Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Beach City, a simple name for a simple place. There isn’t very much in this little town, certainly nothing that would ever stand out during a web search of the location, nothing reputable anyway.

It is just your simple coastal town, with a few local businesses and homes here and there. Really, the only thing of real significance is the local amusement park (appropriately called ‘Beach City Funland’) and the town's namesake, the beach. Perhaps if one was truly desperate to find something of interest, the old lighthouse at the edge of town could provide some entertainment.

Much like any other town near the sea it thrives on two things; fishing and tourists, though the dangers of the former do give it more prestige over those who relieve (scam) tourists of their vacation funds. Anyone brave enough to sail the sea with the unknown beasts below have a right to be given respect after all, especially when the vacation season has yet to truly start.

Really, this simple, small and dull town has little to make it stand out, but even the most unremarkable of locations can lead to the most exciting of adventures.

Even if it’s an adventure that drags you into it kicking and screaming…

}Line Break{

At night, Beach City becomes a shell of its daytime facade. The hustle and bustle of tourists, food cart owners, and the local populace going about their days is replaced with a calming silence. Not even the mechanical groaning of the Funland rides can break this spell as the quiet night sets in over the town.

But there is also a sweet spot between this silent night and the peak business hours, where the sunlight begins to dwindle and shops make preparations to close. In that time, there is a comfortable static of background noise as people prepare for the end of the day. It is methodical, and routine, and hardly broken by anything unexpected.

“I’m going to explore the town for a bit Dad!”

But there are always exceptions to the rules.

A voice, slightly deep as one sounds when suffering through puberty, echoed throughout the early evening from Beach City’s one and only hotel. Like many buildings in town, it was simple and did not exceed six stories, a holdover from times before settlement defenses were much more advanced. And standing halfway out of the entrance door of the brick building was a teenage boy with curly black hair and dull black eyes.

“Okay Schtu-ball, just be careful and don’t stay out too late. Be back no later than 12, got it mister?” A man’s voice answered from inside the hotel lobby. There was a hint of sternness in his tone, but that was hidden behind an almost unbearable amount of mellowness.

“Okay Dad, be back soon!” The boy called out with a small smile, seemingly used to the mellowness. Before he got a chance to shut the door behind him though, a second voice called out from the lobby, this time a woman’s.

“Be careful Steven, and please stay away from the Walls,” she said, her tone dripping with gentleness, and barely concealed strain if one were to listen closer.

The boy’s smile stiffened slightly in response to the woman’s words.

“O-okay Rebecca. I’ll...I’ll be careful,” he answered in a wooden, uneasy tone. He hesitated in the doorway for a moment, seemingly trying to say something more, but eventually he just sighed and closed the door behind him.

“Be careful of what? This town is nice and quiet and boring. I bet they hardly see beasts…” he shrugged as he pulled his hood up, stuffed his hands into his pockets and set off into the early evening.

Little did Steven DeMayo know that tonight his world would change drastically, for better and for worse.

}Line Break{

Steven let out another sigh as he turned yet another corner of the unfamiliar town. He couldn’t help but berate himself for the awkward exchange between himself and his Dad’s girlfriend.

Real smooth dummy, way to keep it cool there. Not like you’ve known her for three years or anything…The boy’s thoughts trailed off as his eyes drifted over the sun making it’s way towards the horizon. Three years…is it really that hard to get used to this?

Before his thoughts could get the best of him, he slapped both of his cheeks lightly.

“Come on Steven, now’s not the time to be all mopey dopey. You’ve got a whole town to explore,” he chided before nodding in determination.

That’s right, we’re gonna be here for a while, might as well scope things out. Who knows, maybe you’ll see something weird like from that conspiracy theorist’s blog, he thought optimistically.

Keep Beach City Weird was really the only notable thing he’d found when looking up the town, and though it was your usual spiel about aliens and whatnot, it did have a more interesting pull than the typical trip advisor.

And besides, even if that blog writer is cuckoo, those pictures of old Native American ruins looked neat, he thought with a smirk as he passed by his fellow pedestrians, avoiding eye contact subconsciously. It wasn’t that he didn’t like people or anything like that, it’s just that larger crowds made him nervous. And since his Dad was a pretty famous rocker, that was a bit counter intuitive. Especially when it came to the paparazzi.

Luckily, out here in the quaint hustle and bustle of Beach City, no one seemed to recognize him as the son of Mr. Universe, which he was eternally grateful for. If anything, he got looks for his shabby looking clothes. They were simple at best and lackluster at worst, but fashion didn’t matter much to him because comfort outweighed flashiness.

Hard to believe this sleepy little town is going to host such a huge concert, Steven mused as he saw a mom and pop pizza shop cranking out pies. In reality his father’s band usually stuck to much larger cities, like Rio, Vegas, or Empire City, but this newest tour would start in good old Beach City.

When asked why, his father had told him that not only did he still have family in the area, but this was the place where he’d gotten his first big break many years ago, and he wanted to honor that spot. And since the big concert wasn’t for a while, Greg DeMayo decided that a little vacation away from the spotlights was in order.

Maybe we could go to this amusement park together, Steven smiled while looking at the distant roller coaster. Aside from some movie and game nights, they hadn’t had any bonding time since the last Christmas tour. One big downside to being so famous with millions of fans, was that there was hardly any time for Greg to be an actual father. He tried his best for sure, but nine times out of ten, his stardom got in the way.

…Then again, if anyone figures out who he actually is, then we could kiss that privacy goodbye, he sighed as he tore his eyes from Funland. Not to mention Rebecca will be there as well.

She and his father had been practically inseparable since the day he hired her to be one of his backup singers after the old one quit. Unlike many of his other flings though, this relationship looked like it would last. Even the other band members and crew thought so, and gossip about marriage was all the rage with the fans…But Steven hated it.

By all means, he was happy for his father. Greg had been miserable for a long time until she came along, and she made him live again. He didn’t even dislike Rebecca despite the unintentional hogging of his Dad’s attention. She was a very nice lady and she always tried her best to get along with Steven, even if things were awkward.

No, the reason why he hated the whole situation was purely for selfish reasons, and even he understood this. He knew it was petty and childish, but he couldn’t help but feel the way he did. For now, she was Greg’s girlfriend, but if she became his wife…

I don’t need a new mom…He thought bitterly for the millionth time. His eyes glazed over as thoughts of his mother, his real mother, started swarming his head against his wishes. All the happy times, the tense times, the times they made each other laugh. The times he made her cry…

The one time she made him cry…

That one rainy night in October when she didn’t come home again…

Eight years next month…Steven thought with melancholy as he wiped away a stray tear from his eye. Keep it together! He chided himself after a sniffle. You need to be stronger than that! Keep smiling, just like Mom would have wanted!

Taking a deep, calming breath Steven set his jaw and willed his tears away.

“Live in the now Steven. Live in the now…” he sighed as he continued his trek.

“-here has yet to be any updates on famed scientist Roberto Diaz, nor of the sudden explosions caused at his research facility a few days after his reported disappearance,”

Steven jumped slightly at the sudden loud voice that boomed from his left. Turning to the source, he found it to singular TV with it’s volume maxed out in a display of shut off monitors.

“The local authorities have yet to make any statement, and if any news comes to light we will be returning to this case.”

Inside the store, he saw an older man berating a smirking boy around his age who held a universal remote. The boy’s head was a strange gourd like shape, and he seemed to be taking pleasure in the old man’s annoyance.

“Eh, not a very elaborate prank, but at least no one’s getting hurt,” Steven shrugged as he looked back to the loud TV.

“In other news, in just a few short weeks it will be the official 500^th anniversary of the G.O.F. People all over the world are preparing for this landmark milestone with many different cultural celebrations. Our own national branch will be celebrated across the country with parades, concerts and state fairs. Be sure to give thanks to the brave men and women around the world who dedicate their lives to protecting us from the dangers of the Gem Beasts.” As the news anchor finished, an image of men and women in high-tech combat gear saluting, while standing upon shattered crystals was put on screen, until the TV was shut off.

The old store owner had gotten his remote back and he was still berating the kid with the weird head who didn’t even look phased.

“Dang, the G.O.F.’s 500 years old?” Steven whistled ignoring their shenanigans. “That’s pretty neato.”

It was more than neato, it was extraordinary. The Gem Obliteration Force was the single largest multinational militia group ever formed, and it had branches in practically every civilized country in the world.

Steven, like every other human being on Earth, knew that if not for this group, humanity would still be cowering behind it’s walls in fear of the crystalline monsters that roamed the land and sea. These Gem Beasts had hunted humans for time immemorial, though the oldest recordings dated back to Ancient Greece. They were tough, viscous creatures, that were more rock than living being, and they were hard to kill unless you shattered their core gem. Defensively, humanity was able to live with these creatures around, but after The G.O.F. formed, humanity truly began to prosper. Thanks to the centuries of culling their numbers, Gem Beast attacks became only as frequent as any other wild animal attack, though many cities still had walls for the increasingly rare “Big Ones.”

Steven had never personally seen a Gem Beast, which was a good thing in many people’s eyes, but he’d always been fascinated by them. Sure they were vicious killing machines, but what was essentially a rock with a body made of hard light that science still couldn’t explain, was pretty curious. Like many living creatures, Steven had a bit of a soft spot for these Beasts, especially since their numbers were so low now. He knew better than to take it further though, lest he get labeled as one of those whacko’s that worshipped the darned things.

Dang nutjobs, He shuddered as he remembered learning about those cults in school, all of them devoured by their so-called objects of worship. Putting those thoughts aside, Steven began to walk again and ponder the timing of all of this.

“I wonder if the concert Dad’s playing at is for the G.O.F. thing. That would be pretty cool. Some of them might come backstage and I could hear their stories,” he thought with wonder.

After about another hour of walking, the sun was even nearer to the horizon and Steven found himself near the edge of town by the wall.

“Huh, this place is even smaller than I thought,” he said aloud as he looked up at a hill with a lighthouse atop it. “Still, there’s plenty of food places to try at least.”

As he said that, his stomach gurgled with perfect comedic timing, which got a chuckle out of him.

“Alright, alright, calm down,” he laughed and patted his belly. “I’ll get you a snack, just you wait.”

He thought about the options he’d seen on just his first pass, and a Pizza and a French Fry place stood out to him above the rest, until his eyes landed on a shop right at the edge of town with him.

“Oh sweet, a bakery!” he said giddily as he spied the large donut adorning the building. “Donuts for dinner? Why not?” he shrugged with a smirk as he made his way towards the shop, hoping that they hadn’t closed.

}Line Break{

To Steven’s immense delight the aptly named ‘Big Donut’ was, in fact still open, though that delight tapered a bit when he entered and saw the two employees. One was a tall lanky guy with drooped earlobes that looked like he scowled for a living, and the other was a short chubby girl who immediately put on a customer service smile when he entered. They were both a few years older than him, and Steven had to admit, the blonde girl’s smile seemed more genuine than others he’d seen in the past, but it was harder to appreciate thanks to the long-eared guy’s demeanor.

His face just screams I’d rather be anywhere else. I hope he’s not rude, Steven thought apprehensively as he closed the door behind him. Steven didn’t like rude people. Rude people led to him getting upset, which led to him getting angry, which led to him saying or doing something that the paparazzi would latch onto and embarrass his dad. So whenever possible, Steven tried to avoid conflict before it even had a chance to begin.

“Hi! Welcome to the Big Donut, you caught us just in time. We were just about to start closing up, but we still have enough time to take your order before then.” The girl’s kind, welcoming tone helped him feel a bit more at ease

Heh, at least she’s nice. I better hurry up and order so I don’t take up any more of their ti-

“Hey man, can you hurry up?! I’ve got plans tonight and I don’t want to waste them here any longer then I have to!”

-on second thought, I think I’ll go to that Fry place, he thought with dread.

Before Steven could get a chance to enact his ‘great’ escape, the female employee elbowed her coworker with a glare, causing him to wheeze out in pain as he bent over. And as if she didn’t just assault a fellow employee in front of a potential costumer, she turned back towards Steven with her cheery smile

“Please don’t mind Lars, he can get a bit cranky near the end of his shift. Of course he doesn’t mean any offense to the customer, right Lars?”

The now named Lars scowled at her before mumbling out something that sounded like an apology with the bare minimum of genuineness behind it, but this seemed to satisfy her.

“See? Now if you would like to order some of the most delicious donuts this side of the eastern seaboard please come up to the cash register.”

Not wanting to have the woman’s ire directed towards him for wasting her time, Steven simply gulped and nodded his head before making his way forward.

Yeesh, all of this just get some donuts? This is why it’s easier just to buy stuff off of Congo!*

“Right then, thank you for coming to the Big Donut. Please take a look at our selection and when you’re ready just let me know,” she said cheerfully.

Once again Steven simply nodded in response before he started looking at the menu behind her, making sure to avoid making eye contact with the crabby Lars. As he did, his eyes slowly started to get bigger and bigger at just how many donuts the bakery had on stock.

It’s like some sort of donut heaven! There are some donuts on here that I’ve never even heard of before! Double layered fudge, Multi-layered Festival, Ultimate Chocolate Showdown!?

“Hehehe, a bit overwhelmed by our selection?” the girl chuckled.

“Ah great, a newbie,” Lars rolled his eyes in frustration. “Just what we ne-Oof!”

Steven snapped out of his donut induced wonder upon seeing the second elbow shot.

“Oh, uh, sorry. I won’t take too long,” he apologized. “It’s just that there’s so many flavors and-“

“Hey man, it’s all good,” the girl placated. “Take all the time you need, we’re not going anywhere,” she said, giving a side glare to Lars who just harrumphed.

“Y-Yeah, alright,” Steven stuttered as he looked back up at the wide selection again. “I haven’t even heard of many of these flavors…”

“Yeah, we got some unique ones. Most of them are all ideas from the people living here after all,” she responded, and Steven’s jaw dropped in wonder.

“Really?” he asked breathlessly. “That’s amazing!”

“Not really,” Lars scoffed. “It’s more of a hassle and a waste of money making something only a few lame people eat.”

“Huh?” Steven questioned as the girl rolled her eyes at her coworker.

“He’s just whining,” she explained. “It is a bit harder to sell the regular flavors when everyone has their own unique special. But hey, what can you do?”

“Oh, I guess that makes sense,” Steven contemplated. “Well in that case, I’ll take some regulars to make it easier on you. I’ll take three chocolates, two vanilla creams and a long-john please.”

“Wow, we got ourselves a saint,” Lars said sarcastically which earned him a slight glare from Steven.

Ugh, this guy is a pain, Steven grumbled.

The woman though smiled and nodded before turning to the lanky guy.

“Alright, Lars get to it then, while I ring it up,” she ordered. With a dismissive wave, Lars stopped leaning against the counter, grabbed a lunch bag and went to the display counter. While he did that the other employee started typing into the register.

“So, I can’t help but notice that I haven’t seen you around town before. You’re a bit early for the tourist season, so are you new in town or just passing through?” she asked.

Steven chuckled nervously at that, seeing as how small talk was one of his weakest social skills.

“Uh…kind of a bit of both for a bit? My dad is always on the move for his work, so we’re really only going to be here till the end of the summer.”

“Really? Man you must be pretty lucky to spend your whole summer vacation at the beach huh? I’ve missed out on a few vacations staying here trying to rank in some tuition money.”

“Y-yeah. Lucky, let’s go with that,” he stuttered awkwardly as he fiddled with his hood.

Totally not just because this was planned months in advance by my dad’s agent. Nope, simply luck hehehehe…

She seemed to notice his uncomfortable demeanor, so she coughed and tried to change the subject.

“Well, as long as you’re here, if you’ve got any questions come find me. I’ve lived in this town my whole life so if you want to find something to do or a place to hang I’m your girl,” she said with a bright smile while pointing her thumb at herself confidently.

“Gee, thanks…?” he guessed, taken aback by the kind gesture to which she chuckled.

“The name’s Sadie, Sadie Miller,” she

“Thanks Sadie, I’m Steven…just Steven,” he said and she raised a brow. He felt a twinge of guilt at that, but he knew he couldn’t risk her knowing his last name, the hardcore and craziest fans knew Mr. Universe’s real name after all.

No need to turn a potential friend/acquaintance/tour guide into a raving fanboy that would only get close to me to get to Dad, he thought with conviction. It happened more times than he cared to admit.

“So uh Sadie…you said you know this place pretty well right?” he continued to throw her suspicions off.

“I should say so,” she said confidently.

“Well…you wouldn’t happen to know of any ancient Native American ruins around here would you?” he asked earnestly.

“Ancient ruins?” she asked after blinking a few times in confusion. “Why would you want to know that?”

Steven could feel the blush on his face as he stuttered out,

“W-well you see ever since I was young I was super interested in ancient history. There’s just something so cool about how our ancestors were and acted compared to now. Plus all the vastly different cultures and lifestyles that compared to now seem almost alien it’s just super cool to learn about. That and my mom was a huge history buff too, and well-”

“*cough*Nerd!*cough*” Lars subtly insulted and he frowned.

“…Look, I like history stuff. I know the travel guide didn’t mention anything, but I saw some pictures on this blog that caught my attention.”

Sadie’s eyes widened with understanding the minute he mentioned a blog.

“Oh lord,” she sighed and facepalmed. “You read Renaldo’s stupid conspiracy theories before coming here?”

“Wait for real? That’s hilarious,” Lars laughed unkindly while Steven pouted his lips.

“Listen, don’t judge Beach City based on his ramblings. There’s no aliens, or secret world government or-“

“Oh trust me, I don’t!” Steven held his hands up defensively. “I know it was just a bunch of crackpot stuff, but even still, all the sights he claims are aliens and stuff looked like old historical sites.”

She let out a sigh of relief at that while Lars continued to mockingly giggle.

“That’s a relief. Renaldo’s actually turned a few tourists off this place thanks to his blog,” she said with an eyeroll before smiling again.

“Well, I’m not one of them,” Steven chuckled. “So yeah, instead of asking a guy like that for directions, I thought I’d ask someone nicer like you.”

“Heh, thanks for the vote of confidence,” she grinned. “And, well, depending on what pictures you saw on his blog, there could be a many number of sites where he took them.”

“Oh, so you don’t know?” Steven said a bit dejectedly.

“No, no, I have a general idea of some of them thanks to his constant rantings. I’m pretty sure there’s some old cave drawings and stuff at the base of the hill on the beach below the old lighthouse,” she said pointing out past the wall.

“Really? That close?” Steven asked excitedly.

“Yup,” she nodded. “Never seen them myself, but that’s where they are.”

“Wow, thanks so much Sadie, I appreciate it,” he said in gratitude. And had Lars not dropped his donut bag on the counter, Steven might have very well run out immediately without his delicious goods.

“That will be 7.36,” Sadie said. With an embarrassed chuckle, Steven paid for his goods and took his bag.

“Thanks again, I can’t wait to see them. Just along the wall on the beach side right?” he asked as he reached the door.

“Yes but, you’re not going out there right now are you? It’s almost sunset,” she said with worry.

“Eh, I’ve got plenty of sunlight left. Really, I just want to scope it out to see if it’s worth visiting with my Dad,” Steven reassured. Before Sadie could try to talk him out of it, or Lars could say something snarky and sarcastic, Steven waved and ran out the door.

“See ya later Sadie and Lumpy!”

“Lumpy!?” Lars shouted in outrage, but Steven was out of earshot by the time he retorted.

}Line Break{

Three donuts and a brief jog later Steven found himself going through the strangely unguarded wall gate and onto the sandy beach.

“Wow, must be no Gem Beast activity at all if there’s not even a guard,” he mused aloud as he looked back up at the large sprawling structure. No matter how many cities he passed through, each wall, no matter how different in height or style, was always an intimidating site to behold. At the very top of the structure, he saw the sentry guns and other defenses for flying or climbing beasts and balked over the lack of anything near the gate.

“Either arrogance or confidence or both,” Steven shrugged as he started to move towards the base of the cliff in the dwindling sunlight. He knew it was dangerous to be out on the exposed beach at night, since there were still oceanic beasts out there, but he took the lackadaisical security to mean it was safe.

Plus, according to Sadie it’s not even that far from the wall, he thought confidently. Now, I wonder what condition those ruins are in? What tribes were in the area back then?

It wasn’t long before Steven arrived at the location at the base of the cliff. Looking up the massive spire of rock, he could see the lighthouse standing proudly against the oncoming night. The wall only came up halfway to the hill and was buried into the rock where it ended.

Man this cliff side has seen some better days huh? he mused at the many eroded surfaces from years of nature.

“There’s smooth stone all over the place, just like the blog said,” he assessed as he opened his phone and looked the article on Keep Beach City Weird. “Though that doesn’t mean aliens, that could just mean there were cliff dwellings carved that got eroded with time.” Taking a picture with his phone, he turned back around as the sun was almost gone below the horizon.

“Dang it,” he grumbled and looked back to the stones. Sure they might be enough to get his dad to come out and view them with him, but he wanted more than just smooth stones. As the darkness set in, he crept closer to the base, looking for the cave paintings Sadie had talked about. Sweeping his phone light over the rocks, he hoped to get at least one picture for the night before heading back into town, but all he saw in the dwindling light was moss and vines.

Grumbling in frustration, but willing to bet on a dare, Steven picked up a rock and began scraping off some of the excess moss and weaker vines.

“Come on, come on…I don’t want to wait a whole night to-*gasp*!” Steven’s eyes widened in excitement as he found a pretty unique pattern. “Oh. My. Gosh! This looks like…I have no idea what this looks like,” he sputtered, his excitement drowned by confusion. They were definitely markings, but they weren’t like any he’d ever seen. They were more like indents of weird shapes as opposed to drawings of animals or people hunting.

“I…huh,” he grunted and took a picture before placing his finger against one of the symbols. “They don’t even look that old…Wait a second!” his eyes narrowed as a horrid thought came to him.

That blogger kept talking about aliens and stuff, could he have just etched these in as an “Alien Language” for a hoax?

It certainly wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, especially when one wanted attention in a small town.

Frowning at this possibility, Steven unzipped his hoodie and pulled out a small leather-bound notebook that looked like it’d seen better days. He then proceeded to start doing a sketch rub of the symbols.

Just in case the picture comes out blurry, he noted as he ran his pencil over the paper. But seriously, if this was all just a hoax, then I’ll totally leave him an angry comment! You don’t just graffiti historical ruins with your made up-

“WHOAH!!!” Steven cried out as suddenly, the stone surface he was sketching on opened and he fell forward.

“OOF!” he grunted as he landed belly first onto the ground and kicked up dust. “*Cough Cough* Wha-what was that!?” Sitting back up, he looked behind himself and saw the scarce moonlight illuminating the ocean through a rounded entrance. The stone he had been leaning against stood at an angle, pushed inward like a door.

Turning his phone light back on he looked around himself and noticed that he was not in a naturally formed cave, but a massive carved out room.

“No way…” he gasped before stars came to his eyes and he grinned maniacally. “An ancient man-made dwelling!” He figured it had to be ancient by the amount of dust that lined the floor and the staleness of the air.

“Okay, sorry for doubting you crazy blogger,” he apologized aloud with a chuckle. “But even still, I doubt aliens had a hand in this. This could be the entrance into a honeycombed cliff dwelling, or even an ancient temple!”

He took a few more pictures of the entrance and of the entrance tunnel before making a note in his notepad.

“Heh, I bet Dad would get a kick out of this. All we need is a couple flashlights and some snacks and we’d be able to explore this place. I bet Rebecca would be too scared to step inside.”

As it was, the square room he was in was only interesting for the fact that it existed, but otherwise it was a blank room covered in dust with a few stray crumbled rocks near what looked to be stalagmites. There appeared to only be one other corridor at the end of the room, and Steven debated whether it was better to come back tomorrow or check it out now.

“…Well, if Dad knows there’s more than just one room he might be more interested,” he reasoned as he started walking further in. “Gotta make sure it doesn’t just dead end too.”

It was extremely dark in the room, and his phone light didn’t have nearly enough illumination, but even still as he made his way towards the corridor, he found that the stalagmites weren’t stalagmites at all, but withered old statues.

“Whoa…” he gasped as he looked at the structure, which was far taller than him, even in it’s decayed state. “It looks like it’s supposed to be a woman maybe?”

The head and arms of the statue were gone, but the chest seemed to be in the best condition.

“Guess the carvers had their priorities down,” Steven chuckled as he took a picture. With the extra flash, he did see a few more details though, like how their appeared to be carved armor with a huge opening at the midriff.

“What kind of armor has a huge weakness like that?” he thought aloud. “Also, did some Native Tribes have armor like that?”

Shaking his head at the conundrum he took another photo and looked back to the corridor.

“…I think that might be enough. We can see if there’s more another day,” he concluded, realizing just how dark it really was inside. He stared at the ominous hole for a few more seconds before he sighed in defeat. “Okay, just one peak and then back to the beach.”

To his surprise it was not a corridor at the end of the room, but instead it was a stone staircase leading to some lower level of the ruin.

“Oh wow…” he said in wonder and reluctantly looked back to the beach side door. He began to bite his lip as his curiosity duked it out with his sense of common sense. “…Alright, I’ll just see what’s at the bottom and then come right back up.” He relented.

A part of him would come to regret that decision.

}Line Break{

The deeper Steven went, the more he realized that this probably wasn’t the best idea.

Not only was there several doors and entrances that seemed to be sealed off, as if whoever used to live there didn’t want anyone else getting in, but there was also the fact that the signs of decay were becoming less of the natural variety and more of deliberate destruction. There were cracks and holes around the walls that were definitely not carved or worn out.

Huh, wonder who was fighting who? he pondered as he saw what looked like an ancient scorch mark. Also, why is it suddenly so hot down here anyway!?

Another thing that was putting Steven on edge was the fact that the further he went down, the hotter and hotter it got. It was almost like the very stone itself around him was a heat conductor. Speaking of how far he went down, Steven seriously underestimated just how deep these steps went and he lost cell phone service after 10 minutes.

Man, I better reach the end soon, he groaned and silently cursed his unrelenting curiosity. Almost by fate, his wished was answered as the steps ended and his feet hit flat even ground inside of another large chamber. Looking back up the stairs he winced as he realized it would be a heck of a leg workout.

“Okay, I reached the bottom, just like I said,” he panted as he snapped a picture. “Now all I gotta do is take a breather bef-“ he cut himself off as something reflected the light from his phone. “What the…?” he blathered as he focused the light back to the source, and again light reflected back into his eyes.

“What the heck is shiny all the way down here?” wondered as the reflected light beamed further into the room. Again he looked back up the stairs and bit his lip.

“…Aw for crying out loud,” he grumbled and moved towards whatever was catching his light.

Nestled in a corner under a few rocks, was what appeared to be something made of glass.

“Oh please don’t tell me I’m not the first one here, and some litterbug found this place before I did,” he moaned as he picked the rocks away. His fears though turned into awe though when the object was fully uncovered.

“A hand mirror?” he gaped. It was indeed a hand mirror, one with an intricate pattern in it’s holster, and surprisingly, the glass was still in one piece. “…Okay, I’m starting to think that a Native Tribe didn’t build this place.”

Picking up the ornate artifact he looked at his reflection and noticed that he still had dust in his hair from his earlier fall.

“Heh, well one thing’s for sure, whoever made this thing built it to last,” he smirked and turned it over. The minute he did so, his heart nearly leapt into his throat and he almost threw the tool. “Oh My...Whooo!” he breathed out as he clutched his chest. For on the back of the mirror was a tear shaped blue gem with a large crack in it.

“Yeesh, that’s a heck of a scare” he panted as he got his breathing back under control. There were such things as non-beastial gemstones in the world, he knew that, many people wore them in jewelry after all, but it was still a bit unnerving to see when not prepared. There were those who would wear jewelry made from destroyed Gem Beasts parts, but those were far more expensive than the natural ones.

“Heh, heh, get a hold of yourself DeMayo, it’s just a fancy mirror, no monsters here,” he chuckled and flipped the mirror portion back to himself. “Probably belonged to some rich lady or something…but then again why would this even be he-HAUGH!” he choked on a scream as the mirror reflected something behind him.

Turning around very slowly, he raised his light up and the color drained from his face.

Splayed all over the floor, were Gem Shards. Hundreds of them, all different shapes, sizes and colors. There were rubies, sapphires, quartzes, some sort of jaspers, pearls, and many many more. Steven began to breathe heavily as he took in the sight, because, just like the mirror gem, each and every one of the gems were either cracked or shattered. There was nothing natural about these stones, they had been broken.

“Wh-Wh-What in the world happened here? What is this place?” Steven stammered in fear as he realized he was standing in what was essentially a Gem Beast graveyard. A cold sweat started to form on his brow as a horrifying thought came to him.

What if they’re not all dead?

Gulping in terror, Steven gingerly and carefully made his way back towards the stairs.

Okay, let’s scratch this off the list of things to do with Dad! I’ve gotta get out of here! I’ve gotta tell someone about this! Even if those things are all dead, someone’s got to be informed!

With panic flooding his mind, Steven began to double time it up the staircase, not daring to look back. And because his mind was so preoccupied, he failed to notice three things.

The first had been a small reddish light which had blinked a few times upon one of the wall panels before fading out.

The second, was that he still held the hand mirror, which still had his initial excited and smiling face on it from before he saw the graveyard. Static overlaid the image as it repeated the instance from intrigue to terror over and over again.

And the third and final thing he’d missed, was that the second his feet hit the steps, something shifted within that graveyard room. Something covered in white fluff that seemed to uncoil like a snake, something that opened a jagged maw full of teeth, something that hissed at the teenager revealing a single gem within it’s jaws.

With all these things unnoticed, Steven DeMayo huffed and puffed up the stairs, not realizing that this was the day that his life would change forever. This was the day an average human would fall into an extraordinary world and shift the destiny of many.

This was the day it all changed. The day The Mirror was found.

}End Episode{

Chapter Text

Steven couldn’t remember a time when he had ran as fast as he did then. His fascination with the discovery of the ancient ruin was buried under his fear and panic at what he just saw. His thoughts were a jumbled mess as he tried to wrap his head around this whole situation, but for the life of him he couldn’t come up with anything rational past the surge of fear.

An entire room filled with cracked and shattered gems buried deep within a hidden ancient ruin was not something a boy his age was accustomed to seeing. As he exited onto the moonlit beach, he turned and pulled the door with all of his might, and thanks to his adrenaline surge, the slab of rock closed once more, sealing off the entrance. This was good enough for Steven as he continued to run from the unknowable danger.

By the time he was back within the town limits he was out of breath, and he had to lean against a streetlamp as his legs threatened to give out beneath him.

Oh jeeze…I’m so out of shape, he thought as he rapidly inhaled more and more oxygen. This was an oversimplification because while yes, he did have a bit of chub on his face and belly, he had also just run at full sprint for over 15 minutes. If anything, this feat was commendable, but in his panic he only saw the downsides.

I have to report this! I gotta tell someone! Anyone! The whole town could be in danger! What if I woke some of them up?!

There had been recorded cases of gem beasts lying dormant for years before suddenly reawakening due to human interference.

Oh this is bad this is bad this is so bad! Steven gripped his hair in panic as his thoughts started to spiral out of control. I just woke up a bunch of dangerous monsters at the dead of night, and no one is guarding the Wall here! Not good not good not goo-*Slap*

Just before his thoughts could go completely down the never-ending spiral of panic, Steven slapped himself across the face.

Keep it together man! Remember what mom said, a panicking mind is a wasteful one. I need to calm down and think things through.

Nodding at his own rationality, he took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and let it out again. After repeating this process a few times, his heartbeat became steadier and he was able to think a little more clearly.

Okay…let’s think this through, he thought to himself. A lot of those gems were already broken and shattered, so they’re already dead right? And even if there were still some live ones, I didn’t touch any of them.

He replayed the few minutes he’d been in that room in his mind, and he was fairly certain he hadn’t touched any of them.

Right, and then I got out of there lickety split, and I closed the door on my way out. Even if a beast was there, it wouldn’t be getting through a push door from the opposite side without a handle. He then looked back towards the city wall. And though there aren’t any guards, the gate door to the beach is still closed and no alarms have been signaled…

He actually had more faith in the slab he’d closed than the unmanned perimeter, but he was picking all of the positives out in this situation. He kept staring at the wall for a few more minutes as the heavy stillness of the town weighed down on him.

“Okay, no monsters swarming because of my stupidity thank goodness,” he sighed in relief before becoming somber again. “But even still, that place could still be dangerous. It might not be an immediate threat, but I should still tell someone about it. The last thing we need is Dad’s concert getting ruined by…”

His eyes widened as he looked at the night sky before getting out his phone.

“10:45? I was in there that long?! AGH! The hotel is like an hour walk away!” he panicked. And then to make his day even worse, he saw the notifications for numerous missed calls and texts from his Dad.

“Ah crud, he’s not going to be happy when I get back,” he groaned, knowing how much of a worrywart his dad was. Sure, his curfew may have been 12, but Steven had never actually used up that full time before. “Stupid ruins blocking service,” he grumbled.

He then started to reach his finger to redial, but he stopped himself.

No…I can’t let him know I was inside ruins at night past the Wall! He thought with conviction as he turned his phone off. Sure, going past a settlement’s walls in the dark was frowned upon by most, but what he’d done thanks to his curiosity could get him into even more trouble. My phone died, and that’s why I didn’t answer…yeah…

Steven didn’t like lying, but the possible consequences swam through his head. If he told his Dad, then his Dad would of course contact the G.O.F. They would take his statement, do something showy just in time for their 500^th anniversary, and then the story would get out how Mr. Universe’s dumb kid almost caused a beast swarm, and then their little mini vacation would be ruined. Paparazzi would come, the locals would know who they were, and any sense of peace would be lost.

Steven bit his lip at these thoughts, knowing that it was selfish to put his own needs over something possibly dangerous, but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t want to ruin everything, and on the first day no less.

“…I’ll just leave an anonymous tip. Yeah, then Dad’s name won’t get thrown around. Heck, maybe someone already knows about the place and I just found a dumping ground. There’s no need to cause panic when it’s not needed.”

These were shallow justifications, even to him, but they were good enough to his exhausted mind.

“I’ll tell someone later. I’m already going to be in trouble, no need to add this to it.”

}Line Break{

“You are in so much trouble young man!”

Steven couldn’t help but flinch, keeping his head low to the ground as the usually mellow tone of his father’s voice was replaced with one of parental anger.

“Do you have any idea how worried I was about you!? I tried calling several times, but it went straight to voicemail! Now I know that probably isn’t that big a deal, but when it happens five times in a row? That’s when I get worried Steven.”

Steven wilted under his father’s words, his guilt over going into the ruins when he really should have just headed back to the hotel growing. Steven never liked it when his dad got like this, him sounding so worried and stressed over something he did.

It reminded him about what happened back then, and Steven did not need to think about that at the moment.

“I’m sorry Dad, I swear I didn’t mean to ignore your calls. Things just sort of happened and my phone died and well…yeah,” Steven explained, his head still lowered to the ground and refusing to make eye contact. His father sighed in exhaustion at that and said gently,

“You know I’m only upset because I was worried, you know that right?”

Steven looked up, seeing his father giving him a gentle, if worried, smile. He was a head taller than his son, with a thick goatee, and a bit of a beer gut thanks to years of eating on the road. Also, despite a balding patch, he still kept his brown hair rocker long.

“O-of course I know that dad,” Steven answered, still feeling shame. “I would have answered my phone if it hadn’t di-”

Steven was cut off as his dad gave him one of those stern glares only parents manage to pull off, the kind that both conveyed disappointment yet caring at the same time.

“I know you would have Steven, but you still didn’t, and you came back past your curfew. I’m sorry Steven, but you’re grounded.”

“Grounded?!” Steven gasped in outrage. “Dad, I’m sixteen!”

“And? You’re still my boy,” Greg answered crossing his arms.

“But I was only late by like 10 minutes! And my phone was off, it wasn’t my fault! And nothing happened!” Steven protested.

“But I didn’t know that Steven! For all I knew, one of my whacko fans kidnapped you!” he growled back, and Steven’s retort died in his throat. “I can’t…I can’t lose you buddy.”

Steven untensed at that, knowing that his father wasn’t being malicious. He was just scared.

“Dad…I’m sorry.”

Greg nodded at this, and Steven could tell that he was trying very, very hard not to break his stern facade.

“Right…so uh,” he stammered. “Tomorrow you can’t go off by yourself. Not without me or Becca alright? That…that sounds like a good grounding right?”

“Y-yeah…that sounds fair,” Steven nodded.

The two of them never liked to argue, they only had so much time together and neither wanted to have those precious moments feeling like dirt.

Why can’t life be like a cartoon, you say sorry, the screen goes black and no one remembers anything that happened the next episode. Where’s my scene transition!? Steven couldn’t help but think as he tried to distract himself from his father’s disappointed gaze.

There was a few seconds of awkward silence between the two before Greg’s face finally softened.

“Okay Shtu-ball, I might be willing to de-scale your punishment if you just tell me what you were doing that made you late.” Steven couldn’t help but flinch at the easy out given to him, since that was the exact thing he couldn’t tell his father.

“I...I forgot to charge my phone before I left so I turned it off to save power. I didn’t realize how much time had passed until I turned it back on to look up a map of the town since I got lost.” He lied. Steven was not a gifted fibber, and it showed in his father’s demeanor.

“You know you can trust me right? If there’s something you feel like you can’t tell me, I promise you you can. I’ll always be there for you bud.”

I want to tell you dad, but I’m not going to ruin everything for you because of my dumbness, he inwardly winced in guilt.

“It-it’s the truth. I swear dad, that’s all that happened, really.”

A few more seconds of awkward silence between father and son elapsed before Greg let out a disappointed sigh.

“If you say so Shtu-ball, but when you’re willing to tell me what actually happened, I’m all ears. Now…” Greg’s tone shifted to a more lighthearted one as he pointed to Steven’s right hand, “What’s with the mirror?”

Steven’s eyes widened as he looked down at his hand, still holding the mirror from the ruin.

I carried this thing the whole way?! He thought in shock. Between his mad dash and his worry over his family life, he had forgotten about the darn thing. His grip on it had been consciously ignored like someone who wears a wristwatch. Thankfully, said mirror was held so that the backside holding the cracked tear-shaped gem was facing away from his dad.

“O-oh this little old thing? I found it washed up on the beach while I was exploring. It looked pretty old and I was curious if it was some ancient artifact or just some junk someone threw into the ocean.”

Unlike the last time he lied, Steven’s fib came out as slightly more believable since it was flavored with some truth. But even still, more believability didn’t help his terrible poker face.

Greg looked from the mirror to his stammering son and a knowing smirk came to his face.

Oh please Dad, don’t pry, don’t-

“I think I see what’s going on here now,” he said sounding amused.

“Uh…you do?” Steven asked hesitantly.

“Yup. I guess I really should have seen this coming. You are at that age,” Greg chuckled.

“Uh…” Steven trailed off, not knowing what brought the mood shift.

“I get that you don’t want to talk to your old man about such things, I was the same way,” he said patting Steven’s shoulder. “But a little advice bud, you don’t have to buy expensive gifts to get a girl to like ya. Making them smile and laugh will keep them around longer.”

“Huh? What girl?” Steven gaped, beyond confused, but his Dad just smirked and winked at him.

“What girl indeed?” he said conspiratorially before heading towards his and Rebecca’s room.

Greg had jumped to the conclusion that his precious little boy was growing up and trying to woo some local girl in town. Why else would he lie about where he was or why he was late? Who would want to talk to their Dad about such things? Greg had reasoned. Steven, meanwhile, was just lost.

“I…wha…?” Steven continued to sputter as his Dad turned back to him.

“…Alright, I’m not that heartless. You can go out in the day by yourself tomorrow, but I want you back before sunset okay?”

“Uh…Okay?” Steven asked more than agreed.

“Good, that should give you enough time to treat her to a meal,” Greg chuckled before putting on a fake face of authority. “Now, uh, go to your room and think about what you’ve done…and good luck.”

And as the older man entered his room, Steven was left in the hotel hallway feeling extremely befuddled.

Steven clutched the mirror to his chest as he let out a deep sigh of relief.

“Oh man...that was close!” Steven said as he stared at the mirror, his reflection staring back at him with the same tired eyes and tense smile.

“…What the heck is he on about?” he said aloud, scratching his head. With the hallway providing no answers, Steven headed towards his own room.

“I mean, I know things haven’t been tense with Dad like that in a long time…but that took a weird turn.” He then held the mirror up to his face. “…Did he think I bought this from some girl?” The mirror of course did not answer.

As he entered his own private room and shut the door, he turned the mirror around and stared at the cracked gem.

“Well, whatever the case, I’m glad he jumped to…whatever he jumped to instead of seeing this. He’d have found out where I was and thrown this away.” Still feeling a bit unnerved by the crystal, he turned back to the glass side in contemplation.

A part of him wanted to put the thing away or chuck it into the ocean…but another part of him disagreed. He didn’t understand why, but he had a gut feeling that this mirror was important and held answers to that creepy, creepy place. And he always trusted his gut.

“Life’s full of adventure and risks, you just have to trust your gut and follow your heart to find them,” his mother’s words echoed in his head, which caused him to smile a bit at his reflection.

Whatever this thing is, it’s got a broken beast gem, just like all those other ones. Why else would someone put it in a mirror? The question now is though, who killed all those beasts and made those tunnels? I mean, when I leave that anonymous tip to the G.O.F. it’d be best to have as much info as possible…

His curiosity about a good historical mystery returned as he figured out a way to not drag his father’s name through the mud.

“Well mysterious mirror, the names Steven DeMayo. We’re going to be spending a lot of time together, so get used to seeing this chubby mug. Pleased to meetcha!” he said to his reflection with a laugh.

He then set the mirror down on the dresser and hopped in the shower to wash the sweat, stone, dust and sand off of himself. As he did so, the mirror’s surface replayed his laughing visage over and over again before static consumed it and the glass became still once more.

}Line Break{

Two days later, Steven had had little luck in discovering the mirror’s origins.

Much to the surprise of his father, Steven had not gone out to meet the imagined girl he was sweet on, and instead kept his face glued to his laptop in his room. Even when offering to take him out to see his cousin Andy’s barn and surrounding land, he had declined. His cousin, who he considered more of an uncle, wasn’t even in the state at the moment, so he decided to keep digging.

After reading countless historical articles on mirrors from many different cultures, looking through several image boards, and even some shopping sites, he had come up with bupkis.

“How hard is it to find another dang mirror?!” he grunted. He had even tried uploading a photo and using a program to find a duplicate, but that led to nowhere as well.

Despite two days of failure though, he still kept getting helpful suggestions from his longest internet friend ArchsaFan24.

“No luck on that site either HL?” came the warbled voice modulator of said friend.

“What, the groan not enough of a clue?” he responded sarcastically.

“Hard to tell with the distortion, figured you were either complaining or singing,” his friend responded with the same warbling audio from the chat site.

Steven had “met” ArchsaFan24 a few years ago on an anonymous chat site and had periodically stayed in touch due to their shared interests in history. Despite his lack of social skills and general paranoia about people discovering his true identity, he still felt that Arch was as close to a best friend that he could have. He didn’t know their true name, gender, age, or even voice, but that didn’t matter much. He was HistoryLover12 and nothing more to them, and he was thankful for that.

“Trust me, you’ll know when I sing,” he grunted before picking up the mirror. “I just don’t get it! How can no one possibly know where this thing came from!? It’s just a mirror for crying out loud!”

His outburst was met with distorted laughter from his friend before they responded in a teasing tone,

“Weren’t you the one who told me, 'the more common the artifact, the harder it’s origins are to find?’”

Steven couldn’t help but flinch slightly at his own words being thrown back at him.

“Oh right...but still Archsa when I said that I was talking about ancient tables or tools, not a fancy mirror with a gem in it.”

He turned the mirror over at that statement and tested the duct tape he’d put over said gem. The last thing he wanted was to give someone a heart attack or worse, have it stolen before he figured out it’s mystery.

“I still don’t understand why you’re so focused on this mirror. I mean, it’s not the first time something’s been bedazzled with slain beast parts. For all you know, it could just be made to look like that with a regular crystal.”

“Why would someone make that?” he asked.

“To drive up profit? To make someone seem richer and more important than they really are? There’s all kinds of reasons,” Archsa listed. “I mean, you said that you found this near a site from some conspiracy nut’s blog right? It could just be a hoax.”

“It’d be a very expensive hoax then,” he mumbled thinking back to the many cracked and shattered gems in that room. He hadn’t told Arch about that part of the story. He enjoyed the anonymity they had and didn’t want to give out clues to who he was, and he knew that when he finally called in that tip to the G.O.F., the internet would be buzzing about Beach City. He didn’t want to risk the chance of one of his only friends turning out like the rest.

“You’d be surprised what some people would spend just to get 15 Minutes of fame,” Archsa pointed out.

“I know Archsa, but my gut is telling me that there’s more to it than just that,” he said as he pulled up Keep Beach City Weird. “Besides, if that blogger guy did leave the mirror there just to con some tourist he’d be ranting and raving about it, but instead his latest articles are about the dangers of canned tuna.”

“Maybe he’s waiting for someone to report it? Or it could be the mirror was left by someone else trying to prank him? I’m still surprised you haven’t told the authorities or anything HL,” they countered.

“No need to cause a stir if it’s not necessary,” Steven excused before looking back at his reflection. “But you may be on to something.”

“I usually am,” they said with a chuckle. “But yeah, if you’re hitting dead ends online and you’re still this curious, I’d say track this guy down.”

“Ha! The last thing I want is this guy having my email address,” Steven scoffed as he looked over an article claiming that many species of birds were faked by the Discovery Channel for views.

“Well those are your options, either keep banging your head against a wall and getting nothing, or talking to the weirdo that led you to your discovery,” they responded before laughing, “And hey, if you don’t want them having your email, just go see them IRL.”

“Oh Archsa that’s brilliant!” Steven said with sparkling eyes.

“Huh? What is?” their laughter stopped.

“Without a computer screen to hide behind, I’d be able to see his actual reaction to this mirror! If he knows something, it’ll be obvious,” Steven explained excitedly.

“…HL no. That’s a terrible idea!”

“He’s a local weirdo, and I know just the person who can help me track him down,” Steven continued in determination.

“No seriously, I was just joking! DO NOT meet this guy in person!” Archsa begged, the distortion not masking their concern.

“…Well I don’t really know her per se, but she’s friendly and kind of an acquaintance that’s willing to give directions so there’s that,” he continued aloud, oblivious to his friend’s panic.

“Are you even listening to me HistoryLover?! This guy might be a cannibal that locks people in his basement!”

“I’ll talk to you later Archsa with whatever news I gleam from this guy,” Steven finished as he logged out of the chat.

“Wait a se-” their words were cut off as he went offline and closed his laptop. He then went over to his window and opened the blinds.

“Okay, still the middle of the day, so the donut shop should be open,” he said aloud before putting on his favorite hoodie and tucking his journal into it. He then grabbed his backpack and the mirror. Before placing the artifact inside, he looked resolutely back at his reflection.

“Alright Mr. “Keep Beach City Weird” Steven’s coming for you…” he said in his best impression of an action star before breaking into a giggle fit. With the artifact stored away, Steven exited his room and sent his Dad a text saying that he would be back before nightfall. Brimming with newfound excitement and enthusiasm after two days of failure, Steven set back out into the boring old town towards the bakery where he hoped the nice girl from before was on shift.

}Line Break{

“You…want to meet Renaldo?”

To Steven’s immense relief Sadie was, in fact, on shift that day, and even better, she remembered him. This made it easier to ask about the bloggers’ whereabouts; easier, but no less strange.

“Bwahahaha! So you actually fell for Ronut’s crackpot theories after all?! Bwahahaha!”

What was not making it easy for Steven was that Lars was also working that shift, and the lanky team seemed to take immense enjoyment at his expense. And to make matters worse, he was out of elbow range from the more pleasant employee.

Man, what a jerk, Steven thought to himself. He may have been out of elbow range, but Sadie’s glare made him choke and reconsider his cruel laughter. After all was quiet again, Steven answered,

“I just want to talk to him about some symbols I found on the cliff side, that’s all.”

He even showed off the sketch in his journal to the girl, who did seem genuinely interested.

“Huh, I thought you’d find pictures of deer or something, not this,” she said in awe as she reached out for his journal. She stopped though when Steven involuntarily flinched and pulled the book back though. For her part, she didn’t bring that up as the boy chuckled nervously, but she did give him a questioning look.

“S-Sorry, but yeah. No paintings, just these carvings.”

“…And you think that they might be alien?” she questioned unsurely.

“No, no, nothing like that,” he hand waved. “I just want to know if he knew anymore or even possibly had anything to do with their creation.”

She raised a brow at that before looking back at the sketch.

“I don’t know about that last bit. Renaldo may be strange, but he’s not someone who fakes things. He’d rather yell about stuff that’s ‘already in front of us that we’re too blind to know the truth about.’”

“Huh…well still, his rants have to come from somewhere. Some information, no matter how skewed has a source, and I want to see if I can backtrack his. These symbols could possibly be new after all.”

“They could? How can you tell?” she asked.

“The angles are too precise to have been done with a simple pick or chipping tool, and it’s not weathered, so my guess is lasers.”

“Lasers?” she repeated.

“Lasers,” Steen nodded.

“Nerds,” Lars not so subtly whispered as he washed a window, but was ignored.

And that technology has only been around for about thirty years, so either someone was just graffitiing or someone knew about the ruins below and marked them.

“That’s pretty impressive that you know that by sight alone. You must really love this ancient history stuff huh?”

Steven nodded fondly at that, which caused Sadie to give her own small smile at his passion.

“And I guess since you’ve already made up your mind, you want to know where to find Renaldo?”

“Uh, yeah. If you could tell me I’d really appreciate it,” he said in earnest.

“Well, knowing him, he’s either working at his dad’s fry shop or in his ‘office’ in the lighthouse,” she answered, giving air quotes when saying office.

“The lighthouse on top of the hill there?” Steven pointed out the window.

“That’s the one,” she nodded.

“He’s got an office outside the wall?” Steven asked in confusion.

“More like above it. No one’s used that lighthouse for years, and no one really cares that he hangs out there,” she shrugged.

“Yeah, but still, is that safe?” he pointed out.

“Yeah, as safe as a tall bright beacon for monsters to attack can be at least,” Lars scoffed as he finished cleaning the window. As sarcastic and grumpy as Lars was, Steven couldn’t help but agree with that sentiment.

“It is at the highest point on top of sturdy rock, and even if there were flying beasts, the wall defenses below would shoot them down,” Sadie answered, though Steven still wasn’t fully convinced.

“Right…so maybe I’ll check out this fry shop first. Is it that one that’s on the boardwalk by that pizza place?” he asked Sadie.

“Yup,” she nodded. “It’s family owned, but don’t worry, the rest of his family aren’t like him.”

“Thanks a lot Sadie,” Steven smiled before a thought came to him. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out the mirror. “By the way, long shot, but have you ever seen something like this around?” Sadie looked into the mirror’s reflection and at the back with the duct tape covered gem, but she did not reach for it remembering Steven’s reaction to his journal.

“Well it looks like a fancy mirror…is there a trick to it or something?” Sadie asked cluelessly.

“Maybe he’s trying to show you your inner self or something new agey like that,” Lars chuckled, causing Steven to roll his eyes.

“Just checking,” Steven said before putting the mirror away and leaving the shop. “Thanks again Sadie.”

“You’re welcome Steven,” she waved.

“Take your time coming back,” Lars called out and Steven rolled his eyes again.

I really hope I don’t have to deal with that jerk every time I come here. There’s being crabby working a crummy job and then there’s just…that!

Taking a deep breath Steven pushed his annoyance aside and set off for the fry restaurant.

}Line Break{

“Man *munch* these are some really good fries! There’s plenty of crunchy ones!”

“Yeah, dad calls those The Bits. On the secret menu, you can just get a bag of those if you want,” the counter boy informed.

“Oh sweet! Maybe next time though,” Steven replied, his mouth still stuffed with fried potatoes.

Beach Citywalk Fries as it was called, wasn’t really all that big, but boy did it produce some delicious fried goodness.

“Yeah, hope to catch you then…Steven right?”

“Uh huh,” he nodded. “And you were Pete?”

“Peedee,” the blonde teen corrected him.

“Right, right,” Steven said while swallowing. He had come to the shop, only to find that Renaldo was not on shift, and instead found his little brother manning the counter. He had been hesitant to talk to him at first, but once again Sadie was no liar and Peedee had been really helpful and informative. Buying some scrumptious fries from him was the least he could do.

“Oh and when you see my brother, tell him I’m not covering his shift again this week would ya? I don’t care if he swears he saw a mermaid!” the boy grunted in aggravation.

“Will do. Later,” Steven waved as he walked from the shop. And while he walked and enjoyed his snack, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for the boy.

That sucks that he has to cover for his brother’s craziness. If I had a little brother, I wouldn’t treat him like that, Steven thought, ignorant to the ways of siblings that only only children were. From Peedee, he’d learned that even his own family felt Renaldo was strange, which only compounded Steven’s anxiety.

Peedee even acted as confused as Sadie was when I asked her about the guy, Steven mused as he crunched down on another fry bit.

“Oh yeah, definitely coming back for that secret menu,” he thought in ecstasy as he made his way towards another wall exit. Since the wall was built into the cliff from two sides, he knew he wouldn’t be able to get to the top from the beach exit he’d taken before. The only way up would be past a ramshackle mini wall that lay in the middle of the path going up.

Seriously, is there no one doing maintenance out here? Steven observed as he walked through the “Guard Station” which for all intents and purposes was as secure as a simple sheep pen. I mean, I guess they might feel overly safe and stuff with the mountain and everything, but still. Seems like such a weak point.

Leaving the “safety” of that section, Steven made his way to the peak of the cliff, rising higher and higher above the wall proper on either side of him. Unlike the path section though, these parts had the necessary defenses. He whistled at the size of the turrets and rail guns, but even still, they seemed to have a fine layer of sand and dust on them.

“Hopefully those aren’t rusted either,” Steven shuddered as he finished the rest of his fries and came to the base of the lighthouse. Looking up, he was also surprised to see a few defenses set into the lighthouse itself, though they looked even more disused than on the wall.

Well at least someone was thinking practically when they built this thing, Steven thought as he stepped up to the door. Here goes nothing.

And with that, he knocked gently, yet firmly on the door. Even if it was public property, he didn’t want to be rude and just barge in on someone who’d set up shop there. After a few moments of silence passed, he knocked again.

“Whose there!? If you’re with the Sneople know that I will fight to the very end!” a hysterical voice called through the door, startling Steven. “I will make sure my discoveries of the truth are known by all!”

...Well this was a bad idea, Steven thought in deadpan.

“Um, I’m not a…whatever the heck you just said. My name’s Steven and I just want to talk to you about something,” he said as calmly as he could.

“Oh, you just want to ‘Talk’ huh Mr. Steven? If that is your real name?” the unbelieving voice accused.

“Uh, yeah? You’re Renaldo Fryman right?”

“Hah! The Illuminati is getting sloppy if they’re hiring amateurs like you for their secret police! How else would you have known my name?!” he shouted and Steven sighed.

“I talked with Sadie at the Big Donut and your brother Peedee,” Steven responded and he heard a gasp.

“Curses! You’ve already gotten them with your fluoride haven’t you?!”

Steven facepalmed and groaned at that.

Ugh, great plan Archsa! Why the heck did I agree to this?! He thought in frustration.

“Listen man, I’m not anything weird, I’m just a regular person. I just want to talk to you about something I found at one of those “Alien” sites you wrote about,” he said with conviction.

There were a few heartbeats of silence before the door was opened a crack and an older boy with messy hair and glasses stuck his head out.

“You’ve…read my blog?” he asked in shocked surprise.

“Yeah, Keep Beach City Weird,” Steven answered, and the guy’s face suddenly became intrigued.

“Ah! A fellow Truth Seeker!” he exclaimed, opening the door revealing the rest of him. “And you don’t have the distinct markings of the Sneople, so sorry for doubting you.”

To say the blogger was disheveled would be underselling it. He was taller than Steven, with even more pudge, a distinct greasy smell, and a shine of sweat over his skin. In essence, he was almost exactly as Steven pictured him to be.

If it weren’t for the hair, I’d wonder if you were even related to Peedee, Steven thought apprehensively before composing himself.

“Yeah…definitely not that kind of thing,” he responded.

“Excellent. So fellow seeker, what has brought someone as young as you to my office of mystery?” he asked in a hammy manner.

“Uh, I’m actually 16, and I came to ask you about this,” Steven said as he brought out the mirror. He watched the guy’s face for any signs or hints of emotion. What Steven didn’t expect to see was confusion.

“…Okay? It’s fancy and all, but I’m not interested in buying. If you’re a door to door salesman though, I have to warn you that you’re actually a puppet for the same shadow organization that controls the Girl Scou-“

“No, no, I’m not a salesman!” Steven cut off a rant before it began.

And there goes the hoax theory, Steven inwardly sighed. Though he never was a good conversationalist, he was good at reading people.

“Oh, well count your lucky stars, otherwise you would have eventually ended up as the secret ingredient,” he smirked. “But anyway, if you’re not a salesman, then what’s the deal?”

“I found this mirror down below at the base of this cliff near that writing you blogged about,” Steven sighed, as he started to put it away. “I thought maybe you might have seen it be-“

“The alien runes?! Ah! Then why didn’t you just say so! Sorry for being so dismissive before, here let me take a closer look.” Before Steven could say no the mirror was out of his hands and was suddenly in Renaldo’s grasp.

“Hey! What the heck man?!” he complained, but the blonde guy was already twisting and turning the mirror, drinking in everything about it. “And careful! You’re smudging the glass!”

“Hmmm...doesn’t look like a Sneople artifact, no serpent imagery,” he muttered aloud, still ignoring Steven. “Possibly a relic from the future given its design, do the aliens have that kind of tech? Maybe what’s underneath the duct tape could give me some clues?”

Steven’s eyes widened in panic at that as Renaldo slowly started peeled the grey sticky tape hiding the gem.

“Hey wait, before you-” Steven tried to warn, but was too late as the older boy revealed the blue gem.

“Is...is this a gem?” he gasped, his eyes widened in both shock and fear.

Steven, panicking, quickly took the mirror out of his hands and quickly put the discarded duct tape back on it while stuttering out,

“I-I know what this looks like, but you can’t tell anyone!”

Renaldo just stared at Steven in awe as he recovered the blue stone and looked at him pleadingly.

“I…you found this near the alien runes?” he asked.

“Y-Yeah,” Steven nodded as sweat began to bead on his forehead.

“And…and was it found near other gem pieces?” he asked, his eyes staring a thousand yards into the distance.

“Yeah it was…” Steven answered as his eyes narrowed. “How did you-“

“I was right…” the blogger all but whispered.

“Huh?”

“I was right!” Renaldo shouted pumping his fist into the air and startling Steven. “This is just the proof I needed hahahaha! In your face Laserbotxxx1289!”

“Uhhhh…” Steven trailed off in apprehension and confusion. Renaldo, either not seeing or not caring about Steven’s discomfort, placed both his hands on the younger boy’s shoulders.

“Oh whatever your name was! Thank you! This is just the proof I needed to prove that the Gem Beasts that terrorize us are actually ancient warriors from outer space left behind after the Great War!”

There was no record playing, but nevertheless, Steven heard a record scratch as those words sank in.

“Ancient warriors...from space?” he monotoned incredulously.

“Yes! Alien gems from space that used our planet as a battlefield for their long-forgotten war!” Renaldo nodded either not noticing or ignoring the disbelief. Steven thought he heard static at that, but he just put it off as the ridiculousness sucking away all rationality in the air.

“How does a mirror with a dead Gem Beast in it equal aliens?” Steven asked crossly while facepalming.

“How? Isn’t it obvious?!” he asked in shock. “I mean, the writing is quite literally on the wall!”

“Well I guess I can’t read then,” Steven deadpanned as he mentally crossed Renaldo off the list of helpful clues.

This guy is just a hopeless nut after all…

“That’s alright, for I shall inform you!” he said as he pulled Steven inside the lighthouse.

“Hey!” Steven exclaimed, but before he knew it he was shoved into a chair as the whacko started gathering papers.

“As you know, aliens were actually the basis for many ancient civilization’s gods, like the Egyptians and Romans,” he said matter of factly.

“Oh yeah, everyone definitely knows all about that,” Steven responded sarcastically getting up from the chair.

“But only true scholars know that each of these aliens were a different race! And the same goes for the Gem Aliens!” he said as he held up a print off of some kind of painting depicting a bunch of robed people killing a gem beast. Steven paused in his escape as he looked at this grotesque painting.

“Is this about those weird Beast Cultists?” Steven asked disturbed.

“Exactly! Over the last few thousand years, there have been numerous cults that have popped up surrounding the beasts. They’ve all varied, but one key trait is shared amongst them,” he said suddenly sounding very serious. “The ritualistic sacrifice and adornment of Gem Beasts to summon the old gem gods.”

“Whoa,” Steven gasped in disturbed awe, the history buff in him always thankful for new info. “I mean, that’s interesting and all, but that’s just the ramblings of crazy people.”

“Indeed, because all old gods were in fact aliens! So these “Gem Gods” were actually Gem Aliens. You see?” he said as if it meant perfect sense.

“Not really,” Steven admitted. “I mean, if you grasp for straws I guess, but you said they were ancient warriors that fought some sort of Great War.”

“Oh yes,” he nodded as if they were having a philosophical discussion. “That part can also be extrapolated thanks to ancient ruins, and of course the beasts themselves.”

“What are you-”

“These ancient gem aliens would only create such monstrosities as the Gem Beasts if there were battles to be fought. Beasts only “live” to kill, just like a killer robot. And the only reason to create a killer robot is to set it on your enemies. So these aliens created these beasts, set them loose on perhaps another sect of aliens, possibly the Egyptian gods, and eventually they became overwhelmed by their own creations.”

“…That’s a big leap from finding a mirror with a gem in it,” Steven admitted which caused Renaldo frowned.

“Hmmph, deny it all you want, but that mirror is proof of a bunch of crazy people’s devotion to “Gem Gods,”” he huffed. “Since all gods are aliens, that is all the proof you need.”

Yeah this guy is a lost cause, Steven thought at his conviction, but his words did actually give him more ideas. There may not be aliens involved, but if that chamber was built by cultists…

“Say, Renaldo. Have these Gem Cultists made hidden temples and stuff in the past?”

“Hmmm, perhaps. I mean, anything not found is hidden I guess,” he shrugged. “I’m no expert on them myself.”

“Really? You just talked about their history and rituals,” Steven pointed out.

“Oh yes, I know of them, but I’m more of an expert on what they delusionally worshipped. You want more info on their horrific ways, you’d have to talk to EarthXJ-128B.”

“Who?”

“A fellow truth seeker, but one who’s more interested in the occult side of things,” he said before rolling his eyes. “Seriously, there emails can get creepy at times.”

Coming from this guy, that’s saying something, Steven thought wearily. Still, info is info.

With that thought, he set the mirror down and wrote the name down in his journal.

“And does this Earth guy have an address I could contact?” he asked and Renaldo raised a brow.

“Through my blog yeah, but seriously, you’d be wasting your time talking to them. The real truth is out there! You ever wonder what made the Grand Canyon?”

“The Colorado River?” Steven guessed.

“Hah! That’s what they want you to think. In actuality the Canyon was created when…”

And he began to rant and rave about more ridiculous notions about aliens and the creation of Gem Beasts.

You know, I should probably leave…but maybe it’s better if I just let him tire himself out and finish. I know how I get when talking about history, Steven reasoned as he made a note in his journal to look into the more occult side of things.

}Line Break{

Steven slowly entered his hotel room, gently placed the mirror onto his nightstand and flopped onto the bed.

Three hours...three hours! How can someone go on that long about clearly fake stuff for three hours?! He groaned into his pillow, mentally exhausted. In all that time listening about microwaves, chem trails and other nonsense, he had learned nothing of value.

I guess I know how Dad and Archsa feel now. I gotta start shorting my ramblings then because yeesh…

Picking his head up, he looked at the mirror and sighed.

Well at least it wasn’t a total waste. I never even thought to look into the cult angle. If that’s the case, I should be careful in case any of the members still live in this town… His thoughts then drifted back to Renaldo and if that would complicate things.

Eh, it’s not like anyone would believe him anyway. He may have a few screws loose, but he’s no cultist. And really, as crazy as it was, you gotta admire the guy for his passion for weird stuff.

As the sun started to dip below the horizon, Steven sat up in his bed and looked to his laptop.

“I guess I could probably send a message to that cult expert Renaldo talked about…”

After opening his laptop and pulling up Keep Beach City Weird, Steven quickly found some past comments from EarthXJ-128B.

“I am not going to see someone in person that even Renaldo would call crazy,” he said with a shudder as he PM’d the user, asking for their expertise on a mirror. He even added a picture of it for good measure. “Okie dokie, takes care of that. Now to just play the waiting game.”

He knew it was too much to expect an immediate reply, so after five minutes, he contacted someone he knew would respond immediately.

“Hey Archsa,” Steven said as they connected. “I’ve got some gr-“

“Oh thank heavens!” they interrupted. “That wasn’t cool HL! I thought you’d been made into a rug or something!”

“Made into a rug? What are you even talking about?” he asked in confusion.

“Or a lamp or whatever else serial killers do to bodies,” they added with a huff.

“What serial killer?” he asked, thinking he’d missed a joke or something. Before they could answer though, he continued. “Whatever, I just wanted you to know your idea worked and didn’t work at the same time.”

“My idea?!” they accused. “Wait a second, did you really go see that conspiracy nut?!”

“Of course I did,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “And let me tell you, he’s passionate about being crazy.”

“I-Wha-That’s what I said when you-“

“But the good news is, I did find a new lead thanks to his ramblings,” Steven continued and Archsa stopped stammering.

“You did?” they asked.

“Yup,” Steven nodded. “Now the blogger thinks it’s all about aliens and stuff, but even he mentioned how tied that theory is with Gem Cultists.”

“…Are you telling me you think this mirror might belong to one of those weirdoes?” Archsa asked, sounding disturbed.

“Maybe. It’s an avenue I didn’t even think to look into till now. There’s another person I’ve contacted about it, but I’ll also check out actual documented cases,” he informed.

“Well…that’s good and all that you’ve got a new lead, but I’d be careful HL. Gem Cultists are almost as dangerous as the beasts themselves. For all you know, this other guy you’ve contacted might be one.”

Steven’s eyes widened at that.

“I hadn’t thought of that…but I mean, there hasn’t been one in the States for a while right?” he shivered.

“Not an active in the public eye one, but you never know,” they responded.

He bit his lip at that, but shook his head.

“Then if it turns out this other guy is too shady, I’ll just cut them off. But either way, I’m going to look more into this angle. I’ve got to know exactly who made this mirror in the first place ya know?”

“Gem. Aliens.”

Steven froze at the sudden voice…a familiar voice…Renaldo’s voice. He turned around, but only his empty room greeted him.

“…Hello?” he called out.

“Huh?” Archsa responded but Steven ignored them.

There’s no way he could have followed me, I would have noticed that…what the hec-

“Gem. Aliens. War.”

Steven’s thoughts were cut off as his voice once again echoed out.

“Gyah!” he yelped as he stood up from his chair.

“HL? What was that?” asked Archsa. Again they were ignored as Steven looked out his window, seeing no one outside his door.

“HistoryLover?” Achsa called again.

“I’ll call you back,” he stammered as he closed his laptop and began looking around. “Renaldo? Where are you?”

And why the heck did you follow me?!

Gulping in fear, he popped his head into the bathroom and the closet, but again there was no one. Then, reluctantly, he looked under the bed…and found it empty. With shifting eyes, he sat on his bed and held his face.

“Am…am I hearing things? Did my mind break after those three hours?”

“Gem. Aliens.”

Steven stiffened at that as the voice came from beside him, where nobody conceivably could have been in the small space. Turning his head slowly, he of course saw nothing there. Nothing except the mirror.

There’s no way…right?

Cautiously Steven slowly reached out to the artifact and picked it up, ready to possibly chuck the thing if it so much as twitched without his consent. Slowly, very slowly he turned the mirror to face himself…and let out a quiet sigh as he only saw his own reflection staring back at him.

“Phew…” he breathed and let out a small chuckle as he looked at the ceiling. “I need a nap or something because for a second there I thou-”

“Hi.”

The sound of his own voice caused Steven to intake a gasp of air in shock and look back down at his reflection. It was still him…but it was him with the bed in the background. The bed he was currently sitting on. He looked back, just to be certain a hole to the room next door hadn’t opened, but of course there wasn’t. With that confirmed, the hand holding the mirror began to shake slightly in fear as he turned back see his reflection once again.

“No…way…”

Then before his very eyes his image was replaced with static before returning again, and it spoke.

“Hi. *Static* Steven *Static* Pleased to meetcha.”

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!” Steven screamed, dropped the mirror onto the floor and ran out of his room like it was on fire, because that was the only rational decision to such an event. And as he ran down the hall towards his father’s room screaming bloody murder, the mirror, now alone, filled with static before another image of Steven appeared.

“Oh man. *Static* That took a weird turn.”

}Episode End{

Chapter Text

 “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!” Steven’s panicked shout echoed throughout the hall as he burst from his room and quickly slammed the door behind him still running. “Dad! Dad! DAD!!!”

Pale as a sheet and screaming like a madman, Steven would have no doubt caught the ire and attention of other guests if it wasn’t for the fact that his father had booked the entire floor for privacy. Even if that had not been the case though, he would not have cared because all rationality had left him the moment the mirror spoke.

Mirrors can’t talk! It’s impossible! But it happened! His panicked mind rambled as he reached Greg and Rebecca’s room and began pounding on it.

“DAD OPEN UP! DAD COME ON I NEED YOU! OPEN UP, HURRY HURRY HUR-”

Steven’s fist stopped mid swing as the door was thrown open and his father rushed out, brandishing his guitar like an axe.

“What?! What is it Steven?!” he shouted in alarm as his head whipped left and right looking for danger. Again, had the floor not been booked, others would have seen a tabloid dream image of a panicked Mr. Universe, clad only in a bathrobe, ready to smash his instrument into something.

“Dad! I-“ Steven began but Greg interrupted him.

“Is it the paparazzi?! Did another crazed fan confront you like in Detroit?!” he asked as he grabbed Steven protectively.

“What?! No, I-“

“Do I need to call the cops Greg?!” Rebecca’s concerned voice came from the room.

“I don’t know yet!” he responded as he panted and stood defensively in front of Steven. “If anyone’s out there bothering my boy, you’re in for a world of hurt!” he threatened the empty hallways with a shaky voice.

“Dad! It’s not a fan or paparazzi!” Steven raised his voice caused his father’s head to snap to him.

“It’s not?”

“No,” Steven answered plainly.

“Then…then where’s the fire? Why are you screaming bloody murder?” he inquired, still not lowering his guitar.

“It’s the mirror, Dad! The mirror! It talked to me!” he admitted, and Greg’s face became a jumbled mess of confusion.

“Say what now?”

“That mirror I showed you the other day! It talked to me! I looked into it and it had my face and the other me said “Hi” and…and…” Steven trailed off as he realized exactly how crazy that sounded, even to him. His father just looked at his panting son strangely as he lowered his guitar.

“Uh, Steven? Are you feeling alright?” he asked hesitantly and Steven grit his teeth.

“Look, I know how crazy it sounds, but it’s true! The mirror started talking and-AH!“

“Greg? Police or no police?” Rebecca questioned softly as she came to the doorway with her cell phone in her hand and Steven looked to the side with a blush. Just like his father, she was wearing only a bathrobe and she was a bigger lady, like his mom had been (his dad had a type) so it clung to her.

“No, No I don’t think so hun,” Greg answered and looked back at Steven in worry.

“Oh, Okay,” she nodded and looked at the flushed teen. “What happened Steven?” she asked warmly.

“I…Uh…” he stammered as he looked back and forth at the two adults, and he took in details he’d missed before in his panic. Like the fact that both of them were red in the face and Rebecca’s dark flowing hair was messy and his father was covered in sweat.

Oh God, I interrupted…AHHH!!! He mentally screamed.

Both of them noticed the color draining from his face as Greg once more reached a hand out to him.

“Steven, if something’s wrong I-“

“Heh heh, I think I might have just had a Nightmare!” Steven said hurriedly as he took a step back and scratched his hair.

“A Nightmare?” Greg sputtered in disbelief.

“Yup! I was out in the sun all day so that was probably it. Sorry for freaking you out!” he stammered with a wave before darting back down the hallway, away from the awkward situation.

“Stuh-Ball, wait! Are you sure y-“

“I’m fine! I’m just going back to sleep! Good night and sorry again!” Steven called back as he rounded the corner and double facepalmed.

“Oh god, oh man, oh jeeze! That was just…Uuuuuuggggghhhhh!!!” he grumbled to himself as he tried to shake the images loose from his mind.

Back at their room doorway, Greg and Rebecca looked at one another in concern.

“Do you think he actually had a nightmare?” she asked, clearly not buying that explanation.

“I don’t know, he hasn’t freaked out that bad to one since he was little,” Greg admitted.

“Do you…do you think you should go after him and talk?” she suggested and Greg sighed.

“I don’t know. I doubt I’d get anything else out of him right now. Besides, I think I may know what’s eating at him.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, remember I told you he’d gotten a little antique for some local girl?” he asked and she nodded. “Well maybe things didn’t go according to plan, or he’s having anxiety attacks about the whole thing.”

“You think he’s nervous about some girl?” she questioned and he shrugged.

“Maybe. He’s never really dated before, and I was a nervous wreck around girls when I was that age.”

“Heh, you still are,” she teased as she poked his chest and they both chuckled.

“Yeah I guess so…still, I won’t make him talk about something if he doesn’t want to. He’ll open up when he’s ready…I hope.” The couple then wrapped their arms around each other in comfort and re-entered their room, while Steven stomped reluctantly back to his.

Ugh! If this had just happened earlier, I could’ve explained this without sounding as crazy, or interrupting…THAT! Bleh! He shuddered again as he came face to face with his door.

He stood there for a few moments of silence before he let out a sigh.

“Okay, I bungled up the chance to tell Dad about this, and there’s no one else I could really talk to about it right now…So I’ve just got take care of this myself,” he said in determination.

“Mirrors can’t talk, so maybe it’s just like I said back there, maybe I got too much sun, or my brain is just misfiring from listening to Renaldo for so long…Yeah…” he nodded, only half believing these justifications. The other half was adamant he’d seen exactly what he thought he did.

He kept having the same internal debate for what seemed like hours as he stood in front of his door, but eventually he gave in.

“I’m not going to sleep out in the hallway like some scared little kid, I’m 16 dang it!” he grunted. And so with a shaking hand, he reached for the door handle.

Please don’t have creepy spider legs, please don’t have creepy spider legs! He repeated as he slowly pulled the door open and peered inside.

To his immense relief, his room was not hosting an eldritch abomination hell bent on devouring him or sending him to an evil alternate universe, but was just as he’d left in it in his mad dash. There were the scattered pizza boxes he’d yet to take to the dumpster, his laptop, a few books, and of course the source of his panic, still lying on the floor where he dropped it.

Okay, Subject M has not moved from its previous location. So far so good…he observed, though a part of him still feared that it would move on its own.

Shivering at the mental image of the mirror floating after him, he slowly and silently made his way towards it. The closer he got to it though, the more he felt his nerves start to crumble, but he kept moving forward anyway.

This is the only thing I can do if I ever want to sleep tonight…or ever again, he gulped.

Ever so carefully, and making sure the mirror was as far from his face as his arms could allow, he picked up the mirror.

Okay...here goes nothing.

With a deep breath to calm his nerves, quickly turned the mirror around.

“Gotcha!” he cried out, but he was only greeted by his own reflection, albeit a bit paler than before.

“Alright mirror, I know you talked before,” he said with a scowl at his reflection, which scowled right back. “So…so say something.”

His reflection did not answer back and he frowned.

“Oh, don’t try to play this game with me, I’m already onto you, so just say something,” he commanded, but again, nothing happened.

“I won’t fall for your tricks mirror!” he said pointing to the glass…but nothing happened. Steven suddenly lost a bit of confidence.

“Um…you did talk right?” he questioned and received no response.

I know it did…I think, he thought as he began to doubt himself. Maybe the mirror doesn’t respond to confrontation?

“Okay...hi again! Talking...mirror...thing…” he said trying to sound more friendly as he waved. The mirror made no reaction to Steven’s awkward introduction, and he chuckled nervously.

“So...uh…you’re a talking mirror huh? Must be pretty tough being a…talking mirror, I guess?” he asked sounding dumb to even his own ears and he sighed. “Okay, this isn’t working. Maybe I do just need some water and sleep.”

He then looked back into the mirror and laughed at the ridiculousness of the whole thing.

I embarrassed myself over nothing, and I so don’t look forward to that awkward conversation with Dad and Rebecca later, he thought as he shook his head. Looking at his reflection once more he smirked.

“Hey? What does a piece of cheese say to itself in a mirror? Halloumi!” he said overdramatically before chuckling like a dork. He started to set the mirror down, before he realized that his reflection was still audibly laughing even after he’d stopped. He stiffened and the air left his lungs as he once more saw the impossible.

“Heh heh heh heh,” his reflection chuckled before static filled it. “Gotcha!”

Eventually the looping of his laughter came to an end as static once more consumed the mirror until a different image of himself appeared.

“Steven.”

“Nope!”

With that single word Steven got off the bed and proceeded over to his backpack.

“Steven.”

“Nope!”

He ignored the mirror’s repeated use of his name as he tossed the mirror into his backpack.

“Nope, nope, nope nope nope!”

Continuing his mantra Steven carried his backpack to the closet, threw it into one of his empty suitcases, closed it and stuffed it as far back as it could go.

“Nope, Nope, so much nope!” he grunted before slamming the closet door and pulling the nightstand in front of it for good measure.

“Steven,” The muffled voice came from inside.

“I said nope!” he shouted as he walked into the bathroom and brushed his teeth with the water running to drown out all sound.

Once that was done, he turned out the lights, hopped into bed and put the pillow over his head as he tried to go to sleep. The keyword being tried.

“Steven.”

You hear nothing, nothing at all. It’s just the wind.

“Steven.”

Focus on the sheep Steven, count the sheep and just ignore the wind.

“Steven.”

Ignoring things that aren’t real is easy and fun for the whole family!

“Steven.”

“Ugh!” he groaned loudly and looked at the barricaded door. “Look…whatever you are! It’s late, I’m tired, and I have no idea if I’m having some exhaustion-based hallucination or not. So I am begging you to please be quiet until tomorrow or I swear I will chunk you down the laundry shoot! Okay!?”

There was silence from the closet for a few moments, before his frustrated voice was repeated back.

“Okay!?”

“Thank you!” he called out and faced away from the door.

This is all just one big dream. The mirror didn’t talk, you didn’t walk in on Dad and Rebecca, and you didn’t hear a 45-minute lecture on how mermaids secretly run the coffee business! He lied to himself as he tried to force himself into slumber. It took longer than normal, but eventually sleep did come for him, although it wasn’t restful in the slightest.

}Line Break{

The next morning, a bleary-eyed Steven dragged himself out of bed, splashed some cold water on his face and stood in the front of the closet door with dread.

Either it was a dream, or I’ve finally lost it, he thought tiredly as he pushed the dresser out of the way and opened the door.

“Alright, it’s morning now,” he said as he opened up the suitcase, and reached into his backpack and pulled out the mirror. “So…that wouldn’t happen to have just been one crazy dream, right?”

“It was not *Static* exhaustion-based hallucination *Static* Steven.” Steven could only nod hollowly as the mirror answered him.

“Right, right…” he mumbled in resignation and sat on the bed dejectedly. “So it’s official, I’ve gone insane.”

It was the only logical explanation for everything. Maybe yesterday he could have believed that it was just a tired and heat sick mind, or that maybe the fries had been cooked in bad oil, or that Renaldo had drugged him, but not today. Not when looking at an image of his face that didn’t match his movements. He let out a sigh and rubbed his eyes as he accepted his fate.

“This is my life now. I guess I never saw the signs, but then again no crazy person actually knows they’re crazy,” he thought aloud.

“Steven,” the mirror responded.

“But the proof is in the pudding, and that pudding is on a rocket ship bound for the happy house,” he said with a dejected sigh. “Would those media vultures blow everything up when I get taken away in a sleeveless coat? How would that affect Dad? Would that break him?”

Even as he said that, the mirror image changed to a slanted view of his father saying,

“I’m sorry Steven.”

“No, I’m sorry Dad,” he responded with a shudder. “I didn’t mean to go nuts.”

“Steven *Static* no crazy,” the mirror replied.

“Heh, like I could believe that,” he scoffed.

“No crazy *Static* Steven *Static* I’m sorry.”

He began to chuckle at the obscurity of his own broken psyche trying to comfort him and shook his head.

“No…no its fine. I’m sorry for threatening to throw you out last night. I was just so stressed out from everything and I just wanted the night to end. So…yeah sorry.”

The mirror was silent at that and Steven rubbed his temple.

And now I’m apologizing to my hallucinations, great.

“No it’s fine,” his image responded back to him.

“That’s good,” he nodded and sighed again. “But seriously, this is bad. Maybe I might be able to hide this since you’re the only thing talking to me so far, but how long till I start seeing cartoon characters out on the street?”

“No crazy,” it responded.

“I mean, maybe I could buy some pills or something online without Dad or the media knowing and I could just pretend to be normal for the rest of my life,” he pondered.

“Steven *Static* No Crazy *Static* Not *Static* Hallucination.”

“Yeah, yeah, just what a hallucination would say,” Steven dismissed and an image of himself frowning last night showed up. “But fine, I’ll treat you like you’re real if you stop harping on it.”

The image changed to a loop of his head nodding and he nodded back.

“Right…so, you got a name so I don’t keep calling you talking mirror?” he asked, fully giving into his delusions.

“You *Static* Want to know *Static* Name.”

“Yeah, might as well,” he replied. The mirror was silent for a moment before static appeared again.

“My name is #!@#%@”

“Ah!”

Steven dropped the mirror and clutched his ears as an irritating frequency blasted from it. When it finished, he picked the antique back up and glared at it.

“What the heck was that for!?” he asked heatedly.

“Sorry Steven *Static* Fancy mirror…trick *Static* Can’t *Static* My Name.”

“Really?” he asked with a quirked brow.

“Well yeah.”

“So you can only repeat stuff that’s only been said in front of you?” he asked.

“Well yeah.”

“Hmmph, of course my delusions wouldn’t be new and creative,” he grumbled to himself. “Alright then, I’m not going to go through every name in the book, so I’m just going to call you Mira.”

“Mira.” The mirror repeated, and even though it was his voice, he had the sense that it was questioning him.

“Yeah, because it sounds like mirror and is kind of like a play on words and…never mind,” he gave up. The mirror went silent again, probably in thought, before it responded back.

“My name is *Static* Mira.”

Steven couldn’t help but smile slightly at that, but it was soon replaced with a contemplative frown.

“It’s good that I got a name for you, but…I guess I can’t ask you anything specific without getting more of that nasty feedback huh?”

“Nope! *Static* Sorry Steven.”

“Well that’s a bummer,” he sighed dejectedly. “But if you’ll excuse me Mira, I have to look up what kind of crazy I have, so I know how to fix it.”

“No crazy,” Mira said, but Steven already had his laptop open and searching.

After a few minutes of basic searches, Steven wasn’t sure which of the many mental diseases matched his predicament.

“Seriously, how can there be so many diagnosis’s for talking reflections?” he groaned.

“No crazy,” Mira said once again and he frowned.

“Well a million internet doctors say otherwise,” he dismissed as he scrolled through the links, before a certain one caught his attention.

“History of Haunted and Possessed Objects,” he read aloud. Steven hadn’t exactly believed in ghosts since he was in the fourth grade, but some desperate part of him latched onto that headline. “…You know what? Why not?” he shrugged as he clicked on the article.

He then began to read many countless dubious reports about so called hauntings of household objects, and even accounts of people who had seen other figures in the mirror that spoke.

“That’s not exactly what’s going with me…but you know…” he looked back at the mirror as a blossom of desperate hope bloomed inside him. “If you were just some ghost inside of a mirror, then that means I wouldn’t be nuts!”

“Ghost.”

“Yes! A ghost! I mean, it kind of goes against everything I’ve believed until this point, but it’s a better alternative to being insane!”

“A ghost *Static* Nope!”

“A ghost yes!” he doubled down. “And I know just the guy to talk about ridiculous crazy stuff like this!”

He then opened up Renaldo’s blog, intent to contact the conspiracy theorist when he noticed the red notification mark next to the sites message icon, indicating he had received one message.

“Huh? Who sent me a message on this site?” he wondered before his eyes widened in remembrance and he facepalmed. “Oh right, that cultist expert. I forgot I sent them a message…” Steven looked at the mirror next to his hand and smirked. “But hey, nice. Maybe cult stuff could explain your ghostness!”

“Nope! *Static* Gem *Static* Aliens,” Mira said, the images flickering between Steven and Renaldo.

“I might not have to talk to that weirdo about you if this person knows what’s up,” he dismissed as he opened up the message.

[Greetings HistoryLover12, as you probably are aware, I am EarthXJ-128B. Though you may call me XJ, as I know typing my full username can be rather bothersome.
I must admit that I was a bit taken aback by your request of my knowledge in the darker side of the planet’s history. While I am known around the site as an expert in the ‘occult,’ few really ever come to me for advice. So please excuse me if I seem a bit overwhelmed that someone else seems genuinely interested in my knowledge.]

Steven couldn’t help by quirk a brow at that as he said aloud,

“They don’t seem that overwhelmed, more formal than anything really.” Shrugging, he continued reading.

[Anyway HistoryLover, since you have come to the proper source it would be rather rude of me not to divulge the information you are looking for.
Gem Cults first began to appear in the public eye in the late 18th century, though they existed much earlier than that behind closed doors. The ‘Foundation of Gem Reverence’ was a worldwide organization made up of many smaller sects. The organization had quite a large following and was one of the longest lasting gem cults to exist. However, the stability of the group came to an end like all its predecessors during the 1920s.
During one of their rituals at their main location in Europe their ‘prophet’ managed to escape its confinement before it could be sacrificed for their ‘Gem Gods.’
The Gem Beast proceeded to devour all those in its vicinity, including the sect leaders. It then left a trail of destruction through most of Europe before submerging itself in the Grand Eastern Crater* where it lays dormant to this day.]

Steven couldn’t help but gulp slightly at that. While that seemed to be the most likely end for a cult that worshiped dangerous monsters, it didn’t make the loss of life any less impactful. Even if the cultists did bring it onto themselves by thinking containing a living Gem Beast was a good idea.

Also the fact that apparently that same gem beast is still alive and is located in one of the deepest bodies of water on the planet isn’t comforting at all. Note to self, convince Dad to never have a tour near the Grand Eastern Crater ever again.

[With the core sect demolished, membership of the fringe F.G.R sects slowly diminished. When the G.O.F. passed the Emerald Eye Sanctions in the 1930’s, which outlawed the possession of dormant Gem Beasts, their numbers dwindled even further in the resulting crackdowns. Of course the use of shattered Gem Beast shards for decoration is still allowed, which I still personally find discomforting, but the sanctions still carry weight. Severe punishment can still be met out to this day if a citizen withholds information about individuals with dormant beats, and they may be classified as an F.G.R. member as well.]

Rereading that last sentence a few more times, Steven couldn’t help but chuckle nervously. While he was aware of those laws, he hadn’t known they were that severe.

“Looks like I have even more reasons to only leave an anonymous tip huh? Hehehehe…”

[With all these factors in place though, there hasn’t been any public resurgence of the F.G.R or any similar cults to this day.
As for that mirror, it is most likely a product of one of the many rituals conducted by the F.G.R. They believed that by embedding shattered Gems into objects, they could harness their souls to communicate with their “Gem Gods.” This of course is ridiculous, but it is what they believed.
If this mirror is such an artifact, there are many avenues you could go with it. You could turn it in to the G.O.F., who may or may not give a monetary reward, you could sell it to the highest bidder, though that may draw unwanted attention, or you could donate it to certain museums or universities. The choice is yours.
I hope all this was able to help you in some way and thank you for seeking out a proper source for your delve into this world’s dark side.]

Steven was silent as he processed all the information that XJ was able to give him. It was a lot to mull over for the teen, and while most of it wasn’t the gold mine he was hoping for, it was still useful nonetheless.

“Harnessing the souls of Gem Beasts?” he said as he looked back down at the mirror.

The possessed object theory just got a whole lot more steam, he thought as he grasped for that straw and held on tight. The occult angle just means I’m crazy for believing it, but not as crazy if my own mind was making it up…Yeah…

“Gem Beasts? *Static* Nope! *Static* Gem *Static* Aliens”

“All this alternative evidence is pointing to the former Mira, sorry,” he said and his image once more frowned. Ignoring the ghost, he typed up a quick thank you message to XJ and hit send.

“Alright, so now that I know you’re a spirit or whatever trapped in a mirror by cult magic, I definitely can’t just hand you over to the G.O.F. They’ll think I’m a cultist and take me out if this gets out,” he reasoned.

“Steven.”

“Which means I definitely can’t explain this to Dad, so I’ve just got to figure out what I do next. An exorcism?”

“Steven. *Static* Nope!”

“You’re right, I’m not qualified for something like that,” he nodded and his reflection sighed. “But I definitely can’t do this alone, and there’s no way I could get Archsa in on this without breaking our anonymity rule and turning on our webcams…”

“Archsa,” Mira repeated.

“Yeah, my online friend I was talking to yesterday,” he explained. “I did kinda cut them off last night without any reason. They’re probably worried about me…”

“Archsa.”

“Yeah…but if I talk to them about you, they obviously won’t believe the ghost angle and just think I was crazy, just like I did a little bit ago.”

“No crazy,” Mira agreed

“Exactly! I’m just haunted, but there’s no way they would know that just through speech…Hey Mira, let me record you saying something.”

“Nope!” his own voice answered before the glassy surface went back to reflecting him normally. Steven was about to argue that…when he realized that if he recorded a video, his own face would show up in the mirror.

“…Yeah, good point,” he sighed reluctantly as he put his phone away. “If my face showed up, they’d put two and two together, and without proof, they’d think I was sliding into madness. But still, if not Archsa then-“

*BLING*

A message alert interrupted him, diverting his attention back to the screen. It wasn’t his long-term internet friend though, it was the cult expert he’d just thanked.

“Huh, I didn’t think they would respond so soon...or at all really,” he said in bewilderment as he read the message.

[It was no problem really; I do greatly enjoy informing those ignorant of the dark side of this world after all.
However, I cannot lie about my curiosity about that mirror you found. If it isn’t too intrusive, might I ask where you managed to procure it?]

“Hmm…I don’t know,” he said nervously to himself. “If I answer truthfully, then it’ll leave a record and be used as evidence against me if the G.O.F. finds out.”

So instead, he twisted the truth. He answered that he found it washed up on the beach. Almost as soon as he sent his response though, he received a reply from XJ. Steven couldn’t help but blink owlishly at how fast the occult expert was with their typing before reading the new message.

[That is certainly is interesting. If it did simply wash up on the beach, then certainly it would have received more significant water damage, at the very least some rust. If it was merely dropped there then it surely would have received damage from the environment for however long it was left there.
Yet from this picture and your account there is no sign of any type of damage relating to the water or weather. Curious indeed…
Tell me HistoryLover, would there have happened to be any ruins near where you found the mirror?]

Steven’s eyes widened slightly at XJ’s deduction.

“Ah crud! I tried to pull the wool over the eyes of an expert!” he panicked. “Uh…”

I really need to get my facts straight soon. The longer I put off that anonymous tip the more trouble I’ll get into if they find out. Steven couldn’t help but think in worry as he finished sending his brilliant cover-up message to XJ.

Of course, that feeling of brilliance was quickly diminished when XJ sent him yet another message a few moments later.

[Interesting, if there had been ruins nearby then that would explain why the mirror’s condition was so well preserved. If what you are saying is true at least.
Alright, my curiosity has been peaked. While I find it suspicious why you would lie for any reason, I will respect your privacy and refrain from bothering you.
That being said, what is your current position? I very much want to investigate where you found the mirror for myself. I would assume you are somewhere in Beach City since you contacted me through this blog, but I would very much appreciate more specifics.]

“Yeah that’s not happening,” Steven deadpanned as he quickly left the site without responding to XJ’s final message. He had seen far too many crime shows and gotten too many lectures from his Dad to fall for that trap.

“I’m not giving up my private information that easily buddy, no wonder Renaldo was creeped out by you. Trusting you is a dangerous idea.”

Sighing he then looked back to mirror.

“Well, I guess if there’s one person that will believe me, it’s that weirdo in the lighthouse with the strange hairdo,” he smirked.

}Line Break{

“I can’t believe he didn’t believe me!” Steven shouted in frustration halfway down the lighthouse hill. “Seriously Mira, what the heck was that all about!?”

He snarled at the mirror which changed to a reflection of his father.

“I’m sorry Steven.”

“Oh now you start talking again?! You couldn’t have spoken up a bit sooner and not made me look like a nutjob?! Cause let me tell you being called crazy by a crazy person is both humiliating and irrational!”

It had started out well enough with Steven reaching the lighthouse and reaffirming that he was not working for the Sneople, but then things had spiraled out of control.

}Flashback{

“What do you mean ghosts aren’t real?!”

“It’s just as it sounds, ghosts aren’t real,” he answered plainly.

“But…you…you believe in snake people, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and aliens, but ghosts is where you draw the line?!” Steven asked in exasperation.

“Of course, because everything else can be explained rationally and scientifically while ghosts on the other hand are mere superstition,” he said hypocritically which caused Steven’s eyebrow to twitch.

“But it lines up with what XJ taught me,” Steven pointed out and Renaldo scoffed.

“Oh dear, you actually did speak with them? I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah, okay they were a bit creepy towards the end, but still, this mirror can talk and it was found near a cultist ritual site. You don’t think that there’s a chance?”

“Not for a ghost,” he’d shrugged. “Now if the mirror really did talk to you, then it’s most likely because of ancient technology you can’t even hope to comprehend.”

“Fine, whatever! Ghost or tech, but this is a magical talking mirror! It can talk Renaldo!” he harrumphed.

“Interesting…then please, present it.”

“Alright Mira, do your thing,” Steven ordered while holding the mirror aloft. A few seconds of silence followed as Renaldo looked at only his own reflection before quirking an eyebrow. “Uh…Mira, do the talking thing.”

Again, the mirror only showed Renaldo’s face.

“Mira?” Steven asked turning the mirror back to him.

“Is this some sort of joke?” Renaldo accused and Steven looked at him defensively.

“No, I’m telling the truth I swear,” he defended before looking back to the glass. “Mira come on, say something already.”

The mirror did not adhere to his wishes though, and there was no sign of static anywhere.

“Mira?”

“Uh…do you hear the mirror talking to you right now?” Renaldo asked sounding apprehensive as he took a step back.

“Say something Mira, you’re embarrassing me!” he pleaded, but to no avail.

“Right…” Renaldo said sounding disturbed. “Say Mr. Stefan, I’m kind of busy at the moment so why don’t you go get some fries at my father’s shop?”

“I’m not crazy!” Steven took offense to his tone of voice. “I know that was my first reaction too, but I’m not! There’s a ghost in here I swear!”

“Sure…” Renaldo said unconvincingly as sweat beads formed on his head.

“Oh fine! Forget this!” Steven shouted and burst through the door, much to the relief of the older boy.

}Flashback End{

“Why didn’t you talk to him?!” Steven inquired after kicking a stone in frustration.

“I’m Sorry *Static* Renaldo *Static* Dangerous idea.”

“Dangerous?” he asked with a quirked brow. “I mean sure Renaldo isn’t exactly the sanest of people…probably but I doubt it would have been that bad.”

In response, the mirror began playing clips of Renaldo’s crazed lectures from the day before.

“What the…?”

“If this gets out *Static* Magical talking mirror *Static* Dangerous *Static* Steven *Static* Mira.”

Once its message was made the mirror fell silent, leaving Steven with a contemplative look on his face as he stared back at his reflection. After a few moments of silent thought, he let out a sigh and said,

“I…I guess you have a point. I got so caught up in trying to discover your origins I didn’t really put much thought into what would happen afterward. Which would probably,” Steven started to chuckle nervously as he scratched his hair, “Well it probably wouldn’t be good. Someone would probably get the G.O.F involved if they knew you could talk, and then me and dad would be in big trouble. The media backlash from it wouldn’t be great either.”

By now Steven had stopped his tract back to the hotel, and instead was resting on a nearby boulder sticking out of the grassy hill. He let out a sad sigh as he stared at the mirror and asked,

“Hey, I get not wanting to talk to Renaldo, but…but why me? Why talk to me at all unless I absolutely was insane and this was just all in my head?”

“Trusting you *Static* Fine *Static* No Crazy *Static* Nice, *Static* You know what, why not?” the mirror answered.

At that logic Steven couldn’t help but chuckle at the simplicity behind it before he said,

“Yeah…I guess that makes sense. Though why you bothered to talk to me in the first place is weird. You could have just stayed quiet to avoid the trouble you know?”

The mirror did not respond and he chuckled again.

“Yeah, like that. Still…now that I’ve actually had a chance to collect myself this whole day seems to be one big waste of time.” A sigh escaped him before he continued, “Sometimes I wish I was back home. Then I could just avoid all this craziness…”

“Home.”

A nostalgic smile graced Steven’s face as memories of his home started to fill his mind.

“Yeah home, back before we were always moving around for Dad’s tours. It was so much more…relaxing, I guess. I…I miss it a lot. Sometimes I just want to…”

“Home *Static* Home.”

“Yeah…but it’s a pipe dream thinking I could ever go home again,” he nodded.

“Home *Static* Home.” The nostalgic smile loosened slightly as Steven looked at the mirror in confusion.

“Uh…you okay Mira? You’re kinda repeating yourself there.”

His only response was more and more repeats of his voice saying ‘Home.’ The repeats themselves seemed to be getting faster and faster, to the point that there was almost no pause between the words and it was just one long stream of ‘homes.’

“Holy cow! Mira calm down before you overheat, or explode, or whatever talking ghost mirrors do! Do you need something, or do I need to do something to help you calm down or…I don’t know stop repeating!?” he asked in worry.

And just like that the endless streams of ‘home’ came to an end and was replaced by a single ‘sentence.’ A sentence that Steven couldn’t help but feel had far more weight behind it then its scrambled message could portray.

“I *Static* Just want to *Static* Go Home.”

}Line Break{

It was late in the night now, and the majority of the Beach City residents were all quietly back in their homes. Some were asleep, others were up cramming for summer school assignments, and some were playing videogames. Steven DeMayo, on the other hand, was sneaking back into a place he quite honestly never wanted to step foot into ever again.

“This is such a bad idea! Why am I doing this again!?” Steven whispered harshly to himself as he slowly walked down the long decrepit staircase inside the hidden temple on the beach.

The answer to his question was wrapped up in his backpack, having gone oddly silent since its outburst back on the lighthouse hill many hours before.

Steven wasn’t sure what had made the mirror act out like that so suddenly, but one thing he was certain of was its last request before going silent on him. While he wanted absolutely nothing to do with the hidden ruin, much less leave any more evidence of his discovery of it, Steven still liked to consider himself a decent person, even if the situation was anything but decent.

He had a mirror, enchanted with unknowable magic, housing the spirit of something or someone who only wanted to go home. Seeing as how he’s the one that snatched the thing up in the first place, he figured it was his responsibility to return Mira to their resting place, no matter how horrifying it was.

I really hope this brings Mira peace or whatever. I do not want to have to go through all this just to find out I left it alone in the dank dark forever. Steven thought while glancing sympathetically at his backpack where the mirror was. I mean, being trapped in the dark surrounded by shattered Gem Beasts without anyone to talk to is just…ugh!

Steven couldn’t stop himself from shivering in dread at that image and hoped that everything went back to normal. Going at night wasn’t his first choice either, but his mind would not rest, even after hours of lying in bed. He had to make things right. So, in the late hours, he had snuck out of the hotel, and made his way towards the beach.

Dad is going to kill me if he finds out, he thought for the thousandth time as he continued to descend. But I’ve got to do this. For whoever Mira used to be.

“I really hope this works…” Steven whispered with uncertainty as he arrived at the bottom of the staircase into the Gem Beast graveyard once more.

This time he had brought a flashlight with him, and with it on he was able to see the area around him much better than before. However, the sight of the now very detailed gem shards made his unease skyrocket. Gulping, he shined the light at the stones where he’d found Mira. Wasting no time, Steven made his way over to the pieces of rubble and knelt down.

“Alright Mira, I brought you home,” he said as he opened his backpack, took the tape off of the gem and brought the mirror up to his face. “I hope you are able to move on peacefully and that I never have to come back here ever again. Sorry I disturbed you in the first place, so have a good, er, afterlife an-”

“Nope! *Static* Home.” The first words the mirror had spoken in hours, and it was something Steven really did not want to hear.

“Nope home? What do you mean Nope Home?!” he asked in exasperation as the mirror cycled through its clips.

“Sorry Steven. *Static* Not *Static* Home.”

“Yeah…I was afraid of that,” he mumbled as his shoulders slumped and he glared at the mirror. “Well thanks for not telling me before I came back into this spooky place in the middle of the night!”

“Sorry Steven.”

“Ugh! So you’re telling me this isn’t your home even though I found you here? Well if that’s the case, I don’t know what to do Mira! I don’t know who you used to be when you were alive or how to find that out! I don’t know where you lived when this cult stuff was going o-“

“Dangerous.”

Steven blinked in surprise at the sudden interruption.

“Dangerous? Well I figured that much since you were probably a former cultist and-“

“Dangerous *Static* Dangerous *Static* Dangerous.” Mira played on loop and Steven frowned.

“Okay okay, I get it will you sto-”

“Kkkkkkkrrrrrrraaaaaaaahhhhhhhh….”

Steven’s breath hitched in his throat and his eyes widened in fear as a ferocious growl sounded off behind him.

Oh no…Oh please no… he whimpered as his pupils shrank and his face paled. Not daring to turn around, he slowly positioned the mirror till he could see behind himself, and he immediately regretted it. What he saw would forever be burned into his memory and play a recurrent visit in his nightmares.

Behind him was a large pair of mandibles with sickly green, sizzling liquid dripping from them as if it were saliva. The head these mandibles were attached to had a wild mane of white fur, and a green crystalline horn jutting out of it. But what truly terrified Steven was the eye like sphere inside the jaws of the beast, for it was not organic. It was a gem.

Steven’s heartbeat increased exponentially as his fight or flight response pleaded and begged him to run, but his limbs felt like lead. Throughout history, countless people had been in his exact position, but he never truly believed it would happen to him.

Maybe…maybe if I don’t move it won’t notice me… he thought desperately as the hairs stood up on the back of his neck. No sooner did he think this, the Gem Beast dashed all hopes of this notion as it opened its insect like jaws wide.

“SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Steven screamed as he dove to the side, barely avoiding the literal jaws of death as the beast charged past him and ran headfirst into the wall. Scrambling to his feet, Steven was able to take in the rest of the monstrous form.

It was giant and lengthy, with the body of a centipede. There were at least thirteen green gem like segments making up its body with two stick like legs for each, and there even appeared to be a second pair of mandibles on its tail end.

“I-It! Whaza-Beh!” Steven stammered in terrified awe as the Gem Beast shook its head and turned back to face him.

This isn’t happening! This isn’t happening! His mind raced as his whole body shook.

“Hyccccccckkkkkkkk,” the monster hissed as its gem eye stared him down.

“AHHHHH!!!” Steven cried out once more as he threw his flashlight right into that eye on instinct.

“SCREEEEEEEEEE!” the beast roared as it thrashed its head around as the light fell to the floor.

“Steven *Static* Get…out *Static* Now.”

The mirror didn’t have to tell him twice as he dropped it in his bag, turned tail and ran up the stairs, even faster than his flight from that first night. All the while though, he cursed himself for throwing his only source of illumination in the darkness. Every little stumble he had was just a reminder that it was his fault he’d gotten into this situation.

“Oh man oh man oh man oh man!” he panted as his survival instincts went into overdrive and kept him going, despite being blind.

I shouldn’t have come back! I should’ve just called the G.O.F.! I should have just let my curiosity die! Die! Oh god I don’t want to die!

Down below, he heard the countless sharpened legs as they climbed the stairs behind him, slowly but surely closing the distance.

And it can see in the dark! Why did I throw my flashlight?!

“I’m sorry Steven,” his father’s voice came from his bag and he grit his teeth in determination.

Dad! I’ve gotta get back to Dad! Dang it I’m not going to get eaten!

After yet another stumble, he risked a chance and paused briefly to get out his phone. The beast closed even more distance before he began to run again, but some light was better than no light.

“I’m sorry Steven,” Mira said once more but he ignored it as an acidic scent hit his nose.

By chance, he avoided a piece of debris on the steps and moved to the left as a ball of green liquid sailed past him and hit one of the many sealed doors along the staircase. Almost immediately, the rigid stone began to melt.

“IT CAN SPIT ACID!? OF COURSE, WHY NOT!?” he yelled in frustration as his screaming legs continued up the steps, three at a time.

“I’m sorry Steven.”

“I know! I know! Apologize when we get out of this!” he shouted with burning lungs as the creature hissed and clacked on his heels.

There was a moment of jubilation as he reached the top of the stairs onto flat ground, but that went away immediately as a ball of acid skimmed his right leg.

“AGH!” he screamed out as a section of his pants burned away and the surface of his calf felt like it’d landed on a hot stove.

“Steven,” Mira called out, but he didn’t answer as he continued to flee. As the gem beast reached the top of the stairs, it sent out another ball of acid, but Steven had started to run in a zig-zag pattern to throw off its aim.

Just serpentine, and it can’t hit me! Oh god, oh jeeze, oh man! He mentally panicked as he lived out a nightmare only the unlucky ever experienced in the modern age. The creature’s crystalline body scraped across the smooth stone as it got closer and closer to the fleeing boy. Please No! Oh please stop this!

He rounded a corner and saw the moonlight coming in from the entrance.

Yes! He mentally cheered as he dodged yet another volley of acid which struck at the lady statue’s feet. Steven gave one last push of desperate effort as he neared the exit. He could see the sand and hear the waves. Almost there! Almost-

“AGH!” he cried out as an intense weight pounced upon his back and sent him to the ground a mere ten feet from the door. “NOOO!!!”

“SCREE!” the gem centipede cried out as it’s jaws bit down at Steven’s back.

“AAAHHHH!!!” Steven cried out as the tips of the jaws scraped through the back of his shirt and a bit of acid burned his skin. Had it not been for his backpack, his entire spine would have been minced and dissolved. “GET OFF! GET OFF!!!” he shrieked, kicking and thrashing uselessly at the monster.

The centipede, annoyed that its prey still lived, lifted Steven up by his backpack and began to shake and thrash him about.

“Whoa, Ah, WHAGH!!!” he screamed as he was shook like a chew toy. The centipede struck him against the walls of the temple, knocking the wind out of him and making his vision swim.

“Ooohhhh,” he groaned as the beast burst forth onto the beach and began its wild shaking once more. And because of this shaking, the straps on his bag were severed by the serrated, acidic mandibles and Steven was launched away from the monster face first into the sand.

“OOMPH!” he grunted as sand filled his mouth and nose. Spitting and coughing, he sat up and looked back at thrashing creature which began to chew and dissolve the shredded backpack in frustration.

“Ah, Ah, Ah!” he panted as he scrambled to his feet, wincing at the pain in his calf and back. He knew that he wouldn’t survive another encounter, but he didn’t know if he had enough speed to escape it.

I just got to make it to the gate! The automatic defenses should kick in and blast that thing to kingdom co-

“AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!” his own voice warbled out, and despite his fear, he froze. Reflected in the moonlight, he saw his own visage screaming in terror, as the jaws clamped down upon the mirror, shattering it.

“Mira!” he called out in alarm as the centipede finally freed its jaws from the bag and spat the remnants into the water, including fragments of glass and metal. Wincing over the loss of his supernatural companion Steven finally found his feet again and began dashing towards the wall.

I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! He chanted, just as the mirror had done to him earlier. Feeling guilt over the mirror’s destruction, but there was nothing he could do. He was just a regular boy who, above all else, wanted to keep living.

“SCREEEEEEEEEEEE!”

Which was looking less and less possible by the second.

“HELP! SOMEBODY! ANYBODY! DAD! REBECCA! ANYONE PLEASE! I DON’T WANT TO DIE!” He cried out to the still night in desperation, but it was all for not. “Gyah!”

For the second time that night, he was struck to the ground by the gem beast, but this time it hadn’t gone for his back. It rammed into his legs, and once he fell, it wrapped its body around him like an anaconda, squeezing the air out of him.

“Hnnnnggg,” he gasped as the pressure on his chest increased, and his struggling began to slacken.

Please no…not like this…Please… he pleaded, hoping that something, anything would hear him, but as he’d observed before, Beach City was an eerily quiet place at night. As his squirming ceased and he began to see spots in front of his eyes, the gem beast coiled around till they were face to face.

Despite not being able to breathe, Steven’s nose was still irritated by the acidic spit dripping from its mandibles. Hissing in triumph, the beast opened its jaws wide and leaned towards Steven’s head and his short life flashed before his eyes.

I’m sorry Dad, he thought with regret, as his vision began to fade. Mom…I-

“GRACK!” the centipede coughed and the tightening stopped slightly. Through his dimmed vision, he could make out that the creature seemed stunned and confused.

“Skkkkkkkkkk…” it hissed as it’s mandibles clicked and its head began to wobble, and that’s when Steven saw it.

What the…?

Protruding from the thing’s neck was a shimmering blue spear head, mere inches from Steven’s own face. Wherever it had come from, the beast was choking on it.

Where did- He questioned before his blurred vision caught sight of something glowing behind the beast, a shimmering blue figure, standing at the water’s edge, with three more rippling spears floating above it.

*THUNK*

*THUNK*

*THUNK*

Suddenly the three projectiles embedded themselves into the monsters back and it went slack. Its head tilted to the side in confusion as it stared questioningly at Steven,

*POOF*

Before it disappeared in a cloud of smoke, dropping Steven to the sand.

“GYHAAAAAAAA!!!” he gasped in the precious oxygen, before he began to cough and hack as water, sand and dust cascaded around him. Getting to his hands and knees, he panted and gasped for a good long while as his body began to protest to the pain from the whole ordeal. He knew he would have a number of bruises in the morning and only that if he was lucky, but he was thankful for the pain because it meant he was still alive.

“What-*pant*-What just happened?” he asked aloud before his eyes found a gem fragment lying in the sand next to his hand. “Hegh!” he reeled back from the dormant beast. It hadn’t been shattered, and he knew it could come back at any moment.

It’s not dead! I have to call the G.O.F. now! I don’t care anymore if I get in trouble. I don’t know how it got poofed but I…His panicked dwelling on the thing that almost killed him ceased as his eyes landed on the figure by the water, and his jaw dropped as he saw it more clearly.

It was a young woman wearing a blue crop top along with a blue skirt…but that wasn’t the only thing blue about her. Her skin and even her hair were different shades of blue. But what truly caught Steven’s attention were her eyes…or lack thereof. Where pupils and irises should have been, there were instead glassy, shining surfaces filled with glowing white static. Her hands were outstretched towards him, and she appeared to be breathing just as deeply as he was.

Am…Am I dreaming? He wondered as the fantastical girl seemed to catch her breath as the tide washed around her feet. She sparkled in the moonlight, as if her skin was reflective and the water around her seemed to move against the current. It was an image straight out of a dream…or out of a brain deprived of oxygen.

Did I actually die? Is my mind conjuring this? Or is she an angel of some kind to take me to the afterlife? He wondered in awe as she stood up and her skirt billowed like the water around her. She looked to him with her not-eyes, and began to open her mouth to say something, when…

“Aaarrrggghh!!!” she cried out in a distorted voice as her whole body began to flicker and glitch in and out of existence and she fell to her knees.

“Oh my gosh!” Steven called out in worry as he got up and stumbled towards the woman, who gripped her head in pain. Steven stopped a few feet from her as her form stabilized and she panted once more. “Are you okay?” he questioned, still bewildered by what was transpiring.

She turned her glassy glowing eyes towards him and gave him a desperate, pleading look as a small stream of water circled around her hand.

This isn’t normal, who is this girl? Why is she flickering? What’s up with the water moving around her- He stopped mid thought as he remembered the blue rippling spears. He touched his face which was still damp from the cascading water after the beast dropped him.

“You…you saved me?” he asked as he put the pieces together. At that, her facial expression seemed to relax in relief as a small smile pursed her lips. The stream around her hand moved towards him and deposited a torn-up scrap of material that used to be his backpack, where a very damaged and broken mirror still resided.

"I...who are you?" he stammered as the girl held her head once more.

"L...Lapis..." was all that she was able to whisper before her body short circuited once more. Steven reached out his hand to her, but she disappeared into nothingness before his very eyes.

“I…” he trailed off in shock, just as a blue, tear-shaped object fell into the sand where she once stood. Looking towards it, he was surprised and confused to see the familiar cracked blue gem he’d found days ago. It was even more damaged now thanks to the Gem Beast’s bite, with a spider web of cracks spreading out from its base.

Steven gently and gingerly picked up the gem, fearing that the simplest touch would shatter it. He stared at the stone’s scarred surface as it shone in the moonlight and evaluated everything that had just happened to him.

With a shaky voice, Steven let out the one impossible, ridiculous thought running through his mind, because no matter how absurd, it was the only thing that made sense.

"A Gem...Person?"

}Episode End{

Chapter Text

What…what just happened?

Steven cradled the cracked gem, his eyes not daring to look away from it in fear of something happening. Whether that fear was from holding a live gem in his hands, or from breaking the fragile thing, he did not know.

Mira…it, she, was a Gem Beast? But, but Gem Beasts can’t talk! They can’t communicate on any level! Yet she…What was it she tried to say at the end? Lap this? Laprus? What?!

His mind was a swirl of doubts and fears, the revelation now resting in his hands throwing him completely off balance.

Gem Beasts were just murderous killing machines with no true sense of self. You could not reason with one because their psychotic drive to kill was all they had. That’s what he’d been taught for years, that’s what the entire human race knew as genuine fact. But now…

“She spoke, she saved my life and…she looked human,” he sputtered to the empty night air.

Aside from her blue skin and pupil-less eyes, she had looked hauntingly beautiful in the moonlight, an image out of someone’s dreams and nightmares. Not one or the other, but both. She had looked like a young woman, but just enough about her was wrong. The static glitching and her poofing were unnecessary additions to hammer in the nail that she was a different species.

How is that even possible? And how did she control the water? he sputtered to the cracked stone in his hands as some drops fell from his hair.

Poofing a beast required advanced weaponry that had taken humanity centuries to develop, but this blue lady had done it with sea water formed into spears, which didn’t make much sense scientifically speaking. But then again, nothing about this made sense.

Maybe…maybe Ronaldo was right, Steven mind flailed for a purchase for rationality. Maybe Gem Beast really are just ancient alien warrior weapons. You can’t get much more ancient than a spear.

The idea lingered in Steven’s mind for a few moments before he quickly shook it off.

Gah that makes no sense either! Why would an alien weapon be able to talk and look humanoid? He rationalized. And in all these years, how could she be the only one discovered?

The evidence just didn’t support that outlandish theory, so then why was this beast so different? Steven looked to the remains of the hand mirror inside his ruined backpack and a chill went down his spine.

The cultists, he thought in epiphany. They believed the beasts were divine, so what if this branch was able to make a gem person to worship? The cultists were whackos that died in droves for their zealotry, but what if they succeeded?

He thought about the mirror and how the gem had been able to communicate through it. Someone had placed that stone there, and he doubted it was another Beast.

Maybe…maybe they did some sort of ritual, he pondered, remembering the countless shattered pieces in that chamber. And then another terrible thought came to him. What if it wasn’t just Beasts sacrificed in this ritual?

His earlier assumption that Mira had been the ghost of a dead cultist suddenly felt more plausible.

“Did…did they sacrifice some lady and like…fuse her soul with this Gem Beast?” He asked, horrified as his hands began to shake and he saw his many reflections in the cracked surface. He then closed his eyes and shook his head. “You were in so much pain, weren’t you?”

He thought of her holding her head as she flickered in and out of existence, her pained breathing despite Beasts not requiring oxygen. Shattering a gem was hard to accomplish outside of the G.O.F. weaponry, but once done, the Beast would finally be dead. But cracking a gem, one who seemed to have sentience? It brought a shudder to him.

“I did this,” Steven said aloud, his voice full of guilt, but he knew it was the truth. Had he not been so set in ‘freeing’ her spirit, he would never have re-entered the ruins and led to it…her cracking.

No, enough of that DeMayo! Steven thought to himself sternly as he shook his head of negative thoughts. Remember what mom always said, the past is for learning from, not lamenting over. Just live in the now Steven, live in the now.

With his mom’s advice in mind, and after a few more deep calming breaths, Steven shakily stood up from the sand. His muscles and injuries screamed in protest, but eventually he was able to steady himself and look towards the Wall.

“Whoever or whatever you are, you did save me, but I have no clue how to fix you,” he said to the gem softly. “But the G.O.F might have a clue. I mean, you’d probably be better off in their hands because you’re the discovery of a lifetime. Heck, you might even balance out the negative press I’ll get.”

He knew there would assuredly be negative press, there always was, but in this instance he would kind of deserve it. He had broken several laws and rules entering the ruins at night, not to mention releasing a beast that could have entered the town. If things had gone a little different, then he’d have been remembered as a pariah even after his death.

At least being known as the idiot son who discovered a sentient Gem Beast is a lot better than the idiot son who unleashed a monster onto an unsuspecting town, he thought with melancholy.

“But still, your discovery will probably keep me from going to jail or having Dad pay hundreds of fines for me…this all stemmed from an innocent mistake right?” he said hesitantly before gulping. “Right, it was all just a misunderstanding. Let’s do this.”

And with that…he took no further steps towards the wall.

“…Or I could just leave you on their doorstep in a padded box with a note explaining everything right?” he chuckled nervously. “But then again that might look like some sort of threat and they’d shatter you before reading the note and-Okay yeah let’s not do that!”

And then another thought came to him that rooted him even more.

Will the G.O.F even bother to help her? Would they even believe me? If I showed up at their base at this hour, cut, bruised and burned and holding a cracked gem and proclaiming that it spoke to me…His eyes widened as he knew exactly what would happen.

“They’d throw me in an asylum,” he said with surety. “They’d say I was too dangerous to be let out and then they’d just shatter Mira anyway. If there’s no proof of her looking human, why would they believe?”

He then groaned and kicked the sand.

“Ah! What am I supposed to do now!? Either way, the both of us lose!” Gritting his teeth, he glared at the gem in his hands. “Why couldn’t you just be like that other Gem Beast so I wouldn’t have to feel guilty?”

He received no response from the cracked gem, though even if he did Steven would not have noticed it as another factor hit him.

“Ah crap, the other Beast!” he shouted as he looked towards where the monster had almost ended him.

He, like every human, knew that a Beast could reform if it’s core was still intact. Depending on how serious the damage though, the time for reformation would change. And while several spears to the back seemed overkill for flesh and blood creatures, Beasts were far more fortified.

Come on where is it!? Where is it where is it!? Steven thought in panic as he desperately looked for the poofed green gem.

After a few moments of panicked searching a glint caught his eye, right where he’d last seen it.

Gingerly holding the blue gem, he quickly made his way over to where he’d almost died and found the acidic green gem that looked unnervingly like an eye.

Okay good, still dormant, he thought in relief. But now what do I do?

He didn’t have anything that could shatter it, and he sure as heck wasn’t going to pick it up after what it’d done, so that left him in a bind.

“I can’t just leave it here! Once this reforms it’ll kill someone else,” he said with worry. “And the only ones that can deal with it are the G.O.F, but if I tell them then they’ll find Mira and-UGH! I’m going in circles!”

He knew that he had to let them know about the monster before it awoke, it would kill innocent people if he didn’t, but talking the G.O.F would mean that Mira would be killed too.

Grunting in exasperation, he looked down upon the green gem and grit his teeth. This one mindless killing machine was going to ruin everything.

Except… this Beast wasn’t completely mindless was it? He thought suddenly, his jaw loosening.

He thought back to his brief yet terrifying interactions with it, and something stood out to him. When the first spear had struck it, it had seemed confused. Strived of oxygen and on the verge of passing out, Steven still swore he had seen the thing look to him as if asking him “Why is this happening?” Gem Beasts weren’t supposed to have self-preservation instincts, and they most assuredly weren’t supposed to look human.

Maybe this one was a cult experiment as well? He thought as he scratched the side of his head. He then looked to the entrance to the ruins. I’m the one who left the door open…but if I closed it with it inside…That’s it!

He’d just do his earlier plan of leaving an anonymous tip about the ruins. They’d be prepared for the Beast if they went inside and he wouldn’t have to risk having Mira shattered. It was the perfect plan…except for one thing.

“I’ve gotta chuck it back into the ruins before I close the door,” he said with a gulp. “It’s the only way for me to not get in trouble here. Now if only I had a stick or something to-”

Steven’s words were cut off as a bright light from beneath him suddenly caught his attention, and it wasn’t a reflection of the moonlight.

Oh no! Don’t tell me it’s-

The gem slowly began to lift off the ground, causing Steven to cut off his thoughts completely as he shouted,

“IT’S REFORIMG!”

Steven desperately looked around, trying to come up with any plan to either stop the Gem Beast or do something to help his situation. His eyes soon rested themselves on the blown open entrance to the ruins, where this madness started, and in no time at all Steven knew what he had to do.

“Oh crud oh crud oh crud!” Steven gasped out in a mantra like fashion as he quickly limped his way towards the ruins entrance. Either by some miracle or dumb luck, the entrance wasn’t damaged from when the monster burst through. Thanking his lucky stars, Steven dove through the hole, placed the blue gem in his hoody’s pocket, and began closing the stone slab.

I just gotta hope those anti-gem weapons on the Wall are still functioning and they only look broken down because of them not being used often, Steven thought with guilt slowly eating away at him as he inched the doorway further and further closed. There was nothing he could do, and there was no point in him needlessly dying, so even if it felt cowardly, he kept pushing. With only a faint sliver of opening left Steven eyed the reforming monstrosity and froze.

What the…?

Not many people that lived could say that they’d seen a Gem Beast reforming, and despite the danger, the boy was captivated. For instead of the white light stretching out into the bug like creature from before, it looked humanoid.

It…What?! His mind sputtered as the human shaped white light became brighter…but then began to distort and glitch with harsh angles

Its form is glitching out like Mira? What the heck is happening!?

His question would partially be answered as the Gem Beast’s outline seemed to twist and turn, becoming the more familiar monster shape he’d had the displeasure of meeting only moments earlier. Its shape stretched far into the air as its body began to form, its stubby legs and acid spewing jaws standing out among the forming shapes.

However, to add to Steven’s ever-growing confusion the Beast did not solidify in its large form, instead it seemed to struggle to keep it before shrinking down considerably. Once reaching this tiny size, the light faded, and the creature was revealed.

What was once a large, centipede like creature that would haunt Steven’s sleep for many nights to come was now a small, two body segmented insect. It still had its white mane and deadly acidic jaws, but it was now no larger than a dog. And like a dog, it started looking around wildly and hopping around in place, acid leaking onto the sand as it did so.

In some layer of his psyche, Steven felt that under other circumstances, this behavior could be considered cute, as if the thing was a rabid, acid spewing puppy, but a puppy none the less. The majority of his brain though knew that cute or not, that thing was still dangerous.

I really need to look into those therapy books Archsa recommended me. Inferiority complex can take a backseat to whatever the heck makes me think that’s cute, he thought in melancholy before his eyes sharpened. If it’s smaller, maybe I can outrun it? I could get to the Wall and call the G.O.F on a payphone or something and-

Suddenly the Beast stopped jumping around and stood stock still.

Okay, what’s up with that? Steven thought nervously as the creature methodically moved its head around as if searching for something. The fleshy human is gone, go bug some clams or seagulls or something!

As if hearing his thoughts, the creature suddenly turned to look in his direction and began to move.

Oh come on! Of all the rotten luck! He thought angrily as he pressed his hands against the slab again and began to push. Maybe I was right with that bear analogy and this is its cave! Well tough luck little bug, I’m bigger than you now and-

“SKRREEK!” the diminutive monster suddenly shrieked in pain and Steven paused in surprise once more. Through his narrow view, he saw as the monster screeched and thrashed around in the sand with some sort of glowing blue net wrapped around it.

Where did that come-

Before he could finish his thought, the beach was suddenly filled with bright light, which momentarily blinded him even through the narrow slit.

“Gyah!” he grunted as he rubbed and blinked the spots from his vision, and once it returned, he gulped at what he witnessed.

The G.O.F! he thought in both relief and apprehension as an advanced armored vehicle bearing their insignia came to a stop near the thrashing monster. Its pilotless mounted turret aimed right at the creature, and Steven could see the crackling blue wire that attached it to the net.

Ah man, someone must have called them about all the noise that Beast was making. I should have gotten out of here when I had a chance! He thought nervously. Now any other day he’d have relished seeing the saviors of humanity in action, but today he was the cause of the mess they had to clean up. Don’t see me don’t see me don’t see me! Oh man this is the worst day of my life!

However before Steven’s panic could take complete control of him the doors on both sides of the vehicle opened upward with a hiss of steam as they did. Steven’s eyes could only widen in wonder and fear at witnessing the 3 soldiers emerge. He expected the high-tech armor, the new ion blasters, and the nearly blank combat helmets…

What the what?!

“Ha! Did ya see that Piper?! I got that sucker in one shot!” an energetic and peppy young man wearing a white bunny onesie cheered while pumping a rifle into the air.

“Mhmm, real impressive Lou,” a similarly aged girl decked out in nothing, but black leathers responded boredly.

“Not getting it in one shot would have been embarrassing at the distance we were at,” another girl said, her face covered by brass, steam punk looking goggles, with a wide toothy smile that shone in the headlights.

“Wow, thanks for the encouragement guys,” the bunny suited man grumbled before turning to the goth looking girl. “And look, I know you’re all about the doom and gloom lifestyle, but could you at least act a little happy? We’ve finally got some action after who knows how long of nothing! Isn’t that pretty awesome!?”

“Oh sorry,” she said sarcastically before lifting her hand above her head and giving a halfhearted dull “Yay.”

“Tch, man you’re such a killjoy you know that?”

“Better to be a killjoy then an insufferably happy moron like you,” she shot back.

“Least I’m not a gloomy tomb robber!” he responded.

“Children please, we have a cutie pie to bag,” the goggles girl instructed, holding a hand between both of them.

“You’re only, like, two years older than us Mags,” the guy pouted as the goth girl rolled her eyes.

“Two years is two years,” she pointed out. “Now hurry up you two before the boss catches wind and our report turns into novel length.”

All three of them shivered at that, and the two bickering soldiers from before quickly made their way towards the struggling Beast.

…These are the guys I was afraid of? This is the G.O.F!? Steven thought, completely at a loss as his perceptions and awe were shattered. They look like college students that came out of some weird cosplay convention. No wonder the security at the wall is so nonexistent.

While Steven was wallowing in his thoughts, the three ‘soldiers’ surrounded the hissing gem bug as the girl with the goggles held out some strange looking device which illuminated the creature.

“Awww, look at his little mandibles, they’re so adorable,” she cooed as the beast tried and failed to chew through the glowing net.

“Uh huh, cause acid clad spikes of death are soooo in right now,” Piper said sarcastically.

“Yeah I’m with her, I still don’t get how you get all worked up over these stupid rocks,” the bunny clad guy agreed.

“Oh you two wouldn’t understand their beauty! Their various shapes and forms, their infinite amount of new powers and abilities, their drive to hunt! It’s all just so fascinating!”

The other two just shared a skeptic look before looking back at the goggle clad woman.

“Still probably shouldn’t get that close to it though,” Piper said plainly.

“Well I still think they’re neat! And no acid’s getting past the Ion Field anyway,” she ‘pouted’ before smiling brightly again. “But if you don’t appreciate this work of art, why don’t you two sweep the area and see where he came from?”

“Ah come on Maggie, do we have to?” the boy complained. “We already got it with the Inde-Net and it’s the middle of the night. Besides, I’m a fighter not a searcher.”

“Oh I know Louise, but who knows? Maybe there might be another one around here for you to valiantly slay?” she said slyly in response. “After all small ones tend to work in pairs, and I wouldn’t want to rob you of your chance to shine…”

“You’re right Mags!” he responded excitedly, oblivious to her manipulation as he traipsed into the darkness. “Come on out suckers!”

“That idiot is way too gullible for his own good,” the goth girl chuckled. “But yeah I think he’s got it covered so-”

“Hey Piper, did you hear that this beach was also haunted?” she interrupted in that same manipulative tone.

“…I’m doing this because I want to, not because you said anything,” Piper grumbled and walked off in the opposite direction of the bunny clad guy.

“Of course,” Maggie said before turning back to the screeching beast. “And then there were two…”

At least I know who the leader of this little troupe is, but seriously, what is up with these guys? Why the bunny suit? Why the steam punk? Why the gothiness? Steven wracked his brains at the seemingly random strangers.

“Aw, aren’t you just the cutest little thing ever with your little fluffy white mane! I could just eat you up!” the ‘leader’ baby talked to the hissing monster and Steven had to put a hand to his temple.

Okay, I thought I was bad for comparing it to a puppy earlier, but that woman sounds sincere! How many screws loose does she have? And then she said something that on top of everything else, made the least amount of sense.

“Oh I can’t wait to get you back to the lab! I’ve never handled a sulfuric acid variant before, oh the fun we’ll have my little cutie pie!

Wait, bring it back to the lab? He thought in disbelief, almost unsure if he’d heard right or not. They’re not going to shatter it? But…but that goes against the G.O.F motto!

Many of the flyers and commercials about the G.O.F literally had the image of a boot grinding a gem into dust. Capture wasn’t exactly in their vocabulary, or at least that’s what Steven had thought.

This…this is so confusing. Can just one thing make sense to me tonight!? He bemoaned just as the guy in the bunny suit walked back up to her.

“Hey, no sign of any other Beasts,” he said sounding disappointed.

“I’m sorry to hear that, but hey at least you made sure the beach was cleared of any danger, right? That’s gotta be pretty heroic in someone’s eyes!” Maggie said with false encouragement.

The strangely dressed man looked contemplative at that, but before he could say anything…

*DING*

The device in Maggie’s hands chimed as the illumination on the Beast became green

“Ah! Finally, the mineral scan is done! Time to see just what type of gem you are!” Maggie exclaimed like a kid on Christmas.

“Man, that thing takes way too long to scan,” Louise observed. “Maybe we should clean it more often or something?”

“Wouldn’t make much of a difference anyway,” she said as finally her device chimed again. “Aha! It appears this little thing’s Gem is a Nephrite!” Steven then saw as her excitement shifted into confusion. “Wait, how is that possible? Nephrites are usually found in the southern forests.”

“Maybe it swam?” Louise gestured to the ocean, but before they could ponder any more, Piper spoke up.

“Guys, we may have a problem,” she said still with that dull, bored voice, but to the other two it was as if she shouted in alarm.

“What’s wrong Pipes? Not enough creepy things to hold you over?” Louise said trying to make light of her apparently worried tone, but Piper didn’t seem to budge from it.

“Well it is creepy, but not my kind of creepy,” she said as she walked into the light holding a torn and tattered scrap of fabric.

Ah Crap! Steven cursed as the agents got a view of his destroyed backpack. The other two officers immediately became sullen as they looked the debris over.

“Where did you find that?” Maggie asked.

“Over by the water’s edge,” she answered, pointing over her shoulder with a thumb.

“Uh, well…maybe it’s just ocean garbage, right?” Louise asked nervously.

“There are some burns on it…acidic burns,” the dull girl explained. As if to emphasize the point, the gem beast began drooling more acid uselessly upon the net.

And as Steven began to sweat more profusely, Maggie, biting her lip, looked between the backpack and the beast several times before declaring.

“There’s no blood stains are there? On the bag or in the sand?”

“Not that I saw,” Piper answered.

“Yeah, I didn’t see any either,” bunny boy agreed.

“Then if there’s no blood, then it’s highly possible that it is just a bit of litter this Nephrite was chewing on,” the leader said with a tone that insinuated that she didn’t buy that explanation.

The other two nodded, even though they too looked skeptical.

“Right…just some chew toy trash,” Louise said, not looking at the bag.

“Makes sense,” Piper nodded. “I mean, who would even be out here this late?”

“No one with good intentions that’s who,” Maggie said coldly. “But there’s no evidence to show that there even was a hypothetical person, so there’s no need for further investigation or more paperwork.”

“…But if there was actually someone?” Louise asked hesitantly and Steven swore the atmosphere got even more chilly.

“Then we keep an eye out for missing person’s reports,” she said icily. “But to be honest if there was someone stupid enough to be outside the walls this late, they probably had it coming.”

Hey! Steven thought with indignation at her callous attitude. I may be stupid for coming out this late, but my life isn’t disposable!

The other two shuddered at the implication, but they said no more as Piper threw the torn bag into the vehicle.

“But since there is no victim, nor just cause to look for one, let’s get this over with before the sun starts rising. Let’s poof and bag this little guy already.”

Bag? So they really aren’t going to shatter it? Steven thought in slight dread as he watched Maggie take out some device from her pocket as Louise ran off towards the vehicle.

“Now this is only going to sting for a few seconds little Nephie, then it’s off to…well wherever you guys go after poofing,” She said in a babyish voice as she kneeled over its thrashing form.

She pressed something on her hip, and in an instant the ion net containing the Gem Beast stopped glowing. For a moment, the beast realized that the containment was weakened and thrashed about with more intensity, but before it could even make a tear in the wiring, the goggled G.O.F. agent pressed the long square object to the beast’s body.

“SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” the bug like beast screamed in agony as what looked like multicolored electricity permeated its body.

Good lord! Steven gasped as the monster continued to scream. Despite what the Beast had done to him earlier, he couldn’t help but wince in sympathy as the thing suffered under the intense volts. The so-called seconds seemed to stretch for minutes as the Gem Beast’s body writhed and spasmed. Okay! That’s enough! Just put it out of its misery please! Steven silently pleaded, his hands over his ears.

After a few more agonizing, ear splitting shrieks, the creature finally did as Steven wished.

*POOF*

The Gem Beast poofed for the second time that night, its gem landing harmlessly in the sand.

Maggie let out a tired sigh as she picked up the gem, turning to face Louise who had just reached her carrying some strange, cylinder looking object with him.

“I always hate that part,” she said sounding sad as she placed the gem inside the container. “A creature without lungs shouldn’t be able to scream like that. It truly rubs me the wrong way.”

“After the centuries of suffering they’ve caused? I say let ‘em scream,” the boy in the bunny pajamas said coldly as he closed the cylinder, causing it to light up and show the gem floating inside it.

“Well it ain’t gonna be screaming any time soon,” Piper said boredly as she began winding in the net.

Is that tube able to stop gem reformation? But that’s impossible…isn’t it? Steven thought in bewilderment as the three agents began to load up into their vehicle.

“Hurry now, before the boss finds out we didn’t sign off on the truck!” Maggie ordered as she and Louise got in. Piper finished rolling the net onto the roof, when suddenly some rocks from above the ruins entrance fell in front of Steven, which caused him to jolt.

The black clad girl whipped around and raised her rifle and flashlight in Steven’s direction and he froze.

Agh! Why now?! Stupid rocks! Steven silently cursed as she took a few steps towards him. Staying still as a statue, Steven locked eyes with the girl through the slit and she paused. Does…does she see me?

Her eyes didn’t move anywhere else and he felt for sure that the jig was up.

“Pipes! What are you doing? Hurry up!” Louise called from the vehicle. After that, she seemingly stared right into his eyes for a few more heartbeats before lowering her rifle and shaking her head.

“Whatever,” she said boredly and turned back to the vehicle.

Huh?

“What, was that all about? The cliff face insult you or something?” Louise snarked but she just dismissed him.

“Thought I heard something. Let’s get going.” And with that, she entered the driver’s seat and gunned the engine, which was unnaturally silent. As the vehicle disappeared into the night, heading back to town, Steven still dared not move for several minutes. Eventually though, he let out a haggard, stressful breath as he pushed the door open and stumbled back onto the beach where the salty air hit him full force.

It had not even been an hour since he set foot in the ruins that night, but in that short time, he had gone through so much. Nearly dying, being saved by a gem person, seeing that the G.O.F. were completely different than what he’d imagined, on top of the exhaustion and injuries, it was enough to make him just give up.

“I’m…going to bed,” he mumbled to himself as he limped his way back towards the Wall. The questions and inquiries still raced through his mind, but he was on autopilot and not digging too deeply into them. “Let me figure it out in the morning and hope this is all just a nightmare or something,” he sighed in exhaustion.

And with that he slowly snuck back in through the gate, down the deserted streets and back into his hotel room. He recognized that he’d made the trip, but it all seemed like he had just sat back and watched as he did so. Once back in his room, he took off his hoody with the blue gem inside, set it on his bedside with the gem resting on top of it and unceremoniously flopped onto his bed and was out within seconds.

}Line Break{

The next morning, or rather around noon, Steven awoke feeling battered, sore, and more than a little crusty from the sand, sweat, and sea salt.

So it wasn’t all just some bad dream huh? He thought in disappointment as his eyes landed on the damaged gem on his hoodie. Figures…Now what am I going to do?

He stared up at the ceiling unblinking for several minutes as he finally tried to process the events of last night better. But even after a night’s rest, everything still made no sense.

Who was Mira? How can there be gem people? Why are the G.O.F. staffed by weirdo college kids? Why did they capture that beast instead of killing it? All of these questions and more swirled in his head, but the answers were still out of reach. Sighing, he looked back at the gem on his nightstand.

“Well, one thing’s for sure, I’m not handing you over to them,” he said truthfully. That Maggie girl had disturbed him with her cooing over the Beast even as she tortured it with electricity, but what was even worse was her cold dismissal of someone dying so that it wouldn’t inconvenience her evening. “Wherever that Nephrite Beast is right now, I don’t want to even imagine.”

Groaning, he sat up despite his straining muscles and limped into the bathroom where he splashed water across his dry face. Looking at his reflection, he noted that he didn’t look nearly as bad as he felt.

“She’s already cracked as it is, and I don’t want her getting electrocuted like that other Beast, she might shatter completely,” he said tiredly to himself. A few more moments of silence went by as he tried to make sense of his predicament.

“Did that goth girl actually see me last night? If so, why didn’t she rat me out? Did she really not want to do paperwork or something?” he wondered with a shiver. “Or maybe she’s just biding her time…”

He walked back towards his bed and looked down at the tear shaped gem, noting his many reflections.

“If that’s the case, they could come and try to take you at any moment. You’re too fragile right now for that,” he said while rubbing his eyes. With the spider web crack, he knew reformation for her was highly unlikely, and there would be no chance to prove that she was a Gem Person. “There’s gotta be something I can do.”

He had started this whole mess after all. He was the one who had found the mirror, he was the one who had awoken the Nephrite Beast, and he was the one who had gotten her even more damaged. He knew all of this just as much as he knew that it was his responsibility to fix it and to figure out what the heck was going on.

Was she an experiment by gem cultists? Was she a new evolved gem? Was that crackpot Ronaldo right about them being alien death machines? There was only person that could answer those questions, and she was on the verge of becoming dust.

“I’ve gotta figure out a way to fix you, or at least get you talking again,” he said softly to the stone. “I owe you a lot for saving my life, but I have no idea how to save yours.”

He turned his head towards the open bathroom door and at the mirror above the sink and an idea came to him.

“I don’t know what magic put you in that mirror, but maybe you can manipulate mine,” he said as he picked the gem up, using his hoodie as a cushion and carried her to the sink.

“Okay, so…” he trailed off as he touched the gem against the glass, but nothing happened.

“Come on, wake up, use the mirror to talk to me,” he encouraged, but still, nothing changed with his haggard reflection. “Hmmm…”

He frowned at his reflection as he tried to think of a solution.

The stone was inserted in the metal backing, so maybe I need like a metal buffer or something like a conduit, he pondered before shaking his head. Or maybe she was flattened against the glass from the other side and I can’t be touching her directly? I guess maybe I could tape or glue her to the glass and…

His eyes widened as another solution sprang to mind.

“Wait a second! Glue!” Steven’s excited grin split across his face as he quickly stumbled out of the bathroom and started digging through one of his suitcases.

“Where is it? Where is it? Where is-aha!” Steven exclaimed as he pulled out his tube of superglue and held it above his head like a certain video game hero.

When you lived most of your life on the road, patching supplies were a must, that’s why he always had a roll of duct tape, sewing supplies, and glue on hand for certain emergencies.

“Although this is a bit more dire than the split pants incident,” he shuddered, remembering the time his Dad almost had to go on stage with torn jeans. Rushing back into the bathroom, he quickly uncorked the tube and gingerly began to fill the spider web of cracks with the be all, end all of adhesives.

He knew this wouldn’t fix the gem by a long shot, but at least with something strong holding it together, it would minimize the chance of it falling apart.

“I really hope this works…” Steven mumbled to himself as he finished filling in the cracks and sat back to watch the gem as the adhesive dried.

A few moments later the glue solidified and he gently picked up the gem, which now weighed slightly more.

“Okay, this seems to be more sturdy,” he said with hope as he prodded the gem against the mirror once more. “Okay, Mira? Can you hear me? I didn’t drown you or anything did I?” After several silent minutes, nothing changed and Steven let out a sad sigh.

“Well, I guess that was to be expected,” he said in disappointment as he set the blue stone down on the wet sink. “I can’t believe I thought that would actua-” Steven was caught off as suddenly a bright light started flashing before him.

“YAGH!” he shrieked as he stumbled out of the bathroom and onto his bed as the blue gem began to glow and float into the air and droplets of water dripped down into the sink.

Of course! The water! He thought in understanding just as the light began to grow and form into a humanoid shape. Just like the Nephrite the night before though, the form glitched in and out of humanoid shape, but unlike the other Beast, this one eventually held it’s form.

That does not look like it’s supposed to happen, Steven thought in worry.

After a few seconds the light went from white to blue and sitting on his sink was the form of the blue girl that had saved his life…only across her body were white lines that looked as though she were heavily scarred.

His breath hitched in his throat as she slowly lifted her head up and looked at him with those glowing reflective eyes full of static, eyes that seemed to stare through his very soul.

Steven lost track of time as he stared up at his savior in silence.

She…she really is a person, he thought in wonder as she tilted her head, looking both exhausted and curious at the same time. But then her form glitched suddenly causing her body to flicker about before solidifying again.

“Gah,” she gasped, her face scrunched up in minor pain. That was enough to snap Steven out of his reverie.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he stood up. She nodded after a moment and looked back at him.

“I think so,” she said, her voice slightly tiny and filled with echoes.

So I wasn’t imagining that otherworldly voice last night, he noted as he took in the rest of her.

She had glowed in the moonlight, but under the cheap florescent bulbs she looked she could just be a human covered in blue dye…if she had her eyes closed that is. Her hand glitched quickly out of existence but solidified just as fast and he took another step towards her.

“Are you sure you’re fine Mira?” he asked cautiously, not wanting her to poof and shatter in his bathroom.

The Gem girl locked eyes with Steven

“Mira? Who’s Mira?” she asked in sheer confusion, which took him aback. “And…who are you?”