Third Person

"Professor?"

"Huh? Tanith? What are you doing here?"

"I had some questions and I was hoping you could answer them. Are you busy?"

"Not particularly. What do you need to know?"

"It's about the Nexus. I've been wondering about it in general, specifically, the nature of it. It's very strange magic and I've never seen anything like it."

"And chances are, you never will find anything like it. Poseidon made it himself, or at least that's what rumors say, no one is certain. It was a really long time ago after all! The Nexus was the foundation of Atlantis as we know it, everything here exists like it does because of it. I've always theorized if someone else made the Nexus because Poseidon used it as a way to boost his powers to fight, but it's hard to say. It's always been so destructive and powerful, and some say when Poseidon got too close to it, he changed, but then..."

"What?"

"Some people think it's alive, some say it changed after the war with the krakens, changing in nature and overall becoming more... Life like. We tried to test that theory, but its power levels always disable all the machinery when we try and we don't have any other way of telling. I think it might be alive because of the way it reacts to things, and how it feels like it's always watching you when you're near it, and staring into your soul... Creepy, but it's powerful enough to the point where I don't care."

"Hmm... Anything else noteworthy?"

"Off the top of my head, there is one thing... It's always had a connection with the royal family and... It sometimes does favors to people without anyone telling it to."

"Favors? Could you explain more?"

"It briefly grants you its power, but only when you've somehow aided it, very much an eye for an eye situation. It happened to Selena actually! She saved Cody's life and then a week later, some thugs in the poor district tried to mug her and she was able to shock them with Nexus energy. Immediately after, all of that power faded. Gone without much of a trace."

"I see... Thank you, Professor. That was very informative."

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Tanith bolted up but found herself face to face to a pair of bright green eyes. They stared each other down for a while before the green eyes backed off, huffing.

"Finally. I was getting worried. We need to work, and fast."

"Cece? What's going on?" Tanith asked, getting up and then sudden feeling pain in her chest.

As she fought through the pain, her eyes darted around, seeing the all white room, making her instantly know this was her mind. She was in her mind again, but why? Did Cece want to talk again?

Cece waited for Tanith to collect herself before asking anything. "What do you remember last?"

Tanith paused before closing her eyes.

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"CODY!"

Tanith felt an electric shock infiltrate her body as she shielded Cody. Her eyes flickered, suddenly becoming heavier and the world around her spun. She tried to breathe, but found it hard to do so, her heart palpitating beyond her control.

"Tanith! YOU LITTLE-!" A loud screeching sound was let out, and Tanith could hear the sound of KrakenKid's gun fire several times. Her tail could no longer support her body and she fell onto the ground. The shouting continued. "GET BACK HERE! DON'T YOU RUN AWAY FROM ME! YOU DON'T GET TO ELECTRIFY BOTH OF THEM AND GET AWAY WITH IT! YOU DON'T-!"

Another voice cut into the other. "KrakenKid! Stop! He's gone!" Female... This voice was female.

Tanith could feel her eyes shut and her sense dull. She wanted to activate her magic and make all the pain go away, but it didn't work. The pains in her chest didn't stop, only getting worse.

"But-!"

Tanith felt something on her neck. "She's still breathing... Kranky! Help me get her up! We need to get her to a hospital and stat!"

Tanith felt herself fading away...

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Her blue eyes shot open again. "I took the fall."

Cece nodded slowly. "Good. I was worried that memory loss would be a side affect of it, but it looks like we're going to be okay on that. Are you alright? I'd hard to tell."

Tanith hissed in pain but nodded, slowly letting out a heavy breath. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Cece nodded slowly, flexing her fist. "Good." She reeled back her hand and socked Tanith's forehead, making her cry out in pain.

"Cece! What-"

"YOU IDIOT! WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?" She roared, her green eyes flashing with rage. "You nearly killed us! If you die, I die, and I'd rather not have either of that happen, so if you could stop taking all of these risky decisions, that'd be great! Do you have a death wish or something?"

"Of course not!" Tanith yelped, reeling back. "But Cody's life is worth a lot more than-" She had to duck to avoid another scolding hand. "Hey!"

"Stop talking like that!" Cece growled. "It's not healthy and we both know it. If you could work on your positive self thinking as well, that'd be great, but we'll get to that. I'd love to dive into that more, but we have a more pressing matter. We're going into cardiovascular arrest."

Tanith froze in panic. "Heart attack..." She whispered, then shook herself. "Magic. We... We have magic, use magic!"

Cece gave her a blank stare. "Oh magic, I never would have thought of that. You know, we're about to have a heart attacking and who knows if that'll kill us, but hey, thank goodness you thought of using our healing magic! NOT LIKE THE EXPERT OF YOUR MIND AND BODY THOUGHT OF THAT!" Cece spat, fuming at the mouth.

Tanith bit her lip. "You thought of that way before me, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did." Cece huffed. "And since I am a part of you, technically you thought of that way before you thought, but let's not dive into that."

"So... It didn't work?"

"Worse." Cece grimaced. She ran a hand through her blonde hair. "Our magic isn't working at all, as in, I couldn't even get it to try and heal you."

Tanith let out a small noise in surprise. "What? But that hasn't happened in ages! Not since-" The hybrid broke off, her mouth still parted as if she were going to say more, but she didn't make a sound. "Oh." She uttered at last, looking down in realization. "You don't think-?"

But her conscious would nod slightly. "Yeah, it came across my mind too. That's another reason why it's so important that you wake up. You have to tell them. Now, do you want to die, or get out of here?"

A slight off beat, that's all it took to set Cece off when Tanith failed to speak up right away. "Get out." She answered, but it was a moment too late.

"Why'd you hesitate?" Cece bristled. "What is wrong with you?"

"It's not like I want to die! It's just..." She failed to bring the worlds to her mouth right away, so she gave herself a little time to take a breath and truly explain what she was trying to say. "Sometimes... It doesn't feel like we left."

Cece frowned. She knew these feelings well, she dealt with them often but she always thought they were subconscious, something in the back of her head that she ignored, not something she actually thought about and felt.

Tanith went on. "It felt like I was still in danger, always checking my back and hoping something wasn't going to go wrong. And since these feelings felt so petty, I just hid them away whenever someone got close."

"Well, Ace is causing a mini war so I do-"

"Before Ace too." Tanith cut in, not meeting her eyes. "Even where there wasn't a threat, way before the portal or before any of the big fights or... There was just nothing. No threats, no reason to be scared, but that was somehow even more stressful. It felt like something should be happening, and a couple times, it didn't even feel real." A small laugh escaped her. "To tell you the truth, some of the wars felt good. It made me feel more sane for having these feelings... I wish they would go away, that maybe I might be able to feel like everyone else."

Cece's eyes moved, trying to catch her's and make eye contact. "We can do that. Healing takes a while but-"

"I'm not strong enough, Cece." Tanith finally met her eyes, a sadness lingering in them. "I never have been. Always running away from my problems, literally in some cases. Avoiding them until they become even bigger, and at the point, I need someone else to rely on... Remember when Ace affected us all? Made us give into our deepest desires? I think in some ways, it also made us show some of our true colors."

"Professor's confusion, Selena's pent up frustration, and the fact that I couldn't help but latch onto somebody for support, because without it, I crumbled." Tanith smiled, but Cece knew it wasn't out of joy, there wasn't any in her eyes. The smile was almost forced, trying to make her feel better.

"So, of course I don't want to die, but whether I'm a soldier or a medic, I have a job to do. Protect people on my side, care for them, fight against what's harming them, and ultimately, if it comes down to it, we die for them. It's what we've always done."

Her conscience went silent, green eyes staring down before, after what seemed like eternity, met her's one last time. She sighed deeply, rubbing the top of her head. "What am I going to do with you..." She asked, straightening up. "Tanith, we're stronger than you think, and maybe one day, someone else can explain that to you in a way that will convince you more than I can. Strength is about more than just being strong, but... It's endurance as well. More than that too, but I don't know how to explain it."

Cece was hesitant, but nodded her head to follow her lead. "Come on, you need to wake up, and we're gonna have to do it manually."

"Manually?" Tanith rose her eyebrows. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, you're gonna trek through you head and hopefully get to your heart and do something to help it... Still working on the details, but that's the best we've got. There is a slight problem though." She grimaced to herself. "You're going to have to pass through the tower."

"The tower?" Tanith repeated, intrigued.

"It's not a good thing." Cece told her quickly. "The Tower of Mistakes, that's what it's called. I- uh..." She kicked in the air. "I don't like going there often so just talk to the Gatemaster and get the details from him."

Though Tanith tried to pry more details out, Cece refused and just gave her the location before leaving.

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The Tower Of Mistakes was exactly how Tanith expected it: A large, red brick tower, going too high for her mind to fully comprehend and looked as if it could crash down at any moment and destroy everything in it's path. There was a tall wall in front of it, boxing it in, and a large two door gate with a strong lock to keep it closed.

Outside of the tower was a forest, bushy and one that was easy to get lost in. The huge leaves of the trees gave off a natural smell that if she didn't know that this was probably just an illusion through her mind, she would think was real.

Tanith paused right in front of the gates and took a deep breath. She wasn't sure if she saw this "Gatemaster" inside, but they had to be somewhere. Maybe if she called out to them?

But, as fate would have it, someone would beat her too it, and call out to her first, crying out her name, almost surprised. The voice came from behind, and Tanith couldn't shake the feeling like she knew it from somewhere. Turning around, her heart stopped.

Though tall and skinny, this man would have a boyish face, making him look a lot younger than Tanith knew he was. His hair was jet black, and though it was combed, it still gave away the impression of its anxious owner through the little mess ups in it. His skin was a deep olive color and his eyes were dark brown, and if the light surrounding them wasn't there, could easily be mistaken for black. His clothes were a weird mix of formal and trying to be casual, with a jacket around him and a tie around his neck.

Tanith didn't wait another moment, rushing up to him and engulfing him into a huge. He smiled nervously before hugging back, just as tightly as her. Tanith didn't care if she was in her mind, meaning this probably was just a memory of him, it was enough.

"I miss you so much, Kenji." She whispered in his ear.

"I m-miss being with you too." Kenji replied, slowly pulling away from the hug before leaded her towards a log just outside the forest and sitting them both down. "I hate to break up the hugging, but it's important that I get you though this. I-I'm the Gatemaster by the way." He smiled a little, almost sheepish.

"Really?" Tanith looked up at the tower again and back to him. "I'm-"

"S-surprised not to see me inside there?" He guessed. "I-I figured. I know you still feel a little guilty for what happened, but there was nothing else you could do, trust me. I'm j-just glad you're alive. That's why I guard the gates- to keep you safe!"

"About the gates, what's the deal with all this place?"

Kenji took a deep breath. "Well, in each mind, people often have different perspectives in their mind for how memories are stored. Y-your normal ones are in a mansion, housed in each room, and your more guilty and bad ones, they go here, in a Tower of Mistakes. I make sure they don't leave, nor that you stray too far inside unless you have to, and k-keep you safe from them. But, oddly enough, if you want to get to your heart, you have to get rid of what's holding it down."

He nodded towards the tower. "Inside, th-there's a series of rooms. They're full of something or someone you've wronged, but if you can get to the end of the room, you can get to this spiral staircase, it'll lead you right to the heart, and when you're there, just... Touch it. Reconnect with it. I-it'll make more sense when you get down there and feel it, I p-promise!"

Tanith paused, suddenly not wanting to do this. "Do I have to go through them all?"

Kenji shook his head hastily. "No, no, just one! Thankfully, they have a little picture on the front of something corresponding to what sin they are, you should be able to figure them out and pick out the best one to deal with."

Tanith nodded firmly, taking a long breath. "...Do I have to do this?" Kenji gave her a look and she caved instantly. "Fine, fine. Let's do this."

Kenji and Tanith walked side by side back over to the gate. Opening it up, Kenji said his last words of encouragement, giving the best smile he could manage before closing the gate behind her, and having to leave her to go inside on her own.

From door to door, Tanith slithered, trying to decide on which one she wanted to take on. Images of angel wings made her queasy, crystals were out of the question, and a pair of green eyes made her hesitate, but quickly move on.

Truth was, she definitely didn't want to do any of them, climbing the tower even farther up, until she stopped at one particular door. A picture of Atlantis, she didn't know that one. She wracked her brain, but when she drew empty. Having no other option drew her to grasping the door handle, but curiosity was the thing that made her open it, and step inside.

She found herself in a cave, twists and turns ahead of her, as well as vines above her and a now broken, wooden trail beneath her tail. She heard the door shut behind her, but didn't make a move to stop it, trying to figure out why this place was so familiar. She'd been here before, and the word was on the tip of her tongue, but she had no idea where it was.

"Oh? Well, well, well. She comes back after all." The voice was deep, but Tanith was having trouble placing who it was. "What, want to finish the job in here too?"

When he finally stepped out of the shadows, revealing to be right under her nose without her realizing it, Tanith still blanked. He wore a purple hoodie and black pants, his hair a shaggy and light brown that was covered by a beanie. His eyes flashed blue, and his smile was a bitter and sinister one. "Hello medic."

Tanith looked for words, but couldn't as she still had trouble placing where she had seen him. "I... I don't remember who you are?"

The man's face blanked, then filled with anger. "You really forgot about me? Or-" He laughed. "Am I not monster enough for you? Let me fill you in. My name is Miles David Phillips, but,"

His form suddenly began to shift. His face was covered by a mask with a strange man smiling on the front of it, his clothes replaced with a suit, but the thing that really got to Tanith, was a hole in his head. A bullet hole. "You know me as Anonymous."

Oh... That's why it was a picture of Atlantis.

Tanith moved back but Annon didn't wait to swiftly come right at her and punch her in the ribs. She tried to create a force field, but her magic failed her as he aimed for her eye next. "Indeed. Thanks for the bullet in my head." His voice was now much more robotic now, more like she remembered.

Tanith grunted in pain as he didn't show mercy, eventually knocking her to the ground and kicking then. Everything hurt, and more than anything she wanted it to stop. "Doesn't feel so good does it? To have someone scold you for killing them? You shot without any warning, and killed me. How did it feel, medic?" He spat.

Tanith's eyes were clenched shut, trying to ignore the pain, but hearing that made her open them. She met his eyes the best she could, and decided to do something different: Smirk.

"It felt good." She told him, getting him to stop in shock. "You were going to hurt my friends- KK most of all, and getting rid of that threat most of all, that was nice. Oh I felt bad of course, you became another name I had to add in my book, but I could justify you."

Annon staggered back, suddenly feeling light headed. "W-what? You liked it?"

Tanith slowly began to lift herself up from off the ground. "Not exactly. I felt guilty for feeling good, but it was a change. For once in my life, taking a life was something I could deal with. You were a terrible person, and threatening my KK like that- you had to be put down."

A tremor shook the room, Annon nearly falling over. Tanith had a rush of confidence, and kept going. "I don't even know why you're here! Like I said, I didn't feel as bad about you and, it certainly wasn't a mistake. You shouldn't be here."

Annon's form flickered in and out of existence violently, before he let out a short scream, but was cut off and was gone for good. The whole room shook, starting to crumble. Tanith, looking around wildly, finally knew where she was: The tunnels leading to the Conch Command. She quickly thought back to how to navigate them, then rushed to get to the end.

Just as Kenji promised, there was a long spiral staircase leading down. She quickly rushed down it, until she reached the end and stepped out.

This room was plain, pink walls and red flooring, but in the middle was her own beating heart, pumping madly, but she noticed electricity sparking around it, attacking it and making her feel more chest pains.

She waited around at first, stunned by the overwhelming emotions she was feeling, and especially now knowing this was her heart. Then, she had the feeling to approach it.

She moved forward until she was close enough to extend her hand, and touch it.

It was then, that she knew what she had to do.

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Doo da la dee, Tanith has issues~, doo da la daaa, that she doesn't talk about~

be da chu pow, yep a lot of issues~, be da ka choooo, basically everyone does~

(Imagine that^^^ in a singy song voice and it'll make more sense okay?)

So I brought up a lot of thingys, andddddd... I'm not sure what to say? Tanith and Cece talk through their issues, mention something that she needs to tell the others- which will be shown later, and I bring up other characters!

Anyways, I hope you guys liked this! Lots of stuff being revealed in the next chapter, so be sure to comment what you think of this chapter, and goodbye!

--JustAnAtlantisWriter