Embers of Eternity (Book 8 of the Keyblade Legends Rainimator Fanfic Series)

Chapter 88: A Toast

Rain's POV

"Another glass?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I mean, Ciara is on her tenth glass and she seems fine."

"That can not be healthy," Stella grumbled.

Can't die to alcohol poisoning if I'm already undead," Ciara said, shrugging.

"Yeah, I'll take another glass," I said, grinning as Kane passed me a third glass.

As we chatted at the Netherbane Cavern, or the temporary Netherbane Cavern in the Terrayite Kingdom, something dawned on me.

"Ciara, how long have you been drinking?" I asked. 

"For about five years," the Netherbane Cutthroat replied.

"Remind me, how old are you again?" I asked.

"Same age as you," Ciara said. "Twenty years old. We met when we were nineteen, remember?" She grinned. "Why? How many glasses of wine have drunk in your life?"

"Four," I replied. 

"Pathetic," Ciara said.

"What?"

"Kane, why the heck are you serving us alcohol?" Stella asked. "We're all underage here."

"Oh come on!" Ciara said. "In one more year, we'll be at legal drinking age!"

"I won't," Stella reminded her.

Ciara just snorted. "You don't know that," she said. "You might be older than both of us."

"You were the one who decided my age!" Stella protested.

"I'd like another glass, Kane!" Ciara said at the same time.

Stella groaned and slammed her head against the table, repeatedly.

Kane busted a gut laughing as he gave Ciara her eleventh glass of the night. How she wasn't throwing up would forever be one of the biggest mysteries of the world. Right after the Bermuda Triangle.

Flashback

"Holy shit," I said, looking at Kane. "You're thirty-five? Sheesh! You're older than Daryll!"

Stella punched me. "Rain! You're not supposed to call people old!"

"And how old are you?" Kane asked, staring at me.

"Nineteen," I replied.

"Ah, so you're the same age as me," Ciara said. 

"You're only nineteen as well?" I asked. "Wow, I assumed you were in your mid twenties."

Ciara shrugged. "I know," she said. "My body hit puberty really fast."

Stella stayed quiet, carefully listening. I couldn't blame her, she was still wary of our new friends.

"How old is your Netherkin pet?" Ciara asked.

Stella scowled at her, but somehow I could tell that Ciara wasn't being malicious, at least not intentionally.

"Roughly eighteen to twenty-one years old," Stella replied.

"You don't know?" Kane asked, giving her a look of surprise.

"When my mother raised me, she kinda neglected me," Stella replied. "So, I wasn't sure how old I was. All I knew was that I was still very young when I ran away to join the Coven."

"Wow, now I'm imaging a two year old running to join a clan of witches," Kane said, giving Stella an intense look, as if he was trying to figure out who she really was.

Stella noticed this and visibly wilted.

"Then my fathers basically raised me for a while." Stella concluded.

"Fathers?" I repeated. "As in plural."

Stella nodded. "Yeah, Lief and Victor were gay," she replied. 

"YOUR FATHERS WERE GAY?!"

"I think we're getting off topic here," Ciara said.

"Ceris told me I was probably roughly eighteen at the youngest, twenty-one at the oldest." Stella said, rolling her eyes.

Ciara stared at Stella, who stiffened and watched her carefully.

"You look like you're eighteen," Ciara said. "So, we're just going to say you're eighteen."

There was an intense moment of silence before Stella said "I'm not sure if that's how it-"

"No arguments!" Ciara interrupted. "When we go gambling one night, we can't have you say that you don't know how old you are!"

Stella just sighed, deciding that there was no point arguing with them.

Kane was cracking up this entire time, and I was a little concerned that he was going to end up suffocating himself.

Kane and Ciara were both great friends, once they weren't trying to kill us.

But for some reason, that look Kane was giving Stella... the way he was eyeing her... made my spine chill.

End of Flashback

By the time one hour had passed, Ciara was on her twentieth glass and was still perfectly fine. Meanwhile, Stella was still working on her first glass, which she had reluctantly ordered after Ciara pestered her to do so.

I was on my fourth glass, trying to enjoy it... unlike Stella who was trying not to recoil every time she took a sip.

"It takes time to get used to it," Ciara told her. 

"What's the plan?" Kane asked us.

The three of us turned to give him a confused look. 

"After this whole ordeal is over," Kane told us. "I want to know what the Endstone Crusaders' plan is."

"Well," I said. "Since I'm the Last Ender Watcher and Stella is the heir, we're going to be ruling the End once this is all over."

"Mind if we join you?" Ciara asked, sipping on her glass of wine.

I nodded. "Of course," I replied. "We're an alliance afer all, and the Ender Watchers can't be a two man job."

"I honestly like the Endstone Crusaders more," Kane said. "It'll be like a new team of protectors."

Ciara nodded in agreement.

"The Ender Watchers have done their duty," I agreed. "Now it's time for the Endstone Crusaders to carry their torch!"

I looked at Stella. "Right, Stella?" I asked. "Uh, Stella?" 

My girlfriend was staring off into space her eyes completely lost.

"Stella?" I repeated, and Stella snapped out of her daydream. 

"Huh?" She asked. "Yeah, I agree. We'll rule the End and protect it as well."

"Then let's toast," Ciara said. "To the Endstone Crusaders!"

"To the Endstone Crusaders!" We chorused.