"What about this door?" Meliana pondered. Donning a more appropriate attire, she appears heavenly in Nul's eyes as the two float aimlessly inside the ever-expanding void that is his mind. Meliana directs herself towards the nearest door, grabbing onto the handle, closing her eyes as if to feel it's contents. "Nope, not this one." She says, pushing herself away towards another door. "Maybe here? No..."
"What are you looking for?" Nul asks. "We have been roaming for a while now, and all you have been doing is door shopping."
"Each door leads to a memory remember?" she says, turning to face him "I am trying to find the perfect one to jog your head into shape."
"Wouldn't it be easier to just open them?" he asks.
"Do you want your mind to shatter into itty bitty pieces?" Nul shook his head, answering the rhetorical question. "Thought so." she turns back, whimsically floating to the next door. "No... not here either."
"Is there a quicker way to find whatever it is you are looking for?" Nul asks, a little frustrated.
"There would be if you had your memories," she says, "but if you had them, we wouldn't be here. Have patience." Tilting her head, she gives him a playful smirk. "You know, I'm glad I can do this. All of those dirty little secrets you hold, free to watch. Look!" She points to a door circled with hearts and horns. "There's one now!" She pushes herself towards it.
Nul, thinking of what could be behind that door, hastily intercepts her. "Don't you dare." He turns back to see the door had disappeared. That was close, he thinks.
"That was close." The void echoes.
"Shit." Nul mumbles under his breathe, embarrassed.
Meliana gives a dirty and malicious grin. "I think we just found a way to locate our destination."
With a blushed face, Nul turns back towards her. "Oh no. Whatever you have in mind I do not consent."
She scrunched her face and puffs her cheeks. "Fine, I'll do it differently." She turns around, mumbling under her breath, "You're no fun." She takes a deep breath, clenching her hands, slowly opening them up, and exhales. "I need you to be emotional."
"Why?" he asks.
"An emotion should help us find related memories; in our case it should bring the doors with similar emotional weight or feelings."
"And you think that would work?" he ponders
"Where do you think that one door came from?" She smirks. "You know the one."
Nul feels his face flush in embarrassment. "I don't know what you mean." he defensively speaks, averting his eyes from her.
"Perfect," she ignores him, moving towards a pink glowing door. "Now let's see what's in he-"
"Let's try something else." Nul intervenes again, "If we want a start, lets avoid anything that could embarrass the both of us."
"Then tell me oh wise one, what emotion would be better than a little shame?" she teases.
"Oh! You're doing this on purpose!" Nul joins in. "Two can play this game."
A door glowing a gradient of yellow to light orange slowly creeps up to the two.
"Oh, looky here," Meliana taps Nul's chest turning to the door. "Looks like you lost this one." She grabs the handle. "This one's good. Let's enter." She pushes it open and enters, leaving Nul to mull over what just occurred.
"I didn't lose," he says with uncertainty, "I didn't get to start." The door subtly changes to a gray glow before Nul opened the door and entered.
Before him was a hallway that extends to the horizon, on one side were windows peering into a dark starless sky, the other had more portraits of people of people he didn't know, but their features were familiar. As he walked down the hall, he couldn't help but wonder why these faces were familiar. Hold on, He came to a realization, are these me? He turns around, the door had vanished, revealing behind a seemingly infinite hall. He turns to the nearest painting. A female with pitch black flowing hair hanging over one shoulder, covering an eye. She did not have the same purple eyes as him, hers are grey, and they are unmistakably devoid of compassion. Ok, they are not me, He wonders, maybe different versions? A thought sparks his mind as the realization sets in. They are guardians. This entire hallway is filled with guardians.
He looks towards both ends of the hallway. No, it can't be, his heart beats faster, there are too many here. She said seventy-eight. He picked a direction and ran, glancing at each portrait as he passed. Pick black hair, with eyes empty of an emotion. He starts counting. I passed by thirteen already, this one is fourteen. He ran.
This can't be right. He thought after he passed portrait three hundred sixty-four. All of these people came before me. Did she lie? Has that goddess lie-, He spots something off with next one. There are two in this one. Why are there two? He steps closer. The portrait hanging before him had two people, one that resembles the other guardians, yet this one had life in his eyes, but the other- No. Nul backed away in fear. It's him. The golden man has his right arm wrapped around the other, gleefully smiling as if enjoying this eternal moment.
Nul prepares himself for a fight, though it never came. He forcefully calmed himself. If this one has my predecessor, He thinks, then the next one is- he turns, coming be face to face with a humanoid figure shrouded in a thick black smoke with a white fog coming from where the eyes would be. The fog turns red, shrinking into intense, hate-filled slits.
Knowing what is about to happen, Nul turns around and bolts away, often looking back to watch his pursuer, yet it vanished. Turning forward, he barely manages to stop himself before colliding into the being. He backs away, never letting the figure leave his sight.
With his heart beating out of control, Nul begins thinking of a way out. Come on, there has to be a way out of this. The figure steps closer.
"H-Hey," Nul speaks in a panic, "Hello, it's uh... nice to meet you, my predecessor?" A black beam the size of his head flies past his left ear, centimeters from contact. Nul freezes, eyes widen with fear. The figures eyes change to blood red. This is bad, he thinks, I didn't expect this reaction. He falls to his knees.
Why again? Why is my mind like this? What happened to me? Why does it want me dead? He leans back, hoping to get an inch away from the thing in front of him, but there was nothing there. He slips, falling into a circular hole. Not again. "What is wrong with this place!?" Nul screams. The figure glares through the hole as it slowly closes.
Nul didn't fall for long. With a loud thud, he landed on his back right in front of Meliana's feet. "FU-" he howls.
"AH!" she screams back. Recognizing Nul, Meliana grew furious. "What the hell! Where were you! I was looking for you everywhere. Why did you fall from the sky! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
Nul gasps for air, pleading for help in silence.
"Oh shit!" Meliana hurryingly squats to his aid but doesn't reach her arms towards him. "Oh god, uh... How do I? Where do I? Uh..." She franticly searches him, vying for a solution to help. "What do I do?" She begins mumbling to herself. "Would magic work? Maybe? With a body like that?"
Nul starts to feel a sharp pain in his head. There you are. Someone whispers in his mind.
"Might as well try. Hope his brain doesn't explode." Meliana averts her gaze, closing her eyes. "Here we go." She reaches out her arms. Dark orbs appearing before each hand, slowly moving towards Nul's head and chest. The moment the orbs touch his skin he can feel them spread throughout his body as he feels lighter than before. The pain vanished as if it was never there.
Feeling better than ever, he sits up and faces the goddess. "Well, I lived." He says half-jokingly half scared. "We should run."
"What for?" she asks.
"Just run." Without saying another word, Nul stands up and sprints down the hallway Meliana was walking through, not looking back to see if she was following. He sees a door off in the distance, the hallways end.
This has an exit, Nul notices, A way out of this place. I am so glad. I am not coming back.
"Wait up!" Meliana screams after him, keeping pace but at a sizeable distance. "Why are you running!"
Nul reaches the doorway, looking back to see Meliana, and a glowing yellow spec growing larger off in the distance. Knowing what that is, Nul quickly turns the knob and opens the door, "Hurry! It's behind you!" he calls out.
Meliana turns to look behind her, seeing the encroaching light. "AH!" She picks up the pace, running through the doorway without any thought of what may be past. Seeing that, Nul quickly follows and faces the light, flipping it off. "Fuck off!" He slams the door.
Turning around, he looks about the place to see where they ended up. The room looks to be a part of a wooden winter home, decorated with a lit fireplace that has a shelf above hanging five socks out to dry, a chimney with a wall mounted minotaur head as a center piece, a tree decorated in different colored glass orbs and a star at its peak, a desk with a plate full of burnt cookies, and a dark green couch that looks unused and comfortable.
"This must be one of your mixed memories," Meliana points out, "as I have no idea why there is a tree inside, let alone bedazzled." She walks closer to inspect it. "I kind of like it. It gives off a sort of warmth"
"That would be the fire." Nul says, joking about being close to the fireplace. He glances back at the door they just came through.
"Haha." She sarcastically laughs. "And what about this seat, it's so big." She plops down on the couch and stretches out to take up the entire cushion. "Oh, this feels nice." She slowly lulls herself to sleep. "I can stay here... forever..."
Did she just fall asleep after we were chased? Hell, I was even attacked! He complains in his head. I should be the one to rest! Hearing a creaking noise from the couch, he walks around to investigate. Did my eyes deceive me, or did it just move? "Hey uh. Meliana?" He calls out to her. "Not to alarm you, but that couch... How do I put it into words... I think it moved."
"I didn't feel anything, let me get some sleep." She grumbles, half awake. Nul hears another squeak from the couch.
"Yup definitely moving. Meliana?" He continues. "I think you should get up."
"You just wanted this comfy seat all to yourself just a moment ago, so I don't think so."
Shit, the mind reading again. Is there a range on it? "Can you get up. I promise I will let you sleep there if I can calm this suspicion of mine."
"Fine," she rolls off onto the floor, "So cold."
Grabbing one of the burnt cookies, Nul tosses it onto the couch. Within a second later the couch folds ripping up the cushion revealing a mouth with white sharp teeth protruding both ends. The newly revealed creature ferociously devours the cookie.
"Woah! A mimic!" Meliana beamed with joy. "I didn't know you wanted a pet mimic!"
"A what?" Nul turns, horrified at what he just witnessed.
"A pet mimic." She points at the now normal, untouched couch. "They are the cutest little creatures that help keep the house clean." She bends down to look underneath the mimicouch. "This one is old; you can tell by its size and how dark the coloring is. The younger they are the more vibrant they look. That's how used to attract prey, but when humanity saw that they were good rodent repellents, they decided to tame these little guys into docile creatures." She stands up, going to the back of the couch and petting the top. "Who's a good little mimic? You are." She says in a babying voice. "Will you give it some more?" She asks, "He must be hungry."
"That thing is cute?" he asks mortified. I don't know what's worse: The mimic or her fawning over it.
"It will be what I do to you if you don't feed this precious baby." She threatens. "What kind of a father are you, not taking care of their own kid." she wraps her arms over the couch, getting as much contact as she can.
"This is my mind!" He defends. "It's not real, let alone a child! You even said it's old! What even is a mimic!"
"Feed him then I'll tell."
"Fine!" He relents. "What kind of rollercoaster did I get myself into." He grabs the plate, turning back to see Meliana staring wide eyed at him, still cuddling the mimic. "What," he asks, dumping the cookies into the mimic's mouth, "Stop staring at me like I'm a ghost. What?"
"Say that again." She demands, pushing herself off the mimic, stiffly facing him.
"Say what? I'm not a ghost?" He says confused.
"Not only that, but what's a rollercoaster and how do you know it?" She walks closer, grabbing his face, examining every little thing.
"Wha are you doih." Nul says through pinched cheeks.
When Meliana was satisfied, she let go with a gleaming smile. "I knew it! You're getting memories back!" She cheerfully leaps. "I knew that door was the right one!" She quickly puts a hand on her chin as if in deep thought. "I should have seen it sooner. You knew how to reveal a mimic, knew the thing on the plate was food, said this situation is a 'rollercoaster', and I don't want to know what message you were relaying with your finger given your outburst with it," she pauses, "also the ghosts."
"Well, you definitely said something about-" he attempts to speak, only to have Meliana silence him with her finger.
"I never said any of that." She claims, backing away, jumping with joy once again. "I can't believe it! The plan is working! You'll be good as new in no time at this rate!"
Nul can't help but smile at her childlike glee. "Well, I guess you were right in the end, but that doesn't excuse the two deadly encounters I had before."
"Then we can just find a way to avoid them." she remarks. "If they can find us, we should be able to find them, right?" she kneels down on the ground, drawing a silver circle filled with strange symbols at her feet with her finger. Once completed, she stands straight, mumbling something intelligible under her breath. The circle lights up and vanishes completely. "There, now we can always come back to this room if we want to rest."
"You just want to spend more time with that mimic." Nul glares.
"The mimic is just a bonus, for me." she says. "On a side note, what kind of food is a mimics' favorite?"
Giving up with a sigh, Nul turns toward the door. "We can find out as we continue on..."
Nul stares, shocked at what he sees. The demon stands menacingly in front of the door with the familiar smile. "Not nice of you to say to me." It mocks, slowing walking around the room. "After all we have been through, how strong our bond is, it hurts to think the first thing you say to me would be 'Fuck off.'" He laughs, turning his attention to Meliana. "Oh, how lovely to see you again, milady." he bows. "How long has it been, a millennium? Time really does lose its meaning being alive for so long."
"How are you here?" she trembles.
Ignoring her, the demon continues. "Thank you for freeing me my goddess. Without you as my replacement I don't think I would have made it here so easily, now this splinter of mine will have so much fun burning everything in sight."
"Answer my question." She sheepishly demands.
The demon stops in front of the fire. "I'm shocked, my goddess. You forgot how my powers work entirely, how else would you not know the answer."
"I am not your goddess." She angrily mumbles.
"Wasn't it your words that said, 'If you can interact with a god, they would also be your god', or was every word you said to my brother lies."
"Wh-" A cloth of light attaches itself over Meliana's mouth, inhibiting her from speaking. She attempts to rip it off, but it fused to her skin.
"Did you hear something oh dark one?" The demon directs his attention to Nul who is more concerned with getting Meliana and him out. "Oh, don't worry about her. I'm sure that return circle she made got the attention of that prison you made." he gloats. "But I forgot! You were not the one who made that prison? Where is that man now if I may ask?"
In an attempt to buy time, Nul decides to play whatever game this guy is playing. "Before I answer your question, you must answer mine."
"Sounds fair." The demon changes to his human form, leaning on the chimney wall. "Ask away, it's not like time is relevant to us anyways."
"Who are you? Why are you trying to kill me?" Nul asks the obvious.
"Oh boo. Such boring questions." the guy taunts. "My name is Nalzarek, The seven hundred eighty-fourth guardian of the Sun, you?"
"Nul." he answers.
"Nul." Nalzarek smiles, thinking about the answer. "I like it. I'll be sure to welcome you once I'm done."
"What about my second question?" Nul pushes.
"Right, that! I apologize for that moment. I have no desire to kill you, I simply confused you with someone else who resides here. Your former self if I understand." Nalzarek glares at Meliana, who's attempting to use magic to break free. "You would know magic won't work on that if you remembered what my powers were." turning back to Nul. "Was she always this aloof? I swore she was smarter than this."
"Mind telling me your power?" Nul asks. I could use all the information I get right now.
"What's the harm, it won't be like you'll remember it later." Nalzarek says. "As I said, I am the Guardian of the Sun, with powers relating to light, energy, or similar. Mine specifically is more about perception. I can alter people's sight, gifting them vision or taking it away. I can silence or give others a voice, same goes with hearing, touch, and taste. In short, I have power over the mind. The proof is me being here. Normally, only the god who stole you should be able to commune with your head as with the mental connection you two share, but with my ability," he points his pointer and middle finger out in between Meliana and Nul, "I can cut that connection, permanently." A thread of light appears attached to Meliana's head, weaving its way to Nul, tightening into a thin straight line on contact. "I'll demonstrate."
In an instant, the two fingers glow with a bright light while Nalzarek closes them together. The thread attaching Nul and Meliana breaks as if cut by scissors, flickering out as the two halve fall to the floor. The fire suddenly blows out as a cold chill fills the room. "Perfect timing." Nalzarek says, moving away from the fireplace. "Enjoy your new life, my goddess." he laughs.
Something oozes out of the fireplace, an ever-growing blob of what resembles a stary night sky slowly etching closer to Meliana. she stands, fear and helplessness exuding from her eyes as she looks towards Nul for help. "Help her and I'll remove your knees." Nalzarek threatens. "This thing is only after the most dangerous thing in your mind. Surprising that it would be the goddess who wanted to help you, is it not?" He cackles. "To think! After everything we went through in life, this is how we are freed! Down with the heretics that stole us from our home! Down with the world we were forced to love! We will be the ones to make this place anew! What a beautiful sight to behold!"
This can't be happening, I have to do something, I can't just stand here. Nul begins strategizing. Think Nul, think. I can try to escape the same way against Nalz, but I don't know how I did it. What about the time with that figure? That was the same as the first time. What would work! A dangerous thought crosses his mind. It's all I got left. I'm sorry me, we just have to endure this one more time. Nul begins trying to remember his name.
A sharp pain consumes his entire body as the room turned bright red and begins shaking violently. Nul shrieks, falling to his knees. "What are you doing!?" Nalzarek screams as he starts losing his balance. "Do you have a death wish?"
Farther, Nul thinks, this is not far enough, I must think harder. The pain grows stronger, and the room begins to break. Harder, think harder. Nul loses feeling in his legs and arms, and the roof shatters to pieces.
"What is wrong with you!" Nalzarek yells, now focusing on not falling through the growing holes everywhere. He points his right hand at Nul, forming a finger pistole with his fingers, aiming for the head. As his pointer finger glows, ready for the shot. The floor beneath the mimic blows up, launching it at Nalzarek, crushing him against a wall, the sky slime starts sliding down the hole as Meliana scrunches up in a corner. Nul loses feeling everywhere below the neck and his eyes start tearing out blood.
As Nul's vision begins to blur, he can barely spot a figure outside one of the holes in the wall. His vision wavers for a moment and the figure appeared in the center of the room looking at Nul with the same blood red eyes, unaffected by the chaos around it as shards of wood fly through its body. With one last defiant act, Nul tries to recall anything from as far back as he can. He felt something click in his head, but it was shortly interrupted by a searing pain on his face.
His sight briefly returns. To his horror he saw an unconscious Meliana being consumed by the sky slime, and the figure overlooking both the capture and him as he falls through a crack in the wall. Nul's last glimps was of him failing to save her and falling into the void below.
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"Wake up. You are not done yet."
Eyes fluttering open, Ilian stares into the expansive void of space, floating there unknowing if he is moving or not.
Where am I? He asks himself. He turns to look at his surroundings. Everywhere is nothing more than the glittering night sky he always loved watching. A solid streak of light spreads across the vast environment around him, always out of reach. Glittering sparks of light pop in and out of sight with each glance. Every once in a while, an object crosses his gaze, leaving behind a trail to signify its short existence.
A sense of wonder and awe fill his heart. Is this real? He reaches out his left hand, It's beautiful.
His middle finger touched the vast space, making ripples as if it were liquid. He flinches back, and after a second, he reaches out again, touching the limpid mass ahead, letting his hand flow past the surface. He feels a soft tug behind the wall as his body is slowly pulled to the other side.
He emerges laying down on the transparent surface, each movement sending small ripples off to the unseen horizon. He turns, looking beyond the layer below his body, seeing his body perfectly reflected as if he was duplicated. He pushes himself up to his knees facing above, basking in the quiet yet perfect silence of his surroundings. He closes his eyes to fully immerse himself in this tranquil environment, taking as long as he wants, believing time as irrelevant in a place like this.
There's someone else here. Just watching. Ilian slowly opens his eyes, to be greeted by nothing but stars. He looks around, no one in sight. Guess I was wrong. He thinks. Leaning his head back to face the sky he spots a constellation of an eye, vibrant and full of life. He stares at the constellation, wondering how the stars can make such a detailed look, and the constellation stares back with a look of wonder.
A wave of exhaustion flows over Ilian making him lean forward. Feeling hands grab his body, pulling him under from behind, Ilian looks to the constellation. I'll be seeing you then, He mentally promises the eye. As the last of Ilian's face goes under, It blinks back.
"Oh, thank the heavens you're alive!" Ilian wakes up to Lya warmly embracing his bandaged wrapped body, crying. "The physicians said you were dead." She holds him tighter. "I'm so happy you're back with us."
Ilian looks around. He is back in his room at the orphanage, the place crawling with knights, silently looking for something.
"I died?" he asks. "What happened?" The last thing I remember was fighting the commander, I lost, and Kally was begging for him to stop. He tried to remember more, but there was nothing.
Lya's face grows more worried. "Promise me you won't do anything stupid if I tell you."
Ilian becomes more curious and concerned. "I promise."
"No." Lya gives him a serious look. "Promise me you won't do anything stupid."
His eyes grow wide. "What happened to Kally?"
"She's fine, just lost." she says in distraught. "During the match, she lost control and released a spell that sent your instructor over the city wall, you through three buildings, and five others into an early grave." she tries to hold back some sniffles. "When the dust settled Kally was already gone. That was eight hours ago. The knights were alerted to an alleged sighting of her heading this way thirty minutes ago. They have been stationed to retrieve her ever since." She gets off the bed onto her feet. "Because you two have always been seen together, the knights will probably ask you some questions about where she is." She turns towards the door. "Just remember your promise, I don't want to lose you too." She walks away.
Just as she turns the corner two knights walk in, both dressed in polished silver lined with gold: The King's Guard, one of them with a scroll in hand. "Ilian, I presume." The guard holding nothing speaks. "We heard of your triumph over death three hours ago, you are now the talk of the town." The sits on the closest bed. "I wouldn't doubt that you will be deemed 'The Hero of Luro" after today."
"Why are you telling me this?" Ilian asks. "How long was I dead?"
"You were dead for four hours and thirty-eight minutes," the guard answered, "and to warn you about how your life will change after." The guard faces the other one whom just finished setting up a station to write. "We will begin now." the guard turns back to Ilian. "I, Hollren of The King's Guard, will now begin the questioning of Ilian of Luro. Please keep things factual so to not hinder any advancements that may come from this."
I am in trouble now. Ilian thinks, how much do they know of me right now? This could get way worse.
"How long have you known of the individual named Kally?" Hollren asks. "Would you say you and her are close? Any special connections between the two of you?"
"Uh... four years," Ilian starts to feel hot and sweaty. "Yes, we are close friends." What does he mean by special connection? He thinks, I don't understand, but if I can't think of anything then there must not be one. "And there is no special connection between us, just close friends." He answers feeling a sharp pain in his chest. Why does it feel like I kicked myself?
"During those four years, have you noticed anything peculiar about her?" Hollren continues.
"Unless you mean the ears, I have noticed nothing." Ilian says.
"Regarding earlier reports: You have been seen with her almost every single day, if we include what the owner of this orphanage has said, then you two went everywhere in the town together, spending entire days outside of this building. Is this correct?"
"Yes." What are they trying to catch me for?
"Would you, by chance, have any clue as to where she may be right now, being as you have been by her side for so long?"
Oh, they just want Kally and not the two of us. She must be in the tower then. I have to lie. "No." Ilian answers with heat rising in his ears.
"Are you sure? Your face seems flushed." Hollren asks insistent on an answer.
That didn't work. What to do now? Answer it truthfully? No, I'll double down. "I do not know where Kally would be." He says more assuredly.
Hollren leans closer to Ilian's' face, observing any irregularities. "That is all. Thank you for your cooperation." The two guards stand, walking out the door.
That was close. Ilian sighs with relief. He tries to get out of bed, but his legs give him a sharp pain at the slightest amount of pressure. I should go find Kally once my legs stop hurting... Wait FOUR HOURS! "I've been dead for four hours!" Ilian screams in disbelief. Forget my legs! How am I alive! Oh gods, Kally may think she killed me! I'm finding her now!
Filled with determination and worry, Ilian ignores the cries of his body. Looking around the room now on his feet, he finds his bag under the bed and grabs it. Have to grab something light for her, she probably hasn't eaten all day. He walks to the door, wincing in pain as he slowly gets used it.
Looking outside the door he doesn't see or hear any guards; the building was quiet. Can't risk it. He thinks, tiptoeing down the hallway and down the stairs. Everything is going well; I can make it. He reaches out to the front door.
"Ilian." Lya's voice can be heard from her open office. "Come here."
And I'm caught. He walks into her office with his head held low.
Lya was sitting behind her desk, writing on two sheets of paper. "Come closer, I have something for you." She lifts the papers up for one last look through, stacking them on top of each other as Ilian reaches the desk. "Here." She hands him the papers.
"What are these? Am I not in trouble?" Ilian looks at Lya, shocked at her not scolding him for leaving his room let alone his bed.
"That will depend on what you do after. Now take them." Lya shakes the papers at him. He grabs them, looking at what is written out of curiosity. They were adoption forms, written on it were his and Kally's name. The one adopting was Lya.
"Use these as your legal identifications. The two of you are now Thulmoors as well as my children." She stands up and moves around the desk, pointing a finger at Ilian. "That means I expect you to be kind, considerate, and respectful kids. If I here either of you getting into trouble I will come and drag you both back home." She kneels down and hugs Ilian. "Never forget your promise to me." She lets go, moving back behind the desk. "Now go, there is someone who needs you."
Ilian silently nods his head and walks out of the orphanage to where he knows Kally is, alone.