What Lies Beyond

III The Empress: Reflection

Everything dissolve into darkness.

"I didn't want this... No. I never wanted to hurt you..."

All is quiet except for the rattling sound of the chain and Julian's whimper.

"I'm sorry, MC. I'm sorry..." he mutters over and over again, voice chocked.

The other Julian emerges from darkness, now wearing a simple dress shirt and black pants. The sound of his footsteps especially crisp in the silence.

"No, you never meant to hurt." He cups Julian's cheek in his hands, the later opens his eyes weakly.

"But you did." His face emotionless, gazing right into Julian's eyes.

Millions of thoughts flash through Julian's mind. The darkness is something too familiar to him now. The chains, the illusions...he can only associate these to one been; though it is weird it hasn't start insulting him yet. Calling out to his uselessness, cursing him for all his failures.

He thought of his guilt, thought of his mistakes. He has so many regrets, and done so many harms that are incurable.

Among all the mixed feelings, there is only one thought stands out like sunshine in the darkness.

"I have to go back..."  after a long silent moment, he finally managed to form the words.

"You will only hurt them more" The other Julian states simply. One of his arm blackened in spots, and feathers sprouting out with a small splash of blood.

"I promised..." Julian's eyes out of focus. He wants to go back, but makes no effort to struggle out.

"Promised I won't ever leave them again."

"Why do you insist?" The illusion's whole form starts twisting. When it stops, he looks like a mirrored image of Julian. A demon.

"They were fine without you. They will be fine without you." He frowns, speaking vaguely to Julian, but also like to himself.

Julian falls silent again.

If he had not been so scared of failing, if he had not sign his soul over... even before that, if he had stay away from MC, Asra would protect them just fine. He brought them back to life, he would know better than to make deals with the Devil.

"Stay." His illusion speaks again softly, almost a whisper.

"Stay with me. You won't hurt anyone here."

Stay? Sounds like a good idea. Although that means he will be abandoning them once again.

Then he thought of MC. Thought of a morning long time ago, when he wakes up beside their sleeping face. He remembers their brief moment of panic when they thought he had left.

Then, he manages a knowingly smile.

...

The last thing I remember is falling asleep in Julian's arms.

I open my eyes, standing on the damp earth in a mangrove forest.

How did I get here?

I look around. The sky shines crimson, and the tree wriggles in the salty wind.

I'm in a dream.

It strikes me as a shock. Since the world merged, I've never had another dream. The boundary between the realms are gone. With our soul and body both trapped here, dreams can't bring us nothing but nightmares; so I shut the dreams. Yet I am certainly dreaming!