out loud): No. With the respiratory difficulty, it’s got to be something else...

Rourke looks on, frowning. There is no sense of empathy or compassion from him; instead, he seems merely annoyed, as though Quinn is simply a machine that isn’t working properly.

ROURKE (muttering): This isn’t right, it’s too early... (louder) I.R.I.S., analyze Delphinus’s genetic signature.

I.R.I.S.’s floating drone approaches Quinn. Michelle scowls at her.

MICHELLE: Get out of here, Robomaid.

JAKE: Damn, Maybelline with the nicknames? I am so proud of you--

SEAN: Shh! Wait!

At Sean’s command, the others all go silent. He gestures out toward the temple, and the others follow his gaze... to see their missing friend DIEGO SOTO being led toward the temple by a troop of Hostiles. Diego’s hair is much longer than it was the last time they saw him, and his facial hair has grown out as well. He walks side-by-side with one of the “Hostiles:” a lithe, muscular warrior with his face unmasked. This is VARYYN, whom Alyssa and Jake had encountered twice before. The two of them are chatting amicably in words too soft for the others to make out.

IAN (whispering): Diego!

JAKE (whispering): Yeah, we see him. Quiet!

The group continues watching as Diego and the unmasked “Hostile” enter the building ahead of them, while the remaining “Hostiles” take up defensive positions around the entrance. An older “Hostile” whose long, grey beard, hunched posture, and gnarled staff give him the appearance of a priest or shaman, approaches the group and passes into the building a few moments later.

ROURKE (quietly): There, you see? Mr. Soto, just as I predicted.

ALYSSA: Yeah, yeah, you win. Now what?

ZAHRA: Somebody’s gotta sneak around to the back of that temple. Find out what we’re dealing with. This is a stealth mission if I’ve ever seen one.

CRAIG: Oh! Dude, you’re right! Just like that temple mission in Gods and Warlords III! We had to--

ZAHRA: Two groups, remember? Team-up mission. One of us kept watch--

CRAIG: And the other snuck in and grabbed all that loot! Perfect!

GRACE: Aww, look at you two! I never knew you were friends!

Craig and Zahra look at each other awkwardly.

CRAIG (stammering): We’re... not.

ZAHRA: Yeah, don’t be a dumbass. I’m not friends with him. (quietly) Not anymore...

CRAIG: Ah, screw it, this is stupid. Gonna go stealth it out. Be right back.

He starts charging off through the forest, but Zahra grabs him by the back of his shirt.

ZAHRA: You freakin’ dumbass! Are you trying to alert every enemy on the island?!

CRAIG: No, I’m tryin’ to scope out that temple!

ZAHRA: I’m better at this than you’ll ever be, you big, dumb--

CRAIG: Hey! At least I’m tryin’ to do something to help!

As the two continue arguing, Alyssa and Jake exchange a look of exasperation. They whisper quietly to one another for a few moments, and then Jake takes off his dark green camouflage jacket and helps Alyssa put it on over her bright red top. Together, the two of them start creeping silently away from the others, quickly vanishing into the forest around them.

ZAHRA: You can’t just charge in without a plan--

CRAIG: I do what I want!

ZAHRA: No wonder you always get into trouble with that attitude, idiot.

CRAIG: At least I don’t think I’m some kinda ninja punk wannabe!

ZAHRA: You take that back, you dumbass meathead!

CRAIG: Don’t you call me that, you--

Sean places a firm but gentle hand on Craig’s shoulder, and he turns to look at his friend.

SEAN (quietly): Hey, Craig... I need your help for a sec. D’you remember who won Super Bowl XXII?

CRAIG: Oh, yeah! It was... wait, huh. Give me a minute, I got this.

As Craig continues to ponder over the question, Estela takes advantage of the situation to slip in front of Zahra and fix her with a look.

ZAHRA: ...What?

ESTELA: Your idea was smart. We need to scout out that temple, get a feel for their positions. What do you think the best approach should be?

Estela leads Zahra to a spot on the ground, where she had already drawn out a crude diagram of the temple in the earth with a stick. Ian gives Estela a subtle nod as she passes him. Rourke approaches shortly afterward.

ROURKE: They handled the situation well. I admit, I was nervous for a moment.

IAN (curtly): Hello, Rourke.

ROURKE: Come now, why the animosity? I am only trying to help.

IAN: Excuse me if I don’t trust you.

ROURKE: That matters little. I am simply curious about something. That power you demonstrated earlier--is that something you think you could do again, if necessary?

IAN: No idea how that stuff works. And even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.

ROURKE (frowning): Just as stubborn as your sister, I see. (muttering) Perhaps a true trial may be necessary...

Rourke walks away to convene again with Lila and I.R.I.S. Estela, Zahra, Sean, and Craig approach Ian and the others.

ESTELA: What did he have to say?

IAN: Nothing much.

ZAHRA: What did you tell him?

IAN (shrugs): Nothing much.

ESTELA: Good.

ALEISTER: Do tell us, what is the plan here? I assume you have one?

CRAIG: Tell ‘em, Z!

ZAHRA: Two teams: stealth and lookout. Stealth team sneaks up to the back of that temple and checks it out. Lookout stays back to--

He is interrupted by Jake and Alyssa emerging from the jungle. Ian gives Alyssa a look when he notices her wearing Jake’s jacket. She rolls her eyes.

ALYSSA: Whatever you’re thinking, stop. It was for camouflage--

IAN (defensively): Hey, I didn’t say anything!

JAKE: Alright, everyone, we’re clear. Nobody in that temple except Underdog, Legolas, and Rip Van Winkle.

There is a long silence. Then, finally:

RAJ: Wait, you two checked out the temple already?!

ALYSSA: Well, we weren’t gonna sit around waiting forever. Snuck right up to the back wall.

ZAHRA (impressed): Damn.

SEAN: Alright, change of plans. Three teams: lookout, distraction, temple. I’ll play distraction. Make some noise and get out.

CRAIG: I’m with you, bro!

ZAHRA: Craig’s good at making noise, that’s for sure...

ALEISTER: Allow me to remain here with the lookout team. I have had quite enough of this excursion anyway.

MICHELLE: Quinn and I are staying as well. She needs her rest.

The others all start talking excitedly, eventually forming up into teams. Sean and Craig are joined by Zahra and Lila on the distraction team. Aleister, Michelle, and Quinn remain on the lookout team, along with Grace and Raj. Alyssa, Jake, Estela, and Ian end up on the temple team.

JAKE: Y’know, we should pick a signal. Some kinda noise that Malfoy here can make to give us a warning. Any ideas?

Several of the others voice suggestions of various animal noises, until:

CRAIG: Make a pterodactyl noise!

He grins broadly. The others stare at him.

ALEISTER: ...And how, pray tell, am I supposed to know what that sounds like?

ROURKE: I could demonstrate for you if you wish--

ALEISTER (scowls): That won’t be necessary, Father. I’m capable of managing just fine without any help from you.

JAKE: Guess that covers it. Places, everyone!

Aleister stares after them, bewildered, then shrugs his shoulders and turns away with a huff. Rourke clears his throat and begins walking over toward the temple team. Estela fixes him with a death glare as Jake crosses his arms. The twins gaze at Rourke suspiciously.

ROURKE: Please, why the hostility? I wish to offer my assistance where it is most needed.

JAKE: I think we can handle things ourselves, Phony Stark.

ROURKE: Fascinating. Do tell, how exactly do you intend to communicate with the Hostiles in order to safely retrieve Mr. Soto from their clutches?

ALYSSA: Wait. You can speak their language?

ROURKE: I can indeed. Can any of you?

There is a long, drawn-out silence as the others realize the truth of Rourke’s words. With a reluctant sigh, Jake steps back and gestures for Rourke to join them. Estela steps close to Ian, their bodies touching, and mutters into his ear:

ESTELA (barely audible): I hate this.

IAN (barely audible): I know. But Diego first. Then vengeance.

Estela nods and falls back into a normal stride. The five of them approach the back of the temple. In the distance, Craig’s voice can be heard, shouting loudly:

CRAIG (O.S.): C’mon, you big green idiots! Over here!

The guards around the temple look up, then give chase, leaving the temple itself unguarded. Jake nods, and he, Estela, and the twins move in toward the temple’s back wall.

_______________________

Scene Notes: More Zahra/Craig goodness! I couldn't resist adding their argument here in some way or another. Also, this and the next scene were originally combined before I realized it was getting WAY too long.

_______________________

Next: Lord of the Waves

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0 @shaylan211 @griselda1121 @acanthisorbis @marmolady @choicesbabie @mauvecatfic

Endless Summer Tag List: @mysteli @edgydepressedchoicesthot @endlessly-searching-for-you @lovelywrites

#endless winter #es book 2 #choices endless summer #choices stories you play #csyp #fanfic #choices interconnected universe #ciu project #michelle nguyen #quinn kelly #everett rourke #estela montoya #ian czasa #jake mckenzie #alyssa czasa #zahra namazi #craig hsiao #sean gayle #raj bhandarkar #aleister rourke #i.r.i.s. #michelle x quinn #estela x mc #jake x mc #rourke can you please stop being an asshole #for FIVE MINUTES

[sceptilemasterr]

Don't know why I never posted these earlier, but here are the Choices recreations of my twin MCs, Ian and Alyssa Czasa!

#ciu project #choices endless summer #choices interconnected universe #ian czasa #alyssa czasa #endless winter #endless summer rewrite #estela x mc #jake x mc #seriously why did i not do this sooner #idk

[sceptilemasterr]

CIU Next Generation - Masterpost

So, after teasing it a bit with a couple of short stories, it’s finally time to put up an actual masterpost of the CIU kids (along with some details of what their parents have been up to since Convergence). If you’re wondering, the reason I’ve decided to start focusing on the next generation so much is because I’ve got an upcoming series planned! More details on that, along with links to the individual families’ posts below:

Okay! So, series info first.

Prism Legacy will be released in a TV-show styled format (rather than the film scripts I’ve been posting previously), releasing less often but with one full-length “episode” script at a time. It will be set about 20 years post-Convergence, and is essentially a HSS “rewrite” but starring some of the CIU kids in place of the HSS (and Class Act) MCs. As a result, it’s gonna diverge significantly from canon in a lot of ways; the main characters having all kinds of superpowers is just the tip of the iceberg!

As of right now, the plan is for five seasons each 22-ish episodes. Yes, it’s ambitious, but I’m hoping I’ll be able to release more frequently, given the episode format. I’ll be noting in the family posts which HSS “generation” the kids are gonna be part of (HSS, Class Act, or junior high age), along with which LI (if any) they will be paired with.

Alright, and now for the actual links:

1. Estela and Ian’s Family

2. Alyssa and Jake’s Family

3. Fiora and Shreya’s Family

4. Atlas and Beckett’s Family

5. Eva and Sasha’s Family

(Sorry, no artwork yet. My drawing skills remain terrible, though I’m practicing so maybe… someday!)

#choices interconnected universe #ciu project #choices stories you play #choices endless summer #choices the elementalists #choices hero #estela montoya #estela x mc #jake mckenzie #jake x mc #shreya mistry #shreya x mc #beckett harrington #atlas x beckett #eva hero #eva minuet #eva x mc #ian czasa #alyssa czasa #fiora luxen #atlas luxen #atlas ernhardt #sasha stevens #also prism legacy's series finale will line up with something big #in the main ciu series #so that's happening eventually!

[sceptilemasterr]

All the "domestic life" questions for Fiora and Shreya, and Estela and Ian please! Thank you!

Answered Fiora and Shreya's already, but thanks for asking! As for Estela and Ian:

DOMESTIC:

1. If they get married, who proposes?

That's a tricky question. Both? Neither? Let's just say they almost didn't propose at all, but Alyssa and Diego were very invested in having both twins' weddings together.

So to answer your question, it was Alyssa and Diego by proxy. 😂

2. What’s the wedding like? Who attends?

They had two, actually! The first was a Niala'rei ceremony held in Elyys'tel, where they were married alongside Alyssa and Jake. Estela practically forced Zahra to be maid of honor, while Diego was best man. The celebration afterward was one of the biggest Vaanti parties ever!

They had a second, more traditional wedding ceremony in San Trobida following the Prism War. Zahra made it very clear she was not participating a second time except as a guest, so Alyssa was maid of honor this time around. All the Catalysts were there (including a disguised Varyyn), as was Tio Nicolas and Ian's adoptive parents. Awkwardly enough the wedding was the first time Tio Nicolas ever met Ian, a fact that he spent most of the night joking about.

3. How many kids do they have, if any? What are they like?

Three children, from oldest to youngest: Olivia, Antonio, and Kristal. More details here!

4. Do they have any pets?

No pets: due to both parents' schedules, between work and three children, they simply don't have time for a pet. They do enjoy playing with and pet-sitting for their family and friends' pets, though, especially Furball!

5. Who’s the stricter parent?

Estela, easily, though she relaxes a bit as the children get older.

6. Who worries the most?

Ian's the worrier of the pair. His experiences trapped for (from his perspective) five years in the Prism Realm means he has a constant fear that either himself or one of their children will be forced to make a similar sacrifice someday. He is determined not to let that happen, though he admits to Estela that he has no idea how he could possibly prevent it if it were necessary.

7. Who kills the bugs in the house?

Ian will toss or "reverse" a bug back out of the house, if possible. If not (the bug came in from underground, or it's been in the house too long to reverse), well... Estela's aim is deadly.

8. How do they celebrate holidays?

Always together, and always with family! Ian usually is forced to make at least a token appearance at Fiora and Shreya's, with Estela waving from the other side of the mirror (being Tuneless, she can't last long in the Stoicheal Realm without being drained of her energy). Aside from this, they'll spend most of the day together, either visiting Tio Nicolas in Colombia or with Ian's adoptive parents in Northbridge, usually alongside Diego and Varyyn (and sometimes Alyssa and Jake). Sometimes, Aleister and Grace will make time out of their busy schedules to celebrate together as well. Every holiday, and every year, it's always different!

9. Who’s more likely to convince the other to come back to sleep in the morning?

Depends on what's going on, but usually Estela. Ian frequently awakens at odd hours of the night with bad nightmares stemming from his time in the Prism Realm; Estela is always quick to calm him down and bring him back to Earth. Occasionally, it's Estela who has trouble going back to sleep, but this is a rarer occurrence.

10. Who’s the better cook?

Time-Attunement is an incredibly useful thing to have when cooking. Burnt the food? Reverse it! Waiting to boil water? Speed it up! As a result, Ian's become quite the cook, though Estela calls it "cheating." When she challenged him to try cooking without his powers, it was a bit like trying to write with the wrong hand: messy, confusing, and illegible (or inedible).

11. Who likes to dance?

Both, but only in private or in the company of those they trust. It takes a lot to get them onto the dance floor in public.

Thanks again for asking, anon!

#ship asks #choices stories you play #csyp #choices asks #ciu project #choices interconnected universe #ciu info #estela montoya #ian czasa #estela x mc #anonymous #anon asks #choices endless summer #olivia czasa #antonio czasa #kristal czasa

[sceptilemasterr]

Endless Winter (ES Book 2) Act 1, Scene 4 - "You Can't Trust Anyone"

Title: Endless Winter

Main Pairings: Estela x Ian (M!MC), Jake x Alyssa (F!MC)

Other Pairings: Craig x Zahra, Grace x Aleister, Michelle x Quinn, Diego x Varyyn

Genre: Full Rewrite

Rating: PG-13 for swearing, violence, alcohol, and sexuality

Summary: Mysteries abound in the strange room beneath the Celestial.

Previous Scene: Next Steps

Masterlist: Link

INT. THE CELESTIAL - ANOMALY RESEARCH CHAMBER - NIGHT

The staircase beneath the Celestial is pitch-black; the only light comes from the glowing blue form of I.R.I.S. hovering along at the back of the group. Slowly but steadily, the twelve figures make their way further down into the darkness. Jake reaches out for Alyssa’s hand, and she takes it, squeezing it once for comfort.

JAKE: Princess, you doin’ okay?

ALYSSA: A light would be helpful...

JAKE: Can’t argue with that. Damn, do I wish I had a flashlight right now. Hell, even a glowstick would be nice.

ALYSSA: Seriously. I wish I could see where I’m going--

At the front of the group, Sean reaches the base of the stairs. He takes a few more steps forward, when a sudden CLICK sound makes everyone jump in surprise. A second later, the overhead lights flicker to life, momentarily blinding the group. Zahra flinches back, squinting into the room.

ZAHRA: Goddamn shitty f--! And I was lookin’ right at it, too!

She and the others blink heavily, trying to clear the glare from their vision. Gradually, the room around them comes into focus.

CRAIG (in awe): Whoooaaa...

The stark white walls, floor, and ceiling of the expansive room stand in sharp contrast with the dozens upon dozens of strange artifacts dotted throughout the room itself. Each stands atop a pedestal, safely ensconced in a glass display case. One wall of the room is entirely covered in a large screen, sitting dormant. In the center of the room, a holographic 3D map of La Huerta hovers above the ground, being projected from two hologram projectors mounted in the ceiling.

IAN: It’s like... some kind of museum?

GRACE: What is all of this?

The group starts to spread out through the room. Alyssa brushes a hand against a glass case that encloses an armored glove colored a deep red. She looks at it curiously.

ALYSSA: This thing... what is it?

JAKE: Looks like a glove to me, Princess.

ALYSSA (sarcastically): Thanks, Top Gun. Believe it or not, I’d figured that much out on my own.

As the others start to wander idly around the room, looking at the various artifacts and map on display, Michelle suddenly looks over at a shining amber-colored statue, carved in the shape of a woman wearing a toga and an extravagant headdress resembling a peacock’s tail, within another display case at the far side of the room. Michelle gazes at it, an intense expression on her face, as she slowly approaches it. Ian looks over at her curiously.

IAN: Michelle? Everything okay?

MICHELLE: Yeah... it’s just... this statue...

Michelle sounds distracted, almost as though she is in some kind of trance. As she walks toward the statue, Ian follows her, looking cautiously at it.

MICHELLE: I can’t explain. This is going to sound weird, but that thing... it’s calling to me somehow. It could be important.

Ian looks around, but the others are all preoccupied with examining the other artifacts in the room.

IAN: Michelle, I don’t think...

Michelle reaches out and presses a button, causing the glass to retract from around the statue. Ian turns to see her reaching out, about to touch it.

IAN: Wait, don’t--!

In desperation, he reaches out to try and prevent her from touching the statue. Their fingers brush against one another as she grasps it. At the moment of contact, a sudden blinding flash of light envelops everything around him. He stumbles back in shock.

IAN: Agh!

When the light clears... Ian is standing somewhere else entirely. He is inside a Hartfeld dorm room, not unlike the one he and Diego had shared, but this one is decorated more in line with Michelle’s tastes. Which is fitting, since this is Michelle’s room at Hartfeld. The sun shines brightly through the window. Michelle herself stands in the center of the room, along with Sean; the two of them seem to be in the middle of an argument. Ian looks at them, confused.

IAN: Wha... Michelle? Sean? What’s going on? Why are we...

His voice trails off as he realizes neither of them can hear him. They continue their argument as if nothing happened.

MICHELLE: What are you talking about? Sean, I didn’t--

SEAN (angrily): Your friends told me everything. You cheated! It’s over.

MICHELLE: What?! It’s a lie! I never--

SEAN: We built this relationship for two years, Michelle.

He turns to leave.

SEAN: Turns out it meant nothing to you.

He walks out of the room, marching straight through Ian as if he wasn’t there at all, then closes the door shut behind him. Ian stares, bewildered, as Michelle sits down on her bed, wiping tears from her eyes.

MICHELLE (in shock): I... I never... I didn’t even...

IAN (gently): Michelle?

But, of course, she still cannot hear him. The sounds of voices begin to drift into the room from outside Michelle’s open window, and she looks up, listening.

SORORITY GIRL #1 (O.S.): Sean totally bought it! I can’t believe that worked!

SORORITY GIRL #2 (O.S.): Serves her right. That Michelle thinks she’s so much smarter than us? Better than us? She doesn’t deserve romance.

SORORITY GIRL #1 (O.S.): How does she not get that we all totally hate her?

Throughout this exchange, Michelle’s expression becomes more and more cold. She balls her hands into fists and stares down at them with a furious glare.

MICHELLE (to herself): Guess you can’t trust anyone, anymore...

Ian takes a few steps forward, unsure what he can do in his current state but desperate to try and help, when suddenly the blinding flash of light returns. He is yanked backward, away from Michelle and her dorm room. Within the light, he hears a voice:

VOICE (V.O.): Pavo. The walls she has built are not easily broken. Within these walls, her true, compassionate strength lies: she must remember who she truly is. All of you must, if you wish to find the sole path forward.

IAN: What? I don’t--

The light fades, and he is back in the secret room beneath the Celestial, one finger touching the strange statue. Michelle flinches back, glaring at him angrily.

MICHELLE: What’s the big idea? You take the damn thing, then, if you’re gonna be so weird about it.

She shoves the statue into Ian’s hands. He looks at her quizzically.

IAN: ...How long was I standing here?

MICHELLE: What the hell are you talking about? I just tried to grab that statue thing a second ago and you had to get in the way.

IAN: You didn’t... hear anything? See anything?

Michelle frowns, her expression softening from anger to concern.

MICHELLE: You aren’t... are you feeling okay? Should I get Alyssa or Estela or somebody?

He shakes his head, blinking a few times as he gazes down at the amber statue in his hands.

IAN: No... it's fine. I think I’ll hang onto this thing for now. Might be important.

MICHELLE (shrugs): Suit yourself.

As she walks away, Ian unzips his backpack and places the statue inside, wrapping it in clothes to keep it safe. Estela approaches him.

ESTELA: ...Find something?

IAN: Yeah. It’s the weirdest thing. When I touched it, I saw--

He is interrupted by the sound of footsteps and someone slow clapping coming from the stairwell. Everyone looks up from what they’re doing and faces the stairs. Estela crouches into a combat stance; Craig cracks his knuckles while Alyssa and Jake share a look before preparing to face whoever is approaching.

ZAHRA: Alright, now what?

A figure emerges into the light... Everett Rourke, now fully dressed in a perfectly arranged suit and tie. Surprisingly, he looks identical to his appearance in the previous flashback, seemingly not having aged a day since that time. Behind him follows Rourke International tour guide LILA SETHI, a stack of folders clutched in her hands. The holographic form of I.R.I.S. floats over to "stand" beside the two of them.

JAKE: Figures you’d be the kinda guy that slow claps.

ALEISTER: ...Father.

SEAN: Lila, who... what...?

MICHELLE: What d’you want?

ROURKE: Ah, but where are my manners? I’ve yet to properly introduce myself. My name is Everett Aleister Rourke. As for what I want... merely to offer you my help.

JAKE (scoffs): Bullshit.

Rourke continues talking as he approaches the holographic map in the center of the room, ignoring Jake.

ROURKE: We will proceed to the Hostiles’ stronghold... rescue Mr. Soto from the almost certain doom he currently faces... and then set about finding a way to prevent the imminent supervolcanic eruption set to occur at any moment. Shall we?

He makes a few gestures. The hologram shifts, zooming in on the Celestial’s location. The others stare at him, dumbfounded.

RAJ: Wait, did he say something about a volcanic eruption? What was that about?

Rourke ignores him. Estela fixes Rourke with an angry glare.

ESTELA: We don’t need your help, Rourke.

LILA: But... but he’s Mr. Rourke! He knows this island better than anyone! How could we not--

She goes silent at a look from Rourke. He shifts his gaze to Estela, looking at her curiously. She continues to glare back at him, refusing to back down.

ROURKE: And this is...?

Lila hands him one of the folders hesitantly.

LILA: Elena Hernandez, sir. One of the Selected.

He takes the folder and flips through it idly, then looks back at Estela.

ROURKE: Do I... know you?

ESTELA: You will.

Rourke remains unfazed, simply returning to what he was doing with the holographic display. Jake shakes his head.

ALYSSA: She’s right. We don’t need your help. We’ll save Diego and stop that... whatever volcano thing... on our own, thanks very much.

Rourke looks at her, a hint of amusement creeping into his expression.

ROURKE: Ah, Miss Czasa... and where exactly do you intend to find your friend in order to save him?

ALYSSA: I--

She stops talking as she reluctantly realizes he has a point. She settles for scowling and crossing her arms instead.

RAJ: Uh, dude? I mean.... Mr. Dude. Rourke. Mr. Rourke! Are you saying you know where Diego is?

Rourke chuckles as he gestures a few more times... and a dotted line appears on the map, leading directly from the Celestial to a clearing in the jungle some distance away.

ROURKE: Precisely, Mr. Bhandarkar. Now then, enough dallying.

With another gesture, the hologram deactivates. Rourke turns to walk back up the stairs, Lila following behind him. He pauses only to cast an analytical gaze over Alyssa, then Ian, as he says:

ROURKE: After all... time is of the essence.

He and Lila continue up the stairs and out of sight. The others hang back, unsure what to make of everything.

JAKE: We can’t seriously be takin’ this guy with us.

SEAN: You got a better idea? He knows the way. We don’t.

JAKE: Maybe. But there’s no way in hell I’d trust him. He’s a double-cross waitin’ to happen.

ALEISTER: My father is... (sighs) Complicated.

ZAHRA: Understatement of the century, right there.

QUINN: I don’t like Rourke either, but we can’t just leave Diego!

ALYSSA: I say we find Diego on our own. We kinda saw the map; we know he’s in the jungle nearby at least. Maybe we can--

Estela and Ian share a brief look. Estela then steps forward, shaking her head.

ESTELA: Ian’s right.

ALYSSA (bewildered): Okay, how the hell--? He didn’t even say anything!

ESTELA: I don’t trust Rourke either. Of course not. But we can use him. As soon as we find Diego...

She leaves the rest of the sentence hanging. Jake smiles and gives her a brief nod.

JAKE: Alright. If Katniss here is gonna be keepin’ an eye on him... yeah, good enough for me.

ALYSSA: Same. As long as we all agree we can’t trust him.

MICHELLE: Of course. (to herself) ...You can’t trust anyone.

They all start to head back up the stairs. Ian gives Michelle a look at her last words, recalling the strange vision he’d seen. He unzips his backpack partially, looking down at the statue within.

IAN (to himself): What is this thing?

_______________________

Scene Notes: And so the Catalyst Idols make their first appearance! We won't be seeing every flashback "on-screen" (the script would be ginormous) but the idols are definitely still a big part in this rewrite!

_______________________

Next: Emits Time

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0 @shaylan211 @griselda1121 @acanthisorbis @marmolady @choicesbabie @mauvecatfic

Endless Summer Tag List: @mysteli @edgydepressedchoicesthot @endlessly-searching-for-you @lovelywrites

#endless winter #es book 2 #choices endless summer #choices stories you play #csyp #fanfic #choices interconnected universe #ciu project #michelle nguyen #sean gayle #quinn kelly #estela montoya #jake mckenzie #ian czasa #alyssa czasa #raj bhandarkar #lila sethi #everett rourke #grace hall #aleister rourke #craig hsiao #zahra namazi #diego soto #catalyst idols #poor michelle... #*hugs*

[sceptilemasterr]

TEXTS FROM THE CATALYSTS:

"Nickname Adventures, Part 1"

The first of hopefully many of these to come, this is a silly texting story taking place some unspecified time post-ES, after our MC twins have found their way back to Earth again. Much like Catalysts Play Choices, it's "semi-canon" to my CIU fics but don't read too much into it... it's just silly nonsense! Enjoy!

Pairings: Estela x Ian (M!MC), Jake x Alyssa (F!MC), Diego x Varyyn, Michelle x Quinn, Zahra x Craig

Genre: Comedy, Randomness, Image Fic

Summary: Alyssa struggles in the Catalyst group text after Jake "renames" all of her contacts...

Warnings: Swearing

Part 2!

#texts from the catalysts #choices endless summer #choices stories you play #endless summer fanfic #estela x mc #jake x mc #michelle x quinn #zahra x craig #diego x varyyn #alyssa czasa #quinn kelly #jake mckenzie #sean gayle #raj bhandarkar #zahra namazi #craig hsiao #ian czasa #michelle nguyen #grace hall #aleister rourke #estela montoya #diego soto #varyyn #endless summer randomness #nickname adventures #part 2 coming soon!

[sceptilemasterr]

A preview of the latest project I'm wasting time on working on... if you can't tell this is Alyssa's (ES MC) phone

(Also, yes, those ARE pics of Alyssa and Ian there! For those of you wondering what they looked like)

#texts from the catalysts #choices stories you play #choices endless summer #csyp #endless summer #alyssa czasa #ian czasa #jake mckenzie #estela montoya #jake x mc #estela x mc #ciu project #these are semi canon i guess #idk