Splat Force II: Allegiance; Chapter 17

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

W E L C O M E ! ! !

This is Nomad! I'm not sure how many creative ways I can make this intro but, welcome back to Splat Force II: Allegiance!

In the last chapter, we found out the truth about the twist from the chapter beforehand. In this chapter, we will see the present-day reactions to this discovery.

Ya'll are in for a good one tonight, you have my word. Make sure you bring tissues just in case because my god, I did not hold back on the emotions for this one.

So without further ado, let's get into this!

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

(Chapter Hub)

C H A P T E R 1 7 : D R I F T A L O N E

The red-haired Inkling boy sat on the seat on the right-hand side of Rex's jet. He stared at the ground, thoughts clashed in his head. It was all too much for him to take in. Ami sat to his right and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"How is this possible?"

She whispered. Her friend was unable to speak.

"I promise you, Drift, none of us knew about this."

Rex assured him whilst trying to navigate the night sky.

"It all adds up..."

Alyssa whispered from the far end of the row of seats.

"The gifts, the hair. How did we not see this coming?"

The young man didn't respond to either of them. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as a haunting realization entered his head.

"Bolton's wife was killed by...him."

He whispered as he opened his eyes.

"H-He killed my mother..."

Silence filled the entire room. Nobody knew what to say, not even Rex. He was right, Frederick did kill his real mother. And what made this realization worse for him was that Frederick took him shortly afterwards and raised him as if he was his own. The red-haired Inkling didn't know how to feel. His entire life was all a misleading lie.

1 5 M I N U T E S L A T E R . . .

The jet finally came to the end of the journey through Infantry Forest, the four of them were finally on the outskirts of Infantry Forest.

"Stop the Jet..."

The Inkling boy called out.

"Drift, we still have quite the distance to-"

Rex tried to reply but got quickly cut off.

"STOP THE JET!"

He shouted back. The anger in his voice scared all three other sea critters in the jet.

Not wanting things to escalate badly, Rex unwillingly landed the Jet just outside of the forest and opened the Jet's backdoor. The four of them walked out.

The angry Inkling started to walk towards the forest, not wanting to look back.

"Drift, why are you going back in?"

Alyssa called out.

"Don't call me that!"

He yelled, not looking back at her.

"B-But, that's your name."

She responded confused.

"No, that's a name I was given!"

He snarled as he finally stopped and turned around to face the three of them.

"Than, what is your name?"

Rex asked as he steadily walked forward.

"Don't tell me that your allegiance pleading to him!"

He looked down at the gravel below him, taking time to catch his breath.

"I-I don't know..."

He replied quietly.

"I'm just an Inkling with no name!"

"Drift, please listen, neither Frederick, Abbie nor your real mother would want you to be like this. Please calm down, you're letting the words of a killer get into your head."

Alyssa muttered.

"Both are killers! I don't want to plead my allegiance to killers!"

He yelled back. There was a long era of silence between them all after he had said that.

Rex, Alyssa and Ami were shocked. They couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"Drift, your father was not a-"

Rex tried to respond but was instantly cut off.

"HE KILLED MY MOM!"

He roared, leaving the Splat Force Commander stunned.

"HE KILLED MANY OTHERS DURING THE GIFTED WARS! DO YOU NOT SEE THAT!"

"I DO!"

Rex responded with a raised voice. It pained him to yell back at him.

"I do see that! But the difference is, Fred changed, you know he did, you saw how he did during your life. Bolton did not!"

Now the conflicted Inkling was left stunned. Rex was right, but so was Bolton all that time ago. Yes, Frederick did become a good man, as Rex said. However, Bolton was right when he said that it didn't change anything. Tears went into his eyes.

"I-I'm leaving..."

He whispered weakly.

"I don't want to be a part of this, anymore..."

"Drift, please!"

Rex whispered as he walked forward, trying to reach him. As Rex got inches closer, the Inkling with no name raised his fist and fired a fireball, hitting his chest knocking him on his back. Alyssa ran over to him and tried to help him out.

"Please don't do this!"

The Inkling with no name looked down at the Commander before taking a glance at his hands and realizing what he had just done. He was petrified of himself. Without saying a word, he turned around and ran into the forest.

"Drift!"

Ami yelled as she started to run after him into the forest.

"Drift, wait!"

The two ran for half a mile, neither of them slowing down. The darkness of the night sky made the forest harder to navigate safely and made it easier for one to lose the other. But neither of those factors stopped either of them.

"Drift, please wait!"

Ami yelled once more as she was finally getting closer to her friend. The running ended as soon as Ami managed to barely make with his shoulder.

W H O O S H ! ! !

In a flash, the Inkling with no name turned himself around and blasted a small flamethrower at the leaves on the ground, starting a small fire. The fire managed to separate the two Inklings. They both stared at each other. Ami was horrified as she looked into her friend's angry face.

He took time to calm down as he stared back at Ami.

"I'm so sorry, Ami..."

He muttered before he turned around and began to run again. Seconds later, he turned into his Squid form and super jumped away, leaving his best friend behind.

Ami watched him leave her, tears falling down her cheek. She couldn't bear losing her best friend again, not after what happened tonight. Rex and Alyssa managed to catch up with her. She turned around and looked at them. The look on her face alone was enough to tell them that he was gone.

4 0 S E C O N D S L A T E R . . .

The lost Inkling landed on the ground, now far away from the others. He was alone now, he had no one to count on. He took out his phone from his pocket and went into his s. He started to call Magnus. It didn't take long for him to pick up.

"Drift! Oh my cod, are you-"

Magnus greeted worryingly. Unfortunately for him, he was quickly cut off.

"I-I'm sorry, you don't deserve me!"

He whispered.

His words sparked confusion in Magnus, if only he knew what had gone down at the Dainty Fort.

"W-What?"

"You don't deserve someone like me..."

He whispered as tears went down from his face.

"You're better off with someone else..."

"D-Drift, stop...What a-are you s-saying?"

Magnus whimpered.

"I-I'm s-sorry, Magnus..."

He muttered, his voice broke as he hung up. The Inkling put the phone back into his pocket and wiped the tears off his face before he started to walk forward, not looking back.

1 M O N T H L A T E R . . .

The Inkling with no name woke up on a hay bed inside of a dark wood house. He wore the same clothes that he wore on the day he left. He sat up and sat on the side of the bed, his bare feet touched the cold stone floor.

"Good morning, visitor, did you have a good sleep."

A purple-haired Octoling with a ponytail greeted.

"It was a good sleep."

The Inkling with no name answered.

"Thank you for letting me stay."

"No problem!"

The Octoling replied.

"I'm always here to welcome a long traveller. Do you have a name?"

The Inkling with no name stopped to think about the question given. He knew that choosing any one of his names would without a doubt make him pick a side, which was the last thing he wanted.

"No, I don't..."

He whispered in response.

"I see..."

The Octoling answered as he stroked his small goatee.

"My name is John, John Parker."

"Well, thank you, John."

He said as he stood up.

John was quick to notice the white streak on the Inklings red hair. He gasped upon sight.

"You've been here before, haven't you?"

"Wh-What?"

The Inkling with no name asked as he tilted his head.

"That white streak, Angie must've put a spell on you..."

John answered, sounding surprised.

"I'm sorry, who is Angie?"

The Inkling with no name asked.

"Angie was the head of Bohan Village. She was mostly known for changing the appearance of babies and toddlers to match their new owner's features. The spell is broken when they discover their gifts or if they discover their true family. It isn't immediate, it happens over time."

John explained as he pointed to the white streak in the Inkling's red hair.

"That white streak appears when the spell is broken. It will be there for the rest of your life."

The Inkling with no name was shocked upon hearing that it would be permanent.

"C-Can I speak with her?"

"She's not around anymore..."

John said with a frown.

"She moved away a few months ago. She talked about moving to the Splatlands. It shocked all of us for sure, who would want to live there?"

The Inkling with no name's face dropped upon hearing it. He was never going to get to the Splatlands, even if he wanted to. He held back tears as he began to walk out of the house.

Even after nearly two whole decades, Bohan Village was still thriving. It was one of the only places in the world where gifted and regular people alike managed to co-exist. The place had grown significantly, there were more markets, schools, even more workshops. Kids were running around the street, playing games.

"So, you're new here as well?"

An Octoling with dark hair and green highlights asked as she approached the Inkling with no name. He to his right and faced the Octoling. He didn't respond. He blindly stared at her.

"Uh, are you okay?"

The Octoling's appearance was almost a replica of his birth mother's appearance that he saw in that one dream. The only difference was the species.

"D-Do I know you?"

"I don't think we do..."

She replied awkwardly.

"I've only moved here like a week ago, my dad helped me settle in. I did feel bad about leaving him: he is a single dad and I didn't want him to be lonely. But he assured me that he will be fine."

"Single dad?"

The Inkling with no name asked.

The Octoling turned around and started to walk to her house.

"We'll talk about this inside!"

She said. The Inkling with no name followed her. The Octoling girl walked past the markets and arrived at her house on the bottom right-hand side of the village. She entered the house first, the Inkling went in second. She began to speak once more after she closed the door. The sound of the door closing was shortly followed by what sounded like creaking, but it was not creaking.

"Well this is my small house. Oh, and sorry about that, that was my meal from last night coming back to haunt me, haha."

Her house looked just John's beforehand. It had a small kitchen on the far right side, with cupboards full of food. The centre of the room was a small TV a sofa. On the top, the left side of the room was a small hay bed with a small desk to its left. The walls were made from dark wood and the floor and roof were made of stone.

"My dad was a Rookie in the Splat Force. During one mission at a village, he found me and took me home. He originally planned to give me to an adoption centre but apparently, I was too attached to him that I was crying when I was taken. He adopted me and raised me like his own. He did open up to me when I was twelve."

She explained.

The Inkling with no name's eyes widened after hearing what she had told him. That sounded awfully familiar to a certain other story.

"Your dad was a Splat Force Rookie?"

"Yeah, he was."

She replied.

"After the Gifted Wars, he left the Force and became a history teacher."

The Inkling with no name was left stunned.

"I'm sorry, but, what's your name?"

"Blue Watson."

She answered.

"Watson...wait a second!"

He exclaimed as he made a realization.

"Your father was Peter Watson! He was my history teacher at Inkopolis High!"

"Be more specific, there are many schools in Inkopolis called Inkopolis High, and the majority of them are just utterly obscene."

Blue responded, putting a confused look on the Inkling's face.

"I'm kidding, I know which one you're on about. I went there as well!"

The Inkling with no name chuckled at Blue's sarcasm.

"I was his top student, especially during the Splat Force topic-"

"Wait a second."

Blue interrupted abruptly.

"You must be that Drift kid that he loved talking about at home and to my class. What was it, Drift Tanner?"

"Actually it's eva-vul-"

He struggled to answer the question, making Blue feel more confused.

"Actually...yeah, it's Tanner. Just call me Tanner, okay?"

"Okay then, Tanner."

Blue said cheekily as she turned around and started to tidy her dirty sofa.

"Quick question, did your father find you with another kid? Like a sibling?"

He asked. He had an idea in his head, an idea in which he didn't know how to feel about.

"My dad said that he found me with another, yes, but he said that one of the Commanders took him, he never said which one."

She answered before she turned around and saw the shocked expression on her guests face.

"What's up, Tanner?"

"N-Nothing..."

He whispered to her.

"I-I'm just going to go outside for a bit..."

The Inkling with no name opened the front door and left Blue's house. He couldn't believe it. The most likely scenario was that the thought in his head was the truth. However, his train of thought ended after a post boy ran into the village, holding a folded sheet of paper.

"I have a letter for...Credence Vulcan!"

The red-haired Inkling's face dropped with fear upon hearing that name. It became apparent to him that Bolton was seeking him out. Why now? He ran over to the post boy and took the letter from him. He unfolded the paper and read the words written.

'Credence,

Go north from Bohan Village, behind the village. Go straight forward for five minutes and then turn right and walk that way for the same amount of time, you'll see me there.

Dad'

He knew that if he didn't go, something would happen to someone he loved. This was Bolton, someone who would do anything to get his way. Reluctantly, he started to walk behind the buildings and eventually started going in the direction that he was told to go.

1 0 M I N U T E S L A T E R . . .

Even after carefully following the orders of the sheet of paper carefully, he wasn't sure if he was even heading the right way. That all changed after hearing a familiar voice.

"Hello, Credence. Look to your left."

The voice called out. The Inkling took in one long breath before turning to his left and seeing the red-haired Octoling. He was meditating with his eyes closed.

"I don't recommend trying to attack me, I will know if you try. Take a seat, Credence."

"Don't call me that!"

The Inkling with no name muttered in aggression.

"But that's your name."

Bolton replied calmly.

"Unless you still want to go by Drift Evans. That choice is still available if you want."

"I've got no name!"

He responded, fire ignited from both hands.

"I don't want to choose any side!"

"You can say that all you want for so long. But one day, the time will come when you are asked the big question."

He whispered as he finally opened his eyes.

"Who is your allegiance to?"

The red-haired Inkling remained silent for a few seconds, unwilling to accept the truth that Bolton had said to him.

"What do you want from me?"

"Sit down, Credence."

Bolton answered. Feeling that there was no use in telling him not to call him that, he did as he was told and sat down.

The Inkling with no name followed the orders. There was silence between them for a couple of minutes. The only sounds that were heard were the trees waving around and leaves being pushed by the wind. Eventually, the silence had finally broken between them.

"That girl at Bohan Village, the Octoling, is that-"

"Yes, Credence, that is your sister."

Bolton answered, adding to his pile of worries.

"D-Does she know about you?"

He asked with a worried tone. He hoped for the best that he hadn't converted her already.

"Not yet."

He answered to the Inkling's relief.

"But she will know after the great salvation."

The Inkling frowned, not wanting her to be involved with him at all.

"Why have you brought me here."

"To give you an opportunity."

Bolton answered.

" me, Credence."

"On my grave!"

The young man exclaimed as he clenched his fist.

"As I said, I'm done with picking sides!"

"Very well then. When the salvation begins, I'll give you a reason to me..."

He whispered coldly as he stood up, turned around and began to walk away.

Those last words from him urked the Inkling. He stood up and ignited his fists.

"What do you mean?!"

He exclaimed.

Bolton stopped walking and slowly turned around.

"I'll take down those close to you. Rex Allen, Alyssa Frida, even the girl that you call your best friend."

"Ami..."

He whispered. The flames on his fists grew.

"Don't you dare lay one finger on her!"

"You know Credence, your relationship with that girl reminds me of my relationship with my wife. That girl to you is what Helena was to me. You can't live without her, otherwise, you'll go down a path just like mine. I don't want things to go down that way, son, but If that's what it takes, so be it."

Bolton muttered, sending fear into the heart of he who stood before him.

" me, Credence, and I can assure you that your beloved friend will live."

The Inkling with no name looked at the ground, puzzled. It all sounded so real, he was petrified about Ami, but at the same time, he didn't want to him, how could he?

"You're lying, you only want me to your side!"

Bolton let out a heavy sigh of disappointment as he closed his eyes.

"Well played, Credence"

He whispered calmly. Bolton's calm nature was unnerving to the Inkling. Suddenly, he felt the strong urge to pull up a small barrier with his gifts. At first, he didn't know why but seconds later his concerns were answered.

Bolton unleashed a mighty flamethrower at him. The Inkling with no name instantly pulled up a barrier. The barrier was small, only barely managing to withstand the flamethrower. However, he only managed to hold on for so long.

"Gah!"

He yelped as he dropped out of the barrier and fell onto his knees. Bolton dropped the flamethrower instantly and looked down at his son.

"You would've had a chance if you would fight back! You're holding yourself back by hiding in a barrier, Credence. If you tried to fight me, you could've come out on top. With your unwillingness to fight me, how could you possibly protect your friend."

He exclaimed.

"I'm going to offer you this again. me, and not only will your friend be safe, but I'll help you understand your gifts better."

"Never!"

He growled before shooting a fireball at Bolton, who blocked the attack and sent one of his own back at him.

The Inkling with no name was sent flying back after the attack, he groaned as his chest burnt from the heat.

"You're lucky that I held back on that one. Who knows what would've happened if I didn't."

Bolton muttered. He turned around and got out his blade.

"I'll be seeing you soon, Credence. In the meantime, I'm going to pay some respect to an old adversary."

He formed a circle with the blade, opening a flame portal. He walked through, leaving his son in his dust. As soon as the flame portal closed, the Inkling with no name started to cry once more, wishing that it would all end one day.

M E A N W H I L E E L S E W H E R E . . .

The grey Jet landed gracefully outside of the former temple of the Rainmaker. Shortly after, both Rex and Alyssa walked out, wearing their full Splat Force gear.

"What makes you think that he'd be here, Alyssa, the Rainmaker was destroyed two years ago, why would he got after it.

Rex asked as he looked into the open entrance.

"He wouldn't be looking for the Rainmaker. This was where Frederick died."

She answered. Alyssa took one look at her husband and saw the sorrow in his face.

"This is the place..."

He whispered, pain spilling from his voice.

Alyssa placed her right hand on his back.

"It's going to be okay."

The two of them walked into the temple. The entrance was shaped like a hallway in a cathedral. It was large, wide and almost every sound echoed. At the end of the hallway were two paths, one to the left and one to the right. In the middle was a wide doorway that had been slashed down. Behind it was more slashed down walls.

Rex and Alyssa walked to the end of the hallway. They both looked at each of the pathways, Alyssa was focused on the left. However, Rex was focused on the many doors and walls straight ahead of him.

"Drift could be down any of those pathways. You go down the one on the right, I'll take the one on the left, alright?"

Alyssa told him. However, she didn't get a response.

"Rex?"

Upon facing Rex, she noticed that he was staring straight ahead, through the cracks. It was then she realized what he was looking at. Rex walked forward, past the ruined walls and into the former safe room of the Rainmaker, Alyssa followed behind.

Inside the room was a large staircase with a platform at the top, a platform that once held the Rainmaker. However, that's not what they were focused on. In the middle between the staircase and the entrance rested the body of Frederick Evans.

The body was paler and slimmer. The colour in his eyes had faded. His dark grey trench coat had lost its green stripes, it was now colourless. It was an awful sight, especially for Rex.

He fell onto his knees and held Frederick's body gently in his arms. He closed his eyes as tears fell from his face as he cradled him in his arms. Alyssa kneeled to his right and rubbed his back softly. She reached forward and closed Frederick's eyes with two fingers.

"G-Get a blanket from the Jet, please..."

Rex whispered as he stood up and carefully carried the body of his brother in arms.

1 0 M I N U T E S L A T E R . . .

Alyssa was stood by a large open river. The sounds coming from the river were quiet and peaceful, which was fitting for the moment. Rex approached the river, Frederick's body was wrapped up inside of a warm blanket. He gently placed the body onto a small platform that Alyssa had brought out. Rex took one last tearful look at his friend before gently pushing the platform out into the river.

As it drifted off into the river, Rex stood up and stared at it, tears fell from his eyes. Alyssa walked next to him and wrapped an arm around him, tears fell from her eyes. Rex gave Frederick an honourable salute as the platform lowered the body into the water. Frederick's body disintegrated as it entered the water, he was now at peace. Rex lowered his arm slowly and continued to look out into the river.

Almost a minute had ed when Alyssa suddenly heard the sound of rustling coming from the bushes behind her. She quickly turned around and looked at the bushes but saw nothing. However, seconds later, a blade flew out of the bushes towards them. Alyssa blasted an energy beam from her arms, knocking the blade back.

Bolton emerged from the bushes. He reached out his right arm and the blade flew into his grasp. Rex and Alyssa had a staredown with Bolton until one of them made the first move.

Alyssa ran forward from the river blasted another energy beam at Bolton, who blocked it with his blade. Whilst he was busy, Rex threw two Splat Bombs his way. Bolton quickly deflected Alyssa's beam back onto her, knocking her onto the ground. With his spare hand, Bolton unleashed a fireball at one of the Splat Bombs.

B O O M ! ! !

It detonating the bomb before it had the chance to his him. Using his blade, he sliced open the other Splat Bomb. Rex grabbed his Splattershot and aimed it at him.

B A N G , B A N G , B A N G ! ! !

As Bolton was busy reflecting Rex's attack, Alyssa threw a Splat Bomb at him and pushed it forward using an energy beam.

B O O M ! ! !

The bomb managed to attack him. It knocked him back onto the ground. However, it didn't hold him for long. Rex ran forward at him but was knocked back by a fireball. Bolton got back onto his feet. Alyssa charged towards him. He threw his blade sideways at her. She slid underneath, which was what he expected would happen. Alyssa went in for a punch to the face, only to be blocked by Bolton, who counted with a fist to the chest.

S L A M ! ! !

Alyssa gasped out in pain before being taken hostage by Bolton, who wrapped one arm around her neck and reached out with his, the blade flew into his grasp. Rex aimed his N-Zap at Bolton but paused upon seeing his wife held hostage by him.

"Drop the weapon or else her neck will be cut!"

He demanded. Not wanting his wife to be killed, Rex placed his N-Zap on the floor. Staying true to his agreement, Bolton let her go.

She gasped out for air as Rex quickly walked forward and hugged her.

"What do you want, Bolton?!"

Rex asked aggressively.

"I came by to pay some respect to my old adversary. But it looks like you've already done that."

He answered calmly.

"Where is Drift?"

Alyssa asked. She managed to quickly link together that he could've been here due to a possible encounter with him.

"If you've hurt him I swear to-"

"Don't worry, Credence is alive and well."

Bolton assured them, using his birth name.

"Don't call him that!"

Rex growled.

"Why? He doesn't like going by Drift anymore. Why should I?"

He whispered.

This angered the two Splat Force Commander's, especially Rex.

"If you've converted him-"

"No need to worry, he doesn't like Credence either. He doesn't want to pick a side."

Bolton assured the two of them.

"We know that you are planning something."

Alyssa exclaimed.

"That night at the Dainty Fort, we got answers from your misguided followers."

"Misguided? I'm guiding them towards a great salvation. I can give them freedom!"

Bolton exclaimed.

"Your act of freedom is caused by eliminating many in order to dominate us all."

Alyssa said, angering Bolton.

"None of you understand! All I want is for the gifted and the non-gifted to live in peace. I only take down those who oppressed it. Frederick, those men at the S.A.I, many more, including you two and the Splat Force."

He growled back.

"We don't oppose salvation, Bolton! We oppose your methods, we oppose the fact that you are a cold-blooded murderer!"

Rex yelled.

"Strange that you say that, because didn't you oppose the gifted almost two decades ago when you and Frederick sent your entire legion after Baxter Village for the sole reason being that we were gifted?!"

He exclaimed as he walked around them in a circle.

"You talk about my methods as if they are worse than raiding a village full of innocent people just to take out the fair few that were bad! I'm not fighting for myself, I'm fighting for them! For those innocent people who lost their lives! And more importantly, I fighting for Helena, who wasn't gifted and if I may recall, it was Frederick that killed her in cold blood!"

Both Rex and Alyssa were stunned after hearing everything. He was right, they were sounding like hypocrites. But things have changed since then, they no longer fear or hate the gifted but it didn't change the past.

"Is that why you plan on bringing her back from the dead?"

Rex muttered.

"She too needs salvation. As I said, she was never gifted."

Bolton replied, sounding more calmer.

"Everything is already set for the resurrection. It's been set for over a month."

"So why haven't you brung her back now then?"

Alyssa asked.

"Melissa claims to have not been able to her spirit. She has said the same thing for over a month. But I can see through her lies now."

Bolton explained, still circling around them.

"Tomorrow is her last chance. If she fails me then, she is no use to me."

"A-Are you going to kill her?"

Alyssa asked her she silently clenched her fists.

"No, I'm not like you. I'll just let her go, she won't get the salvation for her mother as promised. Her mother who if you don't recall was killed by Frederick!"

The red-haired Octoling growled.

"What? Fred didn't kill Kamala, Terrador did! Terrador murdered her with a stone spike to the stomach. Fred was going to spare her!"

Rex retaliated. He couldn't bear Bolton blaming everything on Frederick anymore.

"Don't lie to me!"

Bolton roared as his blade lit up with the colours of fire.

"He's not lying, I was there too!"

Alyssa yelled, backing her husband up.

"Alyssa..."

Bolton whispered as he walked closer to her. Rex stood in front of her in an attempt to protect her.

"You too are gifted, you too saw how they raided Baxter Village. And here you are married to one of the Commanders. Don't think I've forgotten about you betraying Baxter."

"I didn't want to conquer Inkopolis, like Terrador. I wanted peace, just like you! My mother was also killed by an act of discrimination and violence due to her species yet I didn't want to rage war for Octoling kind, I-I just wanted peace. And surely enough, me and Rex had the same ideologies. We both wanted to end the war by finding peace with the residents and for the most part, we did! I helped the Splat Force bring peace and not continue a war."

Alyssa explained, putting Bolton in his place.

"Why couldn't you have done the same?"

"You had a good upbringing. I only had a father who wished I was dead! Your upbringing made your path different to mine!"

Bolton whispered before turning around and forming a flame portal.

"I expect to be seeing the two of you soon."

Bolton walked through the flame portal and left the two of them behind, speechless. What went from a fight of gifts, blades and fists quickly turned into a fight of lectures.

L A T E R T H A T E V E N I N G . . .

The Inkling with no name stood alone at the top of the cliffside by Bohan Village. The same cliffside in which he found out about his adopted father's demise. Tears went down his face as he looked down to the bottom of the cliff. He felt hopeless, weak, he felt that all the burdens and suffering would never go away.

He took in one breath before moving closer to the edge and sat down. He stared into the sunset. His entire body was shivering.

"Wait! Whatever you're about to do, don't do it!"

A voice called out from behind him. The Inkling turned around and saw Melissa standing a few feet ahead of him.

"What do you want!"

He yelled as she walked closer.

"Stay back! Stay away from me!"

"I'm not going to hurt you! Bolton doesn't even know I'm here!"

Melissa assured, calming down the Inkling in an instant.

Feeling a little bit safer, the Inkling with no name slowly and steadily approached Melissa.

"W-Why are you h-here?"

"You're lost. You don't like who you are anymore. I want to help you and I know how."

Melissa explained.

"H-How can you possibly help?!"

The cursed Inkling asked aggressively.

"Someone is calling from beyond the dead. He wishes to speak with you."

Melissa responded. The red-haired Inkling replied by tilting his head.

"I can bring people back through spiritual projections. It's temporarily and only lasts for five to ten minutes. When they are here you can speak to them, ask them anything. They have emotions, feelings. If you try and hug them, you won't physically be hugging them but it would feel like you are. The only ones who will be able to see it are me and who ever is speaking to them, which in this case would be you. It would feel like they're really here. I often speak with my late mom that way."

The lost Inkling took time to take in all the information about spiritual projections.

"Y-You said that someone wants to speak with me?"

"Please stay still."

Melissa said as she gently touched the Inkling's forehead with her thumb and closed her eyes. Seconds later, she removed it and opened her eyes.

"He is here."

The Inkling with no name was confused. Who was here? However, that question was answered very shortly.

"Hello, Drift..."

A voice called out from behind him. The Inkling nervously turned around and was shocked to see none other than his adopted father, Frederick Evans.

He wore the same grey trench coat, the same sun visor as he did on the day he died. He had the same spiky dark green hair and the same dark green eyes.

The Inkling with no name took time to take in the sight ahead of him. He couldn't believe it. He slowly walked forward.

"D-Dad?"

He whispered. Frederick responded by nodding. It was then that the shock faded and the questions started.

"Why Dad...why?"

"On that day at Baxter Village, the sight of you on the ground by your birth mother haunted me. It made me see what a fool I was..."

Frederick answered, sounding guilty.

"I took you as my own because...If I didn't then it would've damager me for the rest of my days. I couldn't just leave you alone."

The Inkling with no name was already tearing up as he listened to the words of his late adopted father.

"T-Th-Then why did you change my appearance, put a spell on me! You tried to hide who I was, dad!"

"I didn't want you to grow up feeling different to everyone. I was scared of you being taken. I couldn't bear the thought of you one day being taken from me early."

Frederick answered with pain in his voice. He let out a heavy sigh before continuing.

"I wanted you to fit in, Drift."

The Inkling tried his best to hold back the tears that were inevitably going to drop down his face.

"W-Why did-didn't y-you tell me then?!"

He whimpered.

"I was going to, believe me, I was, Drift! I was going to tell you after high school. Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to..."

He answered as he looked down at the ground.

"I wish that I was able to turn it all around and be honest with you son and not leave it to become a lie. My name had already been used in many of those, such as the death of your mother, Melissa."

What he said had taken Melissa by surprise. Her eyes widened.

"W-What?"

"You were told that I killed your mother when in actuality it was Terrador who did it."

Frederick explained to her.

"I-I don't believe it!"

Melissa whispered to herself.

"H-He lied to me!"

"He manipulated you into doing his will, Melissa. And that's what is going to happen if you follow him Drift, even if you are his son."

He explained to him.

The Inkling with no name looked down at the ground, a small tear fell from his eyes.

"Did you know?"

"I didn't know it was Bolton, Drift."

Frederick answered truthfully.

"What I do know is how selfish I was for not being around anymore! I wish I was there so you could've taken it all out on me instead of Rex. I wish I was there so we could've gone through it all together. I wish...that I was honest with you..."

The red-haired Inkling couldn't hold back the tears anymore. He started to cry hysterically and loudly. His entire body was shivering.

"I-I'm sorry...It's just, I was mad and I-I-I needed you, I needed my dad! I-I-I wish I walked out that temple with you and...I wish you were still here."

Frederick shed several tears upon watch his son suffer a meltdown.

"I'm sorry for everything, Drift..."

He whispered.

"I don't want my legacy to be left on your shoulders anymore. Be the man you want to be, live the life you want to live, die the man you want to be. No matter what, I'll always be by your side."

The Inkling had nothing else left to say. He reached his arms forward, he wanted one last hug. Frederick reached forward and managed to hug him. His spirit was warm and cosy, it felt like he was really hugging him.

"I-I miss you, D-Dad..."

He whispered as he cried into his arms.

"I miss you too, son..."

Frederick whispered back as his spiritual projection began to fade.

Seconds later, he opened his eyes and saw that his father was gone like he was never there. He cried for a moment before looking at the sunset. He felt a part of him come back.

Melissa shed a few tears for them, whilst also feeling anger towards Bolton for lying to her.

"A-Are you okay?"

He turned around and looked at Melissa, a small smile formed on his face.

"I am, thank you."

Drift responded with a smile

The two of them smiled for a moment before a burning question entered Melissa's mind.

"What are you going to do now?'

"I'm going to go back to my friends."

Drift answered.

"What are you doing."

"I can't betray him, even tho I really want to after what Frederick had said. He'll kill me. I just need to watch my back!"

Melissa answered, giving Drift an assuring smile.

Drift smiled at her. He knew that he couldn't change her mind, it could cost her life.

"I understand."

He said.

"Thank you once again!"

The two smile at each other before Drift ran forward, away from the cliffside. He ran into Infantry Forest, making long super jumps every now and then. He kept running, he didn't stop once, not even for a break, not matter how tired he had gotten. After hours and hours of running, he finally arrived back outside of Infantry Forest, it was approaching morning, he had been running all night. However, he still ran forward to get back home.

T H E N E X T D A Y . . .

Melissa opened the trap door, revealing a silver staircase. She walked down the stairs and entered the rectangular base. Inside she saw Bolton at the end of the room, taking yet another look at the notes from the Book Of The Dammed.

"Where is Led?"

She asked.

"He and Bruce have gone to find the Pulpo City church. Undernourished the church is a place where witchcraft was used all that time ago. They've gone to set everything up for today."

He answered before putting the notes down and finally facing Melissa. He started to walk towards her.

"Come with me, my child."

Bolton walked up the stairs and out of the base, Melissa was confused as to what Bolton was planning, she couldn't reach into her mind to see however she sensed his surprisingly relieved aura and was curious. She ran up the stairs and caught up to him.

T O B E C O N T I N U E D . . .

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

T H X F O R R E A D I N G ! ! !

Thx for reading this weeks chapter of Splat Force II: Allegiance! The count down to the finale has officially begun, folks! In the end, there will be one question: who is your allegiance to? Next weeks chapter will be more laid back than the past couple of chapters but, at the same time, the plot will go massively forward. So stay tuned for that! Until next time, stay safe out there! ^^

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

#CuratorReview