"Isaac… Isaac, wake up!"

"Ohh…. -cough-"

"Isaac!"

Isaac awoke in his room, an angel was watching over him. Once his surroundings cleared, he saw Mia sitting next to his bed, grinding several herbs. He could see tears along the rim of the bowl… She had been crying?

"Mia? -cough-"

"Isaac… don't talk. They said you fell into the river, they found you floating along it unconscious. You probably still have water in your lungs."

"Mia… you came back…"

"… I left?"

"What? I thought you… went back to Imil…"

"Who told you that? Isaac? ISAAC?!"

Isaac had fallen back into unconsciousness. What in the world was going on?

Mia was confused, on more than one issue… How had Isaac fallen into the river last night? What was he talking about, me going back to Imil? I had already told him that I would stay… What in the world was going on with him? She stayed by his side through the night, and through the next morning until he woke up again.

"Mia?"

"Yeah, Isaac?"

"Where am I?"

"You're in your room… don't you remember?"

"Remember what? I don't… remember… anything."

"Isaac? What do you mean, you don't remember?"

"I don't understand… how did I get here, and why do I feel like I just drank a million glasses of water?"

"You were in the river…"

"What river?"

"Do you even know what town you're in?"

"No… all I remember… is a room…"

"A room? This room?"

"No… there was a boy… and a bunch of pictures on the walls… and a mirror in place of a door…"

"What are you talking about, Isaac?"

"The boy… he was dying…"

"Isaac, what's going on?"

"He will die soon…"

Isaac fell into unconsciousness again, and Mia was thoroughly spooked. What was he talking about? A boy, in a room, with a mirror instead of a door, and pictures on the walls… she had never heard or seen anything like that before. The rest of her friends were just outside the door, wondering what was wrong with him. Mia covered him with his blankets again and went to the door. She opened it silently and was met with the stares and questions of her friends.

"Mia. What is wrong with that kid?"

"How did he get in the river?"

"Why isn't he up and talking to us yet?"

Mia had to quiet them, and waited for all of them to finish asking their various questions before answering them.

"Isaac woke up twice, and this is what he's saying. First, he woke up saying that I was back, which is odd because I never left. He said something about me going to Imil, and then he fell unconscious again. The second time, he woke up and had no clue where he was. He said the only thing he could remember was a room with a mirror instead of a door, pictures on the walls, and a dying boy on the floor. Does that ring any bells?"

Ivan and Sheba both fell to the floor in shock. The rest of them turned to look at them. The two Jupiter adepts both had looks of pure terror on their faces.

"You're sure he said "DYING", right? He didn't say unconscious, or sleeping, or still, he said dying, right?"

"Yes, I'm positive he said the boy was dying…"

The pair exchanged looks, and ran into Isaac's room, shutting and locking the door from the inside. Whatever she had described, it must not have been good. The rest of the group all left except for Mia, who patiently waited until sundown for the pair to come out. The door opened, revealing two very sad Jupiter adepts.

"Guys, what is wrong with him?"

"Something happened to him, and he isn't himself. He woke up again, asking us where you were. We told him you were right outside the door, and he said that we were lying, that you were probably in Imil right now. We think that he… that he…" Ivan couldn't finish the sentence.

"His mind is fractured, completely torn in half. One half thinks you're gone, and the other is trapped in a room like you described. When the first half is asleep, the other one comes out and can talk. We took a look inside his mind, and we confirmed it. We saw the room, and Isaac's soul is pretty much scattered. The kid won't be truly awake again until he can regain his sense of self. He's going to have to replay the entire journey again, before he can piece together his mind again. He can't do it alone." Sheba could barely talk, her voice was so shaky.

"What do you mean, he can't do it alone?"

"His soul… he can't access it himself, someone has to help him. And… that person is you." Ivan's voice was shaky too, but determined.

"Me?"

"He is obviously distressed about something with his first personality… maybe he had some sort of dream, or nightmare that triggered this, but we think that he threw himself into the river in his distress. That could explain why his mind is in this state." Ivan continued, explaining his theory in a slightly less shaky voice.

"But… how can I help?"

"We have to put you next to him and bridge your minds… Or Isaac may never wake up."

"So… you are going to put me inside his head?"

"Worse… we're going to trap your soul with his soul inside his head. So pretty much, it's all or nothing with this. We won't make you do this." Sheba was now shaking uncontrollably. Mia did not even want to know how they knew all of this.

"What will happen if I fail?"

"Both of you will fall asleep like he is now."

"And if I succeed?"

"You will wake up next to him, like you were when we bridged you two."

"Alright. I'll do it."

She walked into the room, determined to save Isaac. The pair followed her, and she sat herself down next to him.

"Do it."

Sheba placed a hand on her head, Ivan did the same with Isaac. They both pulsed with Jupiter psynergy, and Mia felt a little woozy. Her surroundings blurred. The pair of adepts held their hands together, and Mia felt herself being pulled out of her body and through the pair like they were a highway. The last thing she thought before she was fully trapped was:

I hope I can bear the sight of him inside there…