Out of touch [REMASTERED]

Tower of Regrets

As Alex and Flavio ascended into the Tower, they we're met with just a set of stairs that went up, some doors on it's side. Alex and Flavio began going up those stairs, Gene could be anywhere, they decided to check some of the doors, Alex opened one and saw The Enchanted Island at night, he remembers this, this was one of their dates, was Gene regretting that day?..He walked in and started wondering around hoping he would find Gene, what he did find was his memory form, it was different than the Shadow one, this version of Gene was Purple with white outline while the Shadow he encountered was black with purple outline, this one seemed calm, when they had this date they stopped to sit down and just admire the surroundings, Alex always had his head laying on Gene's lap, beacuse Gene would play with his hair,it was one of their tender moments, and a moment Alex craves, that, reminds him of the way his mom would play with his hair, before she left. He doesn't know what made him approach the memory, and just lay down, pit his head on Gene's lap look at the memeory version of his lover.

"You look tired" it said, Alex noticed the memeory was staring at him, with the same worried look his real Gene would give

"Are you ok?" Alex wasn't sure if he should answer or not, but he did

"Well,i am tired"

"I know it feel like the real thing, and i know how much it hurt you when he got trapped, but he's here"

"How come you're nicer than the Shadow counterpart? Isn't this the Tower of Regrets?"

"Yes, but the tower has the ability to display happy memeories, if the source of that happy memeory is present in the tower"

"..so you're telling me..im the source of his happiness?"

"Well certainly it isn't Flavio, that's for sure and no one's with you two so..yeah.. that's you"

Alex felt better hearing that, hearing that he's Gene's source of happiness, he did notice a change in Gene, he was more open, and seemed like he did heal

"Do you happen to know if he's...here?"

"He's at the top of the tower, his regrets chained him down, he's in a lot of pain..."

Meanwhile Flavio decided to go through a door too, he was the memeory from when he went to visit Gene, both of them we're black with a purple outline, he made his way through, and stood in front of the Shadow

"I hate you"

"I know.."

"How could you do this to your friend?!"

"I know i messed up big time"

"You're the reason why I'm the way i am, you made me like this"

"I know.."

"You didn't even looked at me when they took me, and threw me in this place, do you know how that feels?! You don't, beacuse all you ever cared about was your persona!"

"Im truly sorry"

"Your apology means nothing to me"

Flavio felt like the air was suffocating, he left the room, he was back in the stairway where he met with Alex, he told Flavio that Gene's in top of the tower. So they kept going. The inside of the tower was dark, a slight light blue hue, multiple voices can be heard

"I don't know if im ready to face him"

"I think you're more than ready" Alex said. Flavio looked at him and stoped

"Ok i get why Gene hates me, but what's YOUR problem?!" Flavio asked

Alex turned around to face him

"My problem? My problem is you. You came back, when he healed, for what? To remind him of the dark place YOU put him in and from where he got out barely human! Yeah i may have not a valid reason to hate you, you did nothing to me, but you did something to MY lover, i feel like I'm connected to him and whatever hurts him im feeling it too" Alex said continuing to make his way up the tower with Flavio following him. Afte a while they got in front of a big door, black with purple cracks. Alex took a deep breath and put his hands on the door, ready to fly it open, yes it was 2 times bigger than him, but if Gene's there, he would literally explode this door. He pushed the doors making them open slowly, they got in a dark room, with big windows, a hole in the ceiling displaying a beautiful but terrifying sky. In the middle of the room there was Gene, chained, on his wrists, by the ankles, he couldn't move. It seems like his regrets did catch up

"Gene?" Alex said walking slowly towards him. Gene looked up almost shocked

"Alex?!..but..how?! How did you manage to get in here" he said as he watched the knight getting closer and closer until there were inches away.

"We..had some help.." Alex said looking back at Flavio. Gene saw him and let out a chuckle

"Little Flavio finally did something good for once, shocker" Gene said unimpressed by his former friend act of kindness

"Gene i-" Flavio began but Gene cut him off

"Why did you help them? What are you planning?" He asks

"I wanted to make it up to you.." Flavio said walking closer to Gene. Alex stepped aside and decided to give them some space to talk, while they did he began looking around the room, maybe there's something that can free Gene

"Make it up to me? There's nothing you can fix Flavio, you've done enough"

"I never thought how much that would ruin you.."

"Well it did. And it took so long to recover..im not 100% healed but.." Gene stoped as he looked at Alex "for him i would try my best.." Gene then fixates his look and Flavio"I thought we're friends Flavio..but you always saw me as a threat...i never understood why"

"I was jealous... everything you touched was.. perfect...i wanted to prove i can be as good as you"

"And was it worth it? Was it worth to lock me away and mentally ruin me? Are you better now that im mentally weak?"

"No.." Flavio admitted

"The guilt has eaten me up ever since i left Technopolis.."

Gene sighed and crossed his arms, the chains around his wrist we're a big longer, allowing him to move his hands at least

"I always wanted you to feel what i felt when you've put me in there..the pain, the way they've treated me..i wanted you to go through it..10 times worse if possible"  Gene admitted, Flavio looked at him saddened by those sharp words Gene wasn't afraid to throw at him

"All i ever wanted was revenge..but reliving these memeories..i came to the conclusion that...i would go lower than you.. and im mature enough to..try to forgive.." Gene said

Flavio didn't know what to say, he hoped Gene would forgive him, and he sorta did?.
Alex looked at Gene to see if he can come back to them, Gene sightly nodded and Alex came back to them

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah.." Gene said looking at Alex more in detail this time
The young knight had red eyes,as he's been crying, he looked tired and his hair looked unkept, a sight you don't often see with Alex

"Have you..been crying?"

"Yeah..i know it's stupid but I've... really missed you..and before having the book in our hands i was thinking at the worst scenarios..."

"Oh you.."

Alex composed himself and took a look at the chains they we're well fixated on Gene, how can he even get rid of these if there isn't a key hole..

"Flavio can't you do some spell to you know..get rid of these?" Alex asked

Flavio nodded and began enchanting a spell that would make the chains break. He succeeded at one point. Once free Gene rubbed his wrist, gosh those chains we're a hell to wear. Once the chains we're off the tower began to shake

"The hell is going on?!" Alex asked

" I think we took the tower's main source of power! Let's get out before this thing collapses!" Flavio said, the three of them began running out on the stairs, luckily they made it out before tje Tower collapsed before their eyes.
The three boys panted as they tried to catch their breaths

"Shit...that was too much adrenaline even for me" Alex said before realizing that they actually freed Gene, he looks at Gene for a few seconds before hugging him tightly and spinning around with him

"I can't believe it worked! Now all we have to do is to exit the book and go trap that bastard!" Alex said as he put Gene down

"Yeah.. let's go..we don't have time to waste" Flavio said as he bega walking

Alex offered his hand and Gene gladly accepted, they began walking while holding hands