Through the Gates: A Hysteria Short

Earth
Herman Residence

Verena’s Room

“You have to concentrate and stay with me, Zelda.”

Theo pushed the blonde’s hair out of her face and put his hands to the sides of her head; Verena’s eyes were shut and he kept two fingers on each side, watching her closely. “You have to concentrate and keep connected. I’m guiding you through the Gates. If you let go, I’ll have to get you back and that’s going to be a pain in the ass,” he growled.

From her position, he saw a small twitch come from her lips.

“Fine. Go laugh,” he sighed. Theo soon fell back to his usual silent routine and rubbed circles slowly on her head, letting his eyes fall shut as he navigated her through. You should be able to communicate with me soon enough, he thought. When you pass after the Gates.

Theo had images flicker in his head. He briefly saw the bright glow of the Gates before him, and a shocked gasp left his lips as the sight of a bleeding, fractured sky penetrated his thoughts. “Shit,” he cursed.

Why was he there in the first place?

In his dreams the past few nights, he heard a voice calling.

In his dreams the past few nights, he saw the same pair of scalet eyes Verena had told him about months ago.

The eyes belonged to a silver-haired lady. The first night, he couldn’t understand anything she was saying. The second, she managed to get a broken word out. The third, the next word. And finally, the fourth, she told him those two words:

Help me.

Verena had been absent on those days. Finally, when he barged into the Herman residence (where her parents were conviniently on one of their long business trips), he found her in bed and unmoving. Immediately did his mind flash back to what he had heard at school.

He remembered Alessia telling him that Nova Howard couldn’t be woken up.

With that, he came to a conclusion.

The lines between Hetar and Earth were weakening; the supposed distance that was supposed to be between them was disappearing day by day.

Something had happened which triggered the faulty connections.

Theo had no idea what it was.

But now, Verena had been the latest victim. And he was doing everything in his power to get her back. If he got her back, he would try to get Nova back as well.

As the Eyes and Guardian of the Gates, Theo had a responsibility. And he was fully intent to not let this one incident stain his name – both in Hetar and on Earth. So he kept his fingers on her head and attempted to calm down, navigating the drifting Zelda who now existed between planes.

Wyatt? Where the fuck am I?

“Oh thank God,” Theo sighed. “Can you hear me?”

Of course I can, moron. Where am I? Are these the Gates?

“Yeah. Those are the ones.” Theo paused and chewed the inside of his cheek, “Just go inside. You’ll be drifting. Like a ghost. Get to your body and step inside it. Verena will be sent back to her body. Do it fast. I don’t have your strength.”

Theo saw what appeared to be Zelda’s ghostly form push the Gates open. A blinding light filled the area and his eyes snapped open, the male gasping as his grip on Verena’s head loosened slightly.

Hell no – you’re not letting go quickly, Eyes.

“Just get yourself to Hetar,” he snapped. Wearily closing his eyes again, he braved against the light and found Zelda stumbling around a mildly familiar area. “Where are you now?”

Looks like the pathway to X-Base. I’ll go. Relax first.

And Theo did.

He opened his eyes once more and slumped against the wall. His fingers maintained the contact it had with her cold head. The male breathed heavily, wanting to relieve his headache but not wanting to remove his fingers from her skin. “Doing this for you, Verena,” he heard himself speak. “I’m doing all of this for you.”

* * * * *

His suspicions began when Verena was more irritable.

His blonde friend seemed to be in a state; one minute she’d be esctatic and the next she would be angry. Alessia confided to him that she had stumbled upon her in the bathroom, crying. When he asked Verena this, she vehemently denied. Theo pretended to believe her, but the inkling of doubt and suspicion still remained in his mind.

Finally, she had called him on the first night of his dreams. Theo had no idea how to react when she called him, voice choked and sounding like she was on the verge of tears. She kept repeating one thing:

I don’t understand what’s happening.

Neither did he.

After the first night, she went absent. Theo assumed that she needed rest. But she was absent on the second day, and then the third. Ritsuko and Alessia were worried. Theo, however, was determined that she was sick.

After the fourth night, he realized that something had gone terribly wrong.

It took a while for her to wake. Finally, she did – only, she wasn’t Verena.

She called him Wyatt.

He called her Zelda.

And he understood.

There he was now, waiting for progress on Zelda’s part. Theo felt weird. There had always been a strange inclination to protect Verena, especially after what had happened to her many months ago. The desire, however, had seemed to grow even stronger. Leaving her alone made him hesitate. The slightest drop in mood made him suspicious.

Of course, he was concerned for the other girls as well. But Alessia had told him that Verena was the most vulnerable and Ritsuko confirmed, saying that the Split had impacted her the most.

With those pieces of information, Theo kept a closer eye on the girl.

Even with his watching, he was unable to avoid this.

Are you still there?

Fumbling, he put his fingers back on Verena’s head. Zelda’s voice came even clearer at that point. Upon closing his eyes, he saw through her eyes. A base stood there in front of Zelda, and he recognized his post on the very top.

“Yeah, I am. Remember what I told you.”

It’ll get her back, right?

“Yes. Now do your thing.”

Aye, Captain Eyes. Don’t worry too much. You’ll get your V back.

“That sounds so wrong,” he complained. From inside his head, he could hear Zelda’s loud laugh.

Wasn’t implying anything, Wyatt. Don’t worry about her. I’ve got this.

Reluctantly, he let himself believe that Zelda knew what she was doing.