A few days had gone by without another tower popping up and Ryu was relaxing in the courtyard, while Mu was pouncing nearby. He had figured out the panel and was currently researching while using his stat screen to consolidate the information.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding.”

Brock pulled out a chair and sat across from him, smiling at Mu who came to get her pets and treats before she trotted away.

Ryu smiled, gesturing to the screen and inviting him to read.  “I’ve been trying to figure out a few things.”

Brock tugged thoughtfully at his long beard, nodding as he glanced at the screen. “Do you have a moment?”

Ryu nodded, waiting for Brock as he hopped out of the chair and sat in the one beside him.  He reached into his pouch and took out the small figure again and placed it gently on the table.

“I was hoping to speak with you.”

Ryu swallowed, glancing at the figure of the star he knew so well. “Andromeda was in the tower my sister and I were trapped in.”  He admitted, his eyes still pulled to the figure of her.  “If it wasn’t for her, we would have….we tried everything that we could but-but…”

Brock reached out and patted his hand.  “I wasn’t looking for answers, lad.  Your memories with her are your own.” 

Ryu glanced at Brock this time, nodding with a small smile.  “She would have loved hearing that your people looked up to her.”

The dwarf’s eyes glistened.  “There is a belief in my tribe, that the Stars are immortal.  They may fade and cease to exist in time but they return in other forms that they have watched and cared for.”

Brock patted Ryu’s hand again.  “I sense her power and grace within you.  She chose a worthy successor.”

Ryu was silent for a moment, organizing his thoughts before he spoke up again.  “My sister inherited her power as well. She was there… at the end.”

“Then my heart is at peace, knowing that she was surrounded by those who cared for her.”  Brock gently reminded him.

——

Later that evening, Ryu was back in his room trying to sleep but he kept replaying the last few days in his mind, racking his brain for a way to get back to the tower.  He could hear Mu lightly breathing curled just by his head on his pillow.

He closed his eyes and found himself pulled into a memory within his dreams.

“Ryu, this way.”  Rika gestured over her shoulder as she scoped out the landscape hiding behind a broken piece of wall.  

Ryu watched himself kneel beside his sister, also scanning the area.  He remembered this was a part of the tower where it opened up into a wide desert area with pockets of lush oasis.  They had made it to a section of a seemingly abandoned pyramid when they felt like something was watching them.

“Let’s go around and see if there’s a back entrance.” Rika murmured, while she slowly made her way along the wall, keeping her body low to the ground as much as possible.

Ryu followed, watching their backs as they slowly made their way to the pyramid.  

Ryu remembered feeling a pair of eyes that watched them thirty feet away where another set of crumbling walls were lined against the outskirts of the pyramid.

Rika swore when she saw that although there was a back entrance, it was caved in.  She canned the area, tapping her foot on the sandy floor as was her habit when she was thinking.

Ryu kneeled and removed the backpack from his shoulder to find the water bottle.  He noticed there was only half left but he unscrewed the cap and handed it to Rika who took a sip before handing it back to him to drink.

He tried to resist drinking it all, even though his throat felt like parchment paper as he scanned the area again.  When he had the backpack slung back, he noticed something shining a few feet away and he pulled Rike down.

Just in time, a spear flew past them just barely missing their heads as it struck the pyramid and bounced off.

“Run!”  Ryu pulled at her hand and they sprinted back around the pyramid, hoping to find another way in.  Just when they decided to aim for the nearest broken wall to take cover again when they felt the ground beneath them crumble and Rika fell right in front of him into the dark depths.

Ryu woke with a start, feeling his heart beat furiously.  He sat up and covered his eyes with his hand, willing his breaths to slow down and remind himself that it was a memory and they made it through that day.  He felt Mu licking his other hand and he glanced at her with a strained smile.

“How about we get a bit of fresh air?”  

Mu tilted her head before softly chirping and hopping off the bed.  Ryu quickly put on a hoodie and quietly closed the door to his room.  He smiled to himself, hearing Zion’s steady snoring as he passed his room.  Realizing the sound of the elevator might wake them, he opted for the stairs.  

Once they were outside, Ryu breathed in the cool night air and felt some of the tension leave his body.  He heard Mu jump into some bushes nearby while he sat on the steps outside the building.  He glanced backup at the sky, watching the stars twinkly faintly.  He tried to find the stars that represented Andromeda and felt reassured that at least she existed in this world.

He glanced down to see Mu had enough of exploration and poked her head underneath his hoodie to take advantage of his warmth.  “Watch your wings.”  He touched the small ball huddled under his hoodie and he heard a small chirp in response before tucking the wings closer to her body.  He put his hands around Mu over the hoodie, hearing her sigh in content while he just watched the stars twinkling.

“Hang in there, Rika.  I’ll be there soon.”

Ryu was deep in thought for a few minutes before he realized Mu had lifted her head up and was peeking out from under his sweater, slightly growling.  He glanced down before scanning the area.

“What is it Mu?”

Mu squirmed out of his sweater completed and stood behind him, facing the building, growling louder.  Ryu stood up and silently commanded his stat window.

Notice.

High energy levels detected behind the dormitory.

“Is it a tower?” Ryu asked, scooping up Mu and starting to sprint behind the building.

His stat window began to break apart and become unsteady, as if there was some electrical interference.  Ryu picked up his speed, keeping Mu secure in his arms as he finally rounded the building.  His eyes widened at the sight before him.  In the middle of the courtyard, stood a portal just wide enough for a single person to enter.

Ryu froze, realizing that the cool night air, the sound of the light breeze and even the sounds of the city was completely gone.  Before he could turn back to alert the others, Mu jumped out of his arms and ran towards the portal.

“Mu, come back!”  

Ryu ran after her, a sinking feeling in his stomach as he tried to catch up to her.  But she was too quick and leaped through the portal.  Making a snap decision, he quickly made a voice note in his phone and dropped it on the ground before leaping into the portal.

He felt an invisible wall of energy pass through him and he closed his eyes at the intense light.  With his vision still blurry, he glanced around and could make out Mu huddling against what looked like a wall up ahead.

“Mu.”  He called out, still blinking and slowly regaining his vision.

He heard Mu whimper and he scooped her into his arms.  “It’s okay, little one.  I got you.”  

When his vision finally cleared, he glanced around and recognized his surroundings.

He was suddenly back in the very same area he had recalled in his dream. The same lush greenery in the distance, with endless sea of desert wasteland in between. And a pyramid surrounded by ruins straight ahead.

Cautiously walking forward, Ryu could feel the loose sand underneath his boots and the hot and humid air around him.  He glanced up at the sky and noticed it was still nighttime but he couldn’t see any hint of the stars in this world.

Mu seemed to have calmed down and was looking up at him expectantly.  Ryu tried looking behind him, hoping the portal was still open but only saw more endless desert.  He sighed as he started to move towards the pyramid while scanning the area.

“Guess we’re going to have to find our own way back or wait until the team finds us.”