At Time's End

Chapter 25 - Searching

-- AN: unrelated but i'm still baffled that this was supposed to be a quick writing exercise and now look at this story go :)

Eterna was sleeping restlessly. The time was nearing midnight... I was incredibly tired, but I couldn't leave Chester with her. Not because he'd do something, but rather because I'd be pretty spooked if some random guy was sitting next to me when I woke up. 

"Should we carry her to her room?" Chester asked. Even if I was just thinking about him, I forgot he was there. 

"Eh, probably. She's sleeping a bit restlessly, maybe we should keep her-" my speech was interrupted by a yawn "- keep her here."

"You seem tired," he joked.

"No kidding," I scoffed. I got up and made my way to the kitchen, only to be stopped by a short yell from Eterna, making me run straight back. 

"Who- Who IS this!?" she shouted, a bit more quietly this time.

"Chester, uh, step back," I said a bit awkwardly. He obliged. "Um, before we talk about that,  how are you feeling?"

"I mean, I feel like I just had a heart attack because of this-"

"Calm down!" 

She sighed. "I feel alright, Jaiden. You calm down." I was calm!...a lie. 

"So. This is Chester. Uh, remember that girl who robbed us of our Serpent Tears when you were still living at 1477? Yeah, this is him." I stressed 'him' so Eterna got the right idea. She acknowledged it.

"Oh, uh. Hello, Chester. So, can we move back to the much larger problem called 'Karmella is GONE.' please?!" She was very worried about her. She used to be so stoic, she's almost unrecognizable from what she was like before our relationship. I hope she's happy being a bit more.. vulnerable..? I don't know what word to use.

"Uh, we can. Where were you when she was abducted slash ran away?"

"Central Ring. Near 1357. A goldsmith shop." I paused in shock. How does she not remember?

"Hey... uh... I don't know how to tell you this. Alice has her."

"What?" She seemed confused. 

"She's at Alice's. Alice works from a goldsmith shop called Sicyllian Dream." Sicyllia is a gorgeous place on Venus, but to think she uses that name for her brutal, cruel, disgusting business... 

"Oh. Oh my-... Oh." The realization set in, and she reverted back to her stoic self, just when I said things have changed. "So. Chester. You know how to get in there, right? Right!?" I could tell she's about 1 bad word from a breakdown at this point.

"Uh- Um- I guess so. They'd kill me if I went in there, though.." He visibly shook, but I wasn't sure whether it was from the threat of death or withdrawal. He has been shaking from yesterday, which is when I assume he last took it - right before entering this place. I read that shaking is a common effect of serpenthair. "But... I'll go." This time, I was the one shaking. Mentally, not physically, but I was shaken that he had never even met Karmella, yet was still willing to help her, and Eterna.

"So... the plan is..."

--- A day later

We arrived at the place - CS 1357. An ordinary shop, supposedly selling jewellery.

"So, I'm willing to bet I can unlock this vent right here..." Chester barely even touched the vent, as far as I could see, and it already fell down like a loose tile. "There. Who wants to go first?" No volunteers. "Nobody? Fine, I'll go," he scoffed, and jumped down.