"Woah Woah, one more time? You got a message from yourself from over a hundred years in the future where Shadow is dead and Nessira has destroyed the world after taking revenge on mankind, who apparently killed her, but you are trying to protect the humans and fighting her, but you still love her, and you killed yourself to send a message back in time to today?"
"Yup," Patrick replied to Kevin as they drove down the road.
"This sounds like a sci-fi movie."
"I don't quite understand it myself but something happens today that starts a chain reaction that leads to not only Shadow's death but also yours, the demons Nessira has released and the rest of mankind."
"Fuck, so where are we going?"
"My parent's house."
"Oh, okay why?"
"Because this started with my mother, I'm not sure how or what but she has done something to start all of this."
"Great, and why am I here?"
"Because I need your help, have you not been listening to a single thing I've said, do you even give a shit about Shadow?"
"Calm down, you know how I feel about her."
"I thought I did, but you have been sitting in your room since the ordeal with Ror'gon, time to get off your ass and do something useful or god help me I will send you to a dimension worse than hell!"
"Look, I know I've been a bit of a shut-in lately, it's just..."
"What?"
"The most interesting thing I have ever done with my life is die, Shadow has saved my life twice now and, I dunno, I just am not sure about anything anymore."
"Shadow told you about my heart right?"
"Yeah, how you and Nessira share it?"
"Well, the reason is when I first met her we spent two amazing nights together and then she wiped my memory."
"Why?"
"Because she was afraid of falling in love, she even removed her own heart to try to stop the pain of feeling emotions."
"Damn."
"Then this warlock named Joshua kidnapped me and long story short he stabbed me in the heart, the only way to save me was for Nessira to place hers inside me."
"No shit?"
"That was when we decided to finally be together, and then when we went to save her from Ror'gon I was taken out of the game early."
"Yeah, but you weren't killed."
"No, but I was just someone else you guys had to rescue, that is why I am learning magic, I don't want to be a burden to Nessira or Shadow."
"I see."
"And right now you appear to be a burden to my daughter, so you better figure out what you are gonna do and soon!"
"Alright, I got it," Kevin said pondering Patrick's words. "so anyway what's the plan?"
"Talk to my mother, find out what she has done, stop it from happening, and then get to the wedding on time."
"Sounds doable, ish."
"We'll do it, we have to succeed."
"You're serious aren't you?"
"I am."
"Okay, alright let's do this!" Kevin said trying to concentrate. "So you saw your last day before you died?"
"Yeah, it was strange, dreaming of the day of your own death."
"So, what else happened?"
"What do you mean?" Patrick asked
"Did Nessira give you end of the world... You know?"
"Are you serious right now?"
"Sorry it's just, my condition gives me dirty thoughts."
"So focus them on Shadow... no wait don't do that."
"Sorry, but I had to ask, I mean Nessira is a fox."
"And I may hit you, you are dating her daughter."
"I would never do anything like that, you know that, it's just, what I am trying to say is, good for you!"
'"Yeah thanks, but we're here."
Patrick pulled up to his parents home and quickly for out of the car with Kevin in tow. They ran up to the door as he began knocking a few times as Kevin just looked around as he suddenly felt a bit paranoid. Patrick looked over at him seeing then worry in his face.
"You okay?" Patrick asked
"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm good, good good, just always a little nervous when I am out in public."
"Concentrate on the task at hand and you'll be fine."
"Patrick? What are you doing here this early?" His father Jerome said as he opened the door.
"Where's Mom, Mom!" He yelled out walking past his dad and walking into the house.
"Oh hi, I'm Kevin." He said shaking Jerome's hand.
"Patrick?" Diane said as she stood in the kitchen in her bathrobe. "What are you doing here?"
"Mom, what did you do?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I know you don't trust Nessira and you did something about it, what was it?"
"Patrick I don't..."
"Listen to me, I don't care that you did it I just need to know what it was, who did you talk to?"
Diane was silent for a moment before she finally said: "I spoke to a private investigator and asked him to follow Nessira around."
"Oh, God."
"He was supposed to get back to me with what he found before today but I haven't heard from him."
"Do you have a card or any info about him?"
"Let me check my purse," she said as she began digging around inside it. "Ah, here it is." She said handing him his business card.
"Thank you." He said grabbing it before he and Kevin ran back to the car.
"But wait what are you going to..." She said as they both left in a hurry ignoring her.
"Really Diane?" Jerome said shaking his head at his wife.
---
Shadow had just cleaned herself up and was wearing the little red bridesmaid dress she had picked out for the wedding. She walked into Nessira's room seeing her mother sitting on the bed in a bathrobe while her white dress hung up nearby. Nessira turned to see Shadow standing there and was taken back by how beautiful she was.
"Oh my, Shadow you look perfect."
"You think so?"
"I know so, you will be the best looking girl in the place."
"Well, second best."
"I'll settle for a tie," Nessira said smiling at her daughter. "Ugh, am I ready for this?"
"You know you are, he's the best."
"He really is isn't he, did he say anything to you, in the hall earlier?"
"Just that I shouldn't be afraid to call him Dad."
"Is that what you want to call him?"
"It feels right, I mean, he is my Dad, as far as I am concerned."
"I tell you Shadow, how did we find such a great guy."
"Technically he found us."
"That is true," Nessira thinking about that for a moment.
"Was he acting weird this morning or something?" Shadow asked.
"He woke up from what seemed like a nightmare and looked at me like..."
"Like what?"
"Like he wasn't expecting me to be there, like he hadn't seen me in years or something."
"That hug was kind of the same way with me," Shadow said watching her mother deep in thought. "What are you thinking?"
"I'm not sure, but I'm not too worried about it."
"Why is that?"
"Because I love him, and I know whatever he is doing right now is for the right reasons."
--
"This looks like the place," Patrick said scoping out the small office building in a rather rundown part of the city.
"So what's our plan?"
"I go through the front, you sneak in through the back."
"Sneak through the back, right, wait how?"
"Oh my god, have you forgotten how to use your powers?"
"Oh, yeah that, I gotcha."
"Kevin, Shadow's life is in danger, I need to know you can do this," Patrick said grabbing his arm.