SIAD: The Lovely Princess

Chapter 6: Dreams In Failure

"How dare you appear here!" Diana shouted as soon as she saw Claude appear in her daughter's room. Her face was soaked in tears while hugging Athanasia in her arms. "Are you not yet satisfied to see her dying?" She asked.

Claude's eyes went wide when he saw Diana throwing a vase at him. He didn't try to avoid it but the vase didn't reach him.

He already saw her crying in the past, but he never saw Diana this angry. 

He doesn't know where to start but he wanted to comfort her. However, it seems like she's angry at him, no, to be precise, Diana is angry at the failed version of himself.

His eyes darted at the pitiful appearance of the Athanasia of this dimension. Although she's still beautiful as her mother, she's thin and her face is pale. Because of this, he can't even look directly at them.

Somehow, he wanted to kill himself, the failed version of himself who is pathetic, but he knows that killing him won't be enough for his sin for this Athanasia.

He'll destroy the whole Obelia if the same thing will happen to his daughter.

He knows that he wasn't a saint, he also once tried to kill his daughter in the past. Claude could never atone for his sins, and seeing the miserable situation of the Athanasia of this world made him feel condemnable.

If Diana would know about those, how will she react?

Just what happened to that damned version of himself?

"Diana..." He called softly to her. "Let's go home."

Diana raised her head when she that familiar tone. She clenched her fist tightly before biting her lips. "Clau... Claude?" She asked. "I-Is that you? The real Claude?"

Claude stared at Diana for a moment with a sad smile on his face. He slowly nodded his head as he walk in their direction, never intending to break his gaze on Diana's face.

"Yes, It is me," He mumbled softly as if he were talking to a child. "I went here to get you. Let's go home."

Diana felt relief when she heard Claude's answer. Tears couldn't stop falling while looking at his expression. The look on his face is really different from the other Claude's expression. It feels warm.

"Claude..." Diana cried as she hugged Athanasia. "Athanasia... our Athanasia... she's dying," Diana told him like a child who lost her candy. "Someone poisoned her, the doctor said that there is no antidote."

She looked stressed from all of the things that she witnessed.

Claude clenched his fist as soon as he heard her. There is only one deadly poison in his kingdom that has no antidote. That poison is commonly used on the prisoner that committed the gravest sin to assure their deaths.

Not even his magic could detoxify it.

He glanced at the pitiful appearance of Athanasia.

Thinking that the failed version of him used such poison on his daughter made his blood boil. He can't help but curse him all over again. The other Claude is an utter failure.

Claude cupped Diana's face as he left a small kiss on her forehead. "It's alright, I won't let her die," Claude told her. "We will save our daughter," he mumbled as he placed his hand on Athanasia's head.

In the end, Claude could only give Diana an assurance...  

That might turn into a white lie.

A moment from now, this world will fall into doom. They have to leave as soon as possible, and the Athanasia from the other dimension is waiting for them. 

Their time is lacking.

Claude's eye went to the Magician who was only watching from afar. He might not be able to do anything for the Athanasia in this world, but he could tell that it wasn't the same thing for the Black Tower Magician.

Lucas closed his eyes.

Claude remained silent as he wait for the Magician's response. It might be a shame to ask for the fool's assistance, but it's his only chance to save Athanasia...

And his lover, Diana.

However, his dreams are shattered when Lucas uttered his word.

"We cannot save her," Lucas stated with resolution in his tone. His eyes went outside of the window watching the sky rumble and turned red and gray. "We cannot save this Dimension's Athanasia," he told them once again.

Diana who heard the young Magician's voice couldn't help but tremble. Her red eyes couldn't help but to glance in Lucas' direction. 

The words from Lucas couldn't stop her heart from breaking, she wanted to shout at him, but she stopped herself from doing that. Diana knows Lucas, the young warlock might be cheeky but he wouldn't do something without a proper reason.

"Why?" Diana asked the Magician.

Lucas darted his eyes at the Athanasia in this world. He can't refuse the fact that she is beautiful and thinking that Athanasia would grow up beautifully made him smile.

But seeing her pitiful situation like this is also making him angry.

Everything in this world is a failure, the dimension itself is an utter failure, and one of the greatest failures in this Dimension is his failed version, which is this world's Lucas. 

It disappoints Lucas because the failed version of him did not even have a connection to this world's Athanasia. If only things end up in another way, this world might be saved from the incoming destruction.

But moving every 'what if's' aside, even if he saves this world's Athanasia, there is no guarantee that she would really be saved. The fact that this Dimension is meant to fail is enough for him to stop intervention. 

If he intervenes anything from this world, their current dimension might cease to exist.

To be precise, if he saves this world's Athanasia, the current Athanasia might cease to exist.

'You are one of her past lives, aren't you?' Lucas thought.

Lucas's eyes went wide when he saw Athanasia's eyes open. 

Her blue jeweled eyes which seemed tired went directly to him. Lucas could tell that her gaze was meant for him. Her eyes may be beautiful but it is sad and gloomy, Lucas could tell that there are a lot of emotions hidden from those eyes.

Athanasia tried to move her hand to point at the Magician.

Diana who was also looking in his direction didn't notice Athanasia's movement.

'I had a dream.'

Lucas stared at her eyes intently when he heard her voice. He doesn't know if he could actually hear her thoughts or if this is some kind of phenomenon caused due to the near destruction of this Dimension.

Either way, Lucas chooses to ignore it.

However...

'I was happy in that dream. My father loves me, I have a mom... and I also saw you."

As soon as he heard her next thoughts, he realized that she was actually talking to him.

'Will I experience that in the future?'