XII

"Think."


"There they go again," he peered out of the window, unnoticed by the two at the end of the hall.

She reached out to the white-haired with an outstretched hand and a naive smile on her face. She was far too trusting of people - even if she knew they lied to her or did something wrong, she tried - no, she thought that she could fix them. That would be her personality. It was a fatal flaw, and it would prove to continue to be the one that would pull her under the water.

"You always were a fool, dear Wisteria."

Ray took her hands, and he didn't hesitate to stop himself.

"You never took a moment to think about what you could be doing instead of what you were doing, and that will be the price of your destruction. It just very well may be the price of his own sanity, as well." he turns from the window, the curtain closing. There is nothing more to see.

"I wonder who cracks first."


? ? ?

The man stood in the pathway. He blocked the sunlight from pouring into the corner of the street that she was located on, the relief it brought upon her was beyond her reason. "Why are you crying?"

The girl looked up at him, eyes filled with overflowing and strong tears, her eyes wiping the surface of her face. Something about the man was familiar, but she couldn't place the thought. She was too overcome with her emotions to do something about this, but she knew that she felt no danger from a man like this.

She didn't say anything, not at first.

"It's alright if you would rather not speak of it. I believe it's powerful to let the emotions play out," he says, leaning against the wall next to her. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"The darkness does feel better than the illumination of the sun." She finally had something to agree with. "I've felt that for a long time, but I ignored it... rather foolish on my part."

He chuckles, "Everyone makes mistakes. It's how you transform them that you can begin to change your world... of course, not everyone will understand the point of view. But you have to make them see that perspective."

"I feel the same. It's rare to see someone who understands."

He offers her his hand.

"It's rare to find someone who embodies the notion. I can see it in your eyes... you've started to change the world, haven't you?


It was a stormy evening outside the walls of Mint Eye two evenings after the incident.

The Earth was quaking around them, and the rain seemed to persist rather than resist its strength. This wasn't a bad thing, no, it was a fitting mood for the evening that lay ahead of them. That's all that Claude had on his mind as he walked through the hallways and corridors. Things were starting to change... gears and cogs were turning in the right direction rather than sitting still and not proving to be useful for the cause. Oh, how things had changed in less than eight months. He thought. This used to nothing but now, now it was booming paradise that could only grow to further expesnse.

Poor choices had he made in his life, but these choices were beginning to reward him.

Sure, he had weaned himself off his short-lived addiction to bad vices - his daughter had given him something that eased the pain in more ways than one, and he would never forget that. After twenty and then some years, he had finally found his way back home. It had been a miracle that of all the people that he could have run into on the street, it was the ghost of a woman that he used to love more than anything. Except, she wasn't that woman. Her hair was of golden sun rays, the purest sunflower.

She looked just like the girl -

and yet at the same time, she was so much better than that woman.

The child that he had long wanted to know, and he had always longed to see once again. The memory of that event in the past was always in the back of his mind, and the moment that he saw his youngest daughter playing a game -

a game she called it.

How could a game of all things have the image of the world that he once lived? That was the moment that he lost himself, and at the same time, it put him onto a path where he would find himself again. His depression lulled him to the spot where he had once crossed the border, and when he saw it - as he had seen it many times - he took the chance and headed back to where he came from. He had to take the chance to see if he could find her, the girl with the hair that rivaled his own.

It was a small chance of a lifetime but it wasn't impossible. Because... He did find her and find this place she had been building for a short while. There was no turning around this time, only looking forward and never turning back.

She needed his help.

He offered it -

and more.

Claude offered her a lustrous bow.

"Oh, Claude, you needn't bow like that every time you enter my chamber." Rika stared at the man with a hint of amusement. The man had a flair for the dramatics, he might have given Zen a run for his money if he were younger. The elixir had shown him the truth of the world, and he had taken well to it. His darkness was powerful. He revels in it... much like her own. A tumultuous life he had lived, so it seemed. Ray's background in search of him proved he was a man who needed to be saved, who could be useful for Mint Eye, and someone to keep articulation and diction could sway anyone who was suffering. Mint Eye wasn't built in a single day and few paved for the ultimate solutions.

He was of use much like Ray.

It was a quirk she didn't mind. Nobody had ever treated her the way she deserved to be treated without a moment of hesitation. Claude looked at her once and devoted himself to the cause. She smiles. "By all means, keep doing it."

"You only deserve the utmost respect, my savior," Claude informed her as he rose back up to face her. "A true Queen of our darkness."

"You understand loyalty so well, it's a trait that I wish was found more in paradise." Rika praised him where he stood. "You are proven much stronger than Ray as of now. I should have expected as much. The poor child. He's lost right now because he thinks he's developed feelings for Lila, I don't worry too much... Ray will soon discover the error in his ways and rescind her light. I can see the pieces of something that you warned me about. It's not all for naught, I'm certain."

Claude shook his head. "My apologies for any distress she has caused, savior. She always was... a fool."

Rika leans back onto her throne, shaking her head. "No, no. She's done just what I expected thus far. She will be of much value to me when her mission is complete." Rika said. Her hand resting on her chin as she thought in silence. "Is it possible she isn't as motivated as I hoped? I wonder. She was wandering the halls earlier on her own instead of doing what she was needed, but I won't worry so hard given her success with her mission. I know she has traces of light in her heart. It must be crushed before she's ready... before Ray's ready."

"I wonder if she needs more encouragement in that matter, Father. You've mentioned she needs constant pushing to be set in a way. I made sure to postulate that in her eyes when we first met, but she doesn't yet know the truth about me. I'm sure she'll readjust when this fact is known but before that can happen... I do think you can be of service. Hasn't it been some time since you have seen her?" Her lips curled into a smile. "Wouldn't it be a pleasant surprise if you visited this evening?"

Claude doesn't hesitate.

"Do... Do you want me to test her loyalty?" His eyes sparkling with the need to delight. He would do anything for the young woman that saved him. Anything. He would even toss his youngest daughter to the dogs if she so commanded him. It was all between of those green eyes of hers... The power they held, and the very person that they reminded him of.

Rika considered his words.

Yes, that's what she needed. They couldn't afford the fools lost in their own light to pretend that they didn't have darkness inside of them. Soon, she thought. Soon this will be a worry of the past. There will be no more Ray - and there will no fickle thought in either of their heads of something else. She leans forward with pride. "Remind her of her duties with your reunion, will you?"

Claude bowed his head. "Of course. For eternal paradise.


4 MONTHS AGO

"How are you this evening, Ray?"

Ray looked up from his computer and looked back at the man. He shifted in his seat. The monitor in front of him was left unattended for a moment. "Oh, hello... I'm alright, what are you doing here so late?"

"A surprise, my boy. You know how you've been unable to find the right person for your mission?" This was the moment that would define how they would change Paradise.

Ray stared up at him, curiously.

"Here," Claude dug something from his coat pocket and handed it over to Ray. It was a small case with a photograph - It was a photo of what he assumed was Claude and a young girl, but it didn't quite look right. There was something distorted on the image that he held - this was very odd. What kind of mastery had been done here that could do this? Or could he be feeling something from the elixir?

No. No.

It was doing what it needed.

This was just something that he had never seen before. This was normal. Just a trinket of the past that Claude had left over from his time spent in that other place that he had been researching for the Savior. "I've never seen a photograph like this before... The savior said you brought these from where... you're from though." Ray looked at the photograph in his hands and then back at Claude. Truly, it was amazing the people his savior had gotten to join them in paradise. They come from all walks of life, rich or poor, from one side of the country to the other.

But, this man, he was otherworldly. "What's this for, Mr. Claude?"

"I thought you might say that." The man leaned back in his chair as he conversed with him. "Aren't you curious about the people into the photograph?"

"This is... you," Ray concluded as he mused the thought.

His eyes were in a bit of a trance and dulled. The elixir was still feverous in his system this evening but he could blink away the sensation if he tried hard enough. Ray focused on the photograph. It was of that strange style that mirrored a level of depth and color that was beyond his comprehension. He hadn't seen anything like that before, only the whispers of when the Savior and Claude spoke of another place in need of their help. That must have been Claude in the photo, of course, it was Claude... and there were two others in this photograph with him.

The first girl seemed like she was close in age the Savior. She had blonde hair as he did, as Rika did. It was clipped short and framed her face, the only thing keeping the bangs from falling down was a hairclip. She had brown eyes as well, and she was dressed simply in a collared shirt and black slacks.

She had brown hair and brown eyes. It was unlike the man in front of him in many ways and yet very similar. He had shaggy blonde hair like the Savior, but his eyes were the same as hers. Her hair was tucked back out of her face and she wore a classy dress as they stood in front of a vintage looking household. Ray had never quite seen anyone like her before. Ray hadn't seen a girl his age before at all, either... only his savior and save a few of the older believers. He tore himself from the image and looked back at the older man.

She was of some relation to Claude, as was the other girl, but he wasn't sure.

Claude can tell his eyes on lingering on the younger girl.

"Who is she?" He finally asks, wondering what the answer was.

"I figured you would be interested in her. She's the one who's going to help you on your mission, don't you think? I know you've been looking for perfect candidates but this is a matter that we want you to think about." Claude informed him with a grin."She's from a place that knows much misery and is no different from the outside world here that the Savior wants to protect you from." Claude chuckled.

This was the starting point - the moment in which no one would be able to ever turn around and change. Claude hums, "The poor thing may look happy but she's very miserable where she is. That world is in need of a gentle but firm hand like the Savior... and the first one helped... well, don't you think it should be this girl? She knows much pain like you and that's a shame when you can bring her to this place... you could help her just as you've been helped. Don't you think a girl like this would be great for paradise?"

Like him?

Somebody was hurting like he was?

He didn't want that pain for anyone.

"Yes," Ray finally murmured. He hadn't been able to tear his eyes from this girl. "If people from places such as that are suffering, then they deserve to know paradise."

"Good boy," Claude praised with a quirk of his lips, pleased for this to be working out so well. A phone was laid against the table next to the photograph, it was old but it was useful. "However, there's a small thing you need to do to bring her to paradise. It's why you've been training so hard these past few months, Ray. You see, there are some very specific conditions you need to fulfill to bring her to paradise and it all starts with this. The connection to where she is... it's very hard to control, and only the chosen can cross it. Do you think you can do this?"

Ray lifts the phone.

"I can do this." He whispers.

Claude turns his back on him. "You can keep that photograph if you want - I know how interesting it seems to you."


2 MONTHS AGO

"You want me to go alone?" Ray stared at him.

Claude gestures towards the small glimmer just ahead of them. It's the smallest space next to the post - if you look hard enough you can see something that looks like something you might see out of the corner of your eye but you can't quite explain what it is. The road is desolate. Lonely. It's only the two of them on this street. "You don't expect me to go over there with the circumstance, do you? I can't have anyone seeing me, not yet, Ray. That's where you come in. The Savior wants you to take a step outside of paradise on your own foot, she believes in you and expects you to complete this on your own."

Ray swallows, hard.

It's clear to Claude that the boy is terrified. Certainly, anyone would be if they knew they were going to transcend a gap between space and time that shouldn't have existed but it did. It was only natural. He rests a hand on Ray's shoulder. "Hey, it's not always easy to do the right thing. All you need to do is walk and don't stop until the dust settles. You'll know you're on the other side when you see townhouses instead of skyscrapers, and vice-versa when you want to come back to this side."

"...I'm just nervous about seeing her for the first time," Ray admits.

Claude wants to laugh. He isn't worried about what might happen if he forgets how to come back? Would he be trapped forever somewhere he didn't know? no, he's more worried about what a girl who doesn't even think he exists thinks? Oh? Is that all? He can't believe this kid. He isn't worried about the obvious choice, the Savior has already put it into his head that he needs to do whatever she wants of him. Even if he isn't confident in it. It works each and every time, and this time would be no different.

"She will be none the wiser. After all, you don't need to speak with her or even get her phone yet. You just need to get the lay of the land tonight. You have all of the instructions, don't you?"

Ray nods his head. "Yes, I do."

"Do exactly as it tells you to do, and I'll be waiting nearby for your return. Try not to get side-tracked by anything over there, no matter what might catch your eyes."


2 MONTHS AGO

"Thanks for letting me put up a few pieces, here. Nobody ever takes my paintings seriously, and all they wanna hear about is my advertisement skills. Do you have of these in mind for the place?"

"Hm. Did you bring the ones you thought might help the shop?"

"I did. I wasn't sure which ones were the best, though. So I brought a couple."

Lila leaned over the counter as she chatted amicably with the girl on the other side of the counter. She had a heavy bag at her side that held a few canvas prints, and Ray could only conclude that she was the painter he had made her out to be in his head and through his research. Today she appeared to be in better spirits then she had been the last couple of times he had watched her work. Today she was dressed in something that flattered her figure, with frills and ribbons. The time before she had been slumped in sweatpants and a sweater as she hurried through the rain to get her weekly shopping taken care of, but, now? She was as bright as he had always imagined.

Ray swallowed, ignoring the fantasies that dared to pop into his head.

Instead, with his back to the women, he listened carefully to them. It was all he was and had been allowed to do thusly. They didn't want him to act until he was sure that he had an opening to get ahold of the information that he needed. It was his diligence that was going to reward paradise, and maybe... him too.

It was almost nice -

to be somewhere outside of Mint Eye, even if he knew it was a tainted world. He wasn't trapped in the stuffy clothes that his Savior picked out for him, and he could bulk himself down with neutral colors. It was small liberty... just enough to give him a taste of what he could have if he wasn't so weak. It was to make sure that he didn't attract any attention that he didn't want to warrant; not from others, and not from Lila yet.

The girl began to pilfer through the bag that Lila had brought with her. She flipped through the few pieces, face unreadable as she did. She suddenly stopped and looked at Lila with a huge grin. "Oh, wow! These are better then I thought. It's super dead in here, but this one might be the ticket!" She points at one in particular.

Lila peaks forward into the bag. She tugs it outside and lays it against the counter with a soft thud. She nods at the painting as if she's happy with that one in particular. "Oh, that one! Yeah. It's a really beautiful flower that I came across in one of our guidebooks. I painted a couple versions of this but this is the one I'm willing to part with. I've never really thought too much about lilies but this one is kind of special. The scientific name is Convallaria Majalis, or the Lily of the Valley."

Ray's shoulders are suddenly very tight.

"It looks like a normal lily to me, Lila." The other girl answers, dryly. "Are you sure there's a difference?"

Lila doesn't laugh. "That's how a lot of people think about flowers. But, each and every one of them is special and has its own meaning and history... depending on the type, or the color, or the petals, if you want a long lesson just get my Grandma started on the subject, she'll chew your ear out if you're not careful," she explains it, very simply, very softly. "This one has a beautiful meaning. They say when the Lily of the Valley blooms, that means that happiness will return."

Something is pulling very tightly -

his heart weeps.

It's like she's speaking to him. Of all the flowers in the world, she's thought carefully about his favorite... and it's one of her favorites. Ray looks down at the table, trying to keep himself together. He can't speak to the princess. But he silently promises that one day, one day - she will be able to see the return of happiness.

It's her voice that pulls him out of his thoughts. "I picked it because I've had a tough time lately. I like to think that one day I - no, everyone - will have the chance to find happiness once their flower blossoms. If you want to hang that one up here, then I don't mind. It's pretty, and it'll bring some luck to this gloomy place... maybe I won't feel so sluggish when I get my mocha."

"Maybe less caffeine might help that?" the girl offers.

"I refuse that theory," Lila laughs.

The sound makes his heart set ablaze. He rises from his seat when he finds the strength, and he heads back out onto the street -

more determined than ever to get to know Lila and bring her to safety from the darkness of the world.

It might just be that his return to happiness lies in that path.


Claude watched her room closely from around the corner that evening, she had yet to leave that room so far on this day from the code surveillance he had checked, but that wasn't to deny that the door to that room hadn't been unopened at all... The strangest thing occurred, that he witnessed. Ray was pacing back and forth in front of the door for five minutes at best. The door opened and he disappeared inside after that... He had been carrying something in his hands, maybe another dose of the elixir, he pondered.

It was possible his savior had ordered for this, she told Ray things at times she did not share with Claude.

Savior knew best.

However, that boy needed to be doing his job in the intelligence quarters at this hour and he knew that. The fact that Ray even thought that he could spare a minute outside of his duties was a cause for concern; His growing theory was pretty much given more validity, and there was all the more reason to push and make it stop.

Stomp out the weeds of light.

Destroy the ashes before they can cause trouble.

It was a pity, but sacrifices had to be made in the long run. She would have no qualm in getting rid of somebody, or something if she thought they wouldn't benefit her plans. But there were a select few that she didn't care how badly they fought, she would have her way no matter how long she had to toy or hurt them to make them see things right. Weaknesses needed to be destroyed. Claude saw no ill intention in that way of life, but there were longer plans in the run that she couldn't wrap her head around just yet.

Ray made bad choices.

But they could use that against him to finally fix the problem -

and there would be no issue in the pain or fleeting attraction that had once existed.

His daughter wasn't ugly by any means being cut from the same cloth as his two other daughters, they were fine young women. However, Ray had become increasingly fond of her and it seemed she may be luring him astray - rather than the other way around. The Savior was worried and had already made a gentle point to her. That didn't seem to be enough. Wisteria had a kind heart, but she was a fool. She always had been a fool. Ever since she was a very young little girl - she always followed down the wrong path - Wisteria looked at the world around them with such wide eyes - eyes that had never known pain until she walked right into it.

It was a shame nothing had gone right with that fine young man she had been with before her own body image issues overtook that relationship and she ruined it - those once wide eyes were gone and replaced with ones that knew the truth in the world for a moment but even now, she still looked at the world as she did as a child. Naivety was a curse.

Now, she was trying to ruin that boy that the Savior had worked so hard to care and to nurture.

So, that's how it was?

"Goodbye, Ray." Lila raised her hand as the boy retreated down the hall.

Ray appeared in be in quite the hurry. That wasn't a surprise, he didn't want anyone to know when he visited Lila if it was late in the night. It wasn't hard for anyone to know, however, the young boy lost himself in his thoughts and became enamored with her if she messaged him on the spot. It would change his posture and he would move without haste in her direction; This was a possibility that might have explained the breach in security. If he wasn't paying attention to all the faces that passed him -

it was no surprise to Claude that Jihyun Kim had managed to make leeway into the building.

According to what he's heard about that man, and what he's taught himself from the memories he loosely remembered from when Lila had spoken to him about this game... V wasn't someone that he should doubt for a moment. The fool was willing to throw himself on the fire alone, willingly. It was a horrible trait to possess. He would have been beneficial if it hadn't been his poor choices.

His loyalty should have remained to Rika.

Ah! But that's a story to be dealt with in due time.

For now, Claude stared at the door that closed tight. Lila didn't stray too far from her comfort zone - who knows who she might run into if she didn't stay close to what she knew. It would be alright, once he took his first step this would be different. He had business to take care of, and that business was the only mission for him to complete that evening.

He lifted his hand to the door and knocked.

There was the shuffling of feet from inside of the room. Lila didn't say anything on the other side of the door, but he could see her shadow right next to the thick wood. "Yes?" he heard her ask. "Ray, is that you? I thought you had to get back to work."

For some reason -

that question made him excited.

His suspicions were only growing stronger.

"Not quite," Claude opens his mouth. "Could you open the door?"

There is a strangled gasp on the other side of the door and it bolts open without hesitation. Lila is staring up at him with wide eyes, her lips agasp, and her stance next to the door frame is tight. She isn't sure what to say to him. That's obvious, Claude notes. He hadn't meant to hurt any of them when he left that night. He had only meant to get some fresh air after that spat with their Mother, and instead of turning around, he found himself walking straight through the passage of space and time. It had been a split decision. He only wanted to try something and before he could consider turning around, he found himself close to the person that he had only dreamed of.

Why would he want to turn around when -

he could take a chance on knowing someone he never thought he would ever know.

"Dad?" she whispers.

Claude brushes past her and enters the room. He notes the extremes that Ray has taken are just what he expected, the delusions of people such as Ray and Wisteria knew no bounds in the eyes of reality. She's standing there, behind him, trying to mouth her words but there's nothing but some small unsure squeaks that come loose. He nods his head, decidedly sure now, as he turns around to get a really good look at his daughter. She's no different than the last time he saw her by much regard. Her weight isn't what it used to be, but if his research told him anything it was that she made some poor choices. It was a shame, but she should have known better.

Her hair is pulled out of her face, and those brown eyes of hers haven't made their mind up on what she's feeling. Ray had more than guessed what style she had, and those makeshift coords of a lolita outfit remind him of days once passed.

"Dad," it finally registers in her head that he's really standing in front of her right then. Lila rushes forward and throws her arms around him.

"Dad, what happened?" she croaks. "Why are you here? Why didn't you try to let us know that you were okay?"

"If you've been here, why didn't you come to see me when I got here?"

"Why did you just leave?!"

It's a flurry of questions but he's not going to reach that yet. He is happy to see that she's the same girl that he's always known. It's going to be a shock to the poor dear. "I'm happy to see you, my little Wisteria." he instead says. "It has been nearly a year since I saw you last. I'm sorry I couldn't come home sooner, so much came up while I was gone. I hate that you and your sister have had such a difficult time since that happened - thinking that I was dead. I've been alright."

That's when she pushes away from him.

"Everyone thinks you killed yourself." She said.

Is that what they were saying? Typically, he should have known that the police and wife would come up with that of all things. Oh, this is going to a very long evening before he can take care of what he needs to. He takes a seat on the table and folds his hands together. "You know me better than that, I wouldn't take my life just because your Mother got mad at me again."

"Why didn't you just come home?!" she doesn't relent from her earlier questions. "Why are you here at Mint Eye? I don't understand what has been going on, you've just been here since that night? Nothing about that makes sense."

"Oh, it's not like that. I'm sure you've had a time trying to piece together what happened on your own. I know you better than that. You wouldn't sit still until you knew every little detail. You're old enough now to understand the circumstances so, I don't mind humoring you." Claude begins to say. "So, tell me, what is it that you think you've learned?"

Lila is startled, and she looks away from him. "The reports said that you went missing in this world more than twenty years ago while you were studying your program abroad... and somehow you showed up in our universe, met Mom, got a decent job, and had two daughters, and the rest leads up to now. That's the only thing I've pieced together."

Claude slowly nods his head. "Good work. You've only missed out on a few key points, but nobody would know those except for me." he drawls. "You know what my studies were for?"

"Something preposterous," Lila says automatically, what she would have done if it were a normal conversation between the two of them. "You were in the midst of the bridge between religion and science."

Claude wants to punish his youngest daughter for her mouth, but he knows that this is just her lashing out for his actions. "Your sarcasm hasn't died, I see. But, yes, you're right. I was looking for answers for supernatural events in the realm of scientific explanation, and I did manage to locate one of those mysteries thanks to my first girlfriend."

"...?"

"She was... an unstable woman, many problems with her mental health. But, she always wanted to help me with my studies since she wanted to impress me with her religious knowledge. She told me about these mythical spaces that exist all around the multiverse, these spaces could bridge you through time and space, and if you weren't careful you would become trapped. Often in the past, people would whisper of a time when someone walked through the misty forest and when they came out the other side - they would see people from the past, or people, unlike anyone they had seen before. These ports are calls different things in different cultures, but the terminology in English would be leyline."

Lila sinks into the seat across from him. "You've told me about this before, Dad... when I was little."

"About the leylines, yes," Claude confirms. "For children, it's a nice fairy tale... most of your favorites were rooted in that theory."

"If you knew they were real and could be traversed as long you knew where they were, why didn't you go back home? You didn't have to stay if you knew how to get back," she asks.

"Because I loved your Mother," Claude answers matter of factly. "I never had a reason to go back immediately. I left on less than happy circumstances when I found myself in that universe. So, I stayed there with the thought that I wouldn't turn back... unless there was any chance that I would be able to find what I had lost here... and for a long time, I thought I might never get that chance. But that all changed a few months ago."

Lila hesitates, "What do you mean?"

He taps his hand to his chin. "It might be better to start from the beginning. You see, my Grandmother became deathly ill while I was studying abroad and I had to return home to take care of her for some time until she was back to full strength. By the time I could return back to South Korea, my girlfriend had given birth to our first daughter that she didn't even tell me about until it was too late. She had given the baby up to a remote orphanage in the countryside and refused to give me any information about that baby. We... argued for some time, and I stormed off." Claude trails, the memory stinging him just a bit it came back to the surface. It was something that he didn't like to think about, but it had a happy ending now.

"...?" She doesn't say anything.

He continued to speak, tossing that memory to the back of his mind. "It felt like I couldn't do anything about the situation. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do except maybe take my own life. I contemplated it for a while, thinking that I just wanted to make all of these go away as most of it was out of my control... and for a few days, I didn't know what to do next. Until I remembered that there was a way out."

"I went to the place where we had stalked out a possible leyline, and I decided that I would walk right into it and find something beyond our comprehension. It was a way out of my bad spot, and a chance to find out if my theory was wrong or not. If I couldn't find it, then my original plan would stick... and if I did find it, and it tore me to pieces then it would just be the same." he says, simply. "Alas, as you can see, I'm standing here intact. The theory was correct... travel between two spaces is more than plausible."

Lila breathes, trying to hold her shoulders together. She's not reacting to some of this information like he thought she would. She's quiet, not lashing out at him. It's going much better then he thought it would. It's possible that she's been so much in the last couple of days with Ray and that boy Jihyun that she's numb to some of this.

She stares at him. "Why wouldn't you have made this known long ago? That's a scientific breakthrough that could benefit everyone."

"Nobody believes crackpots in the community," Claude laments with a long sigh. "I tried, but no one would give me the time of day. I suppose it's better that it turned out this way. After all, this is going to benefit paradise in the long-run."

"I don't understand."

"That's alright," he reaches out and pressed his hand against her own. "You don't need to understand the technicalities of the situation. What you need to know is that you're the one to thank for all of this. If you hadn't shown me that game you were playing then I wouldn't have even thought to come back to this place. It turns out that you were my most useful daughter, after all."

Lila suddenly stares at him with knowing, wide eyes. "You're the one that put it into Ray's head to unlock the game. That's why he wanted to ask me about it! What are you playing at? What is it that you want? What does she want out of this?"

Claude chuckles. "Oh, you're going to help him unlock it. I know you have all sorts of information that will be useful to the Mint Eye cause, unfortunately, I couldn't be the one to deliver that the Savior. I doubt everything that she needs to be in that game. That's why we needed you to come here, along with the file information Ray managed to locate on your phone. Someone, who know the hearts of those RFA better then any nameless girl would since she's romanced them all once before? That's exactly what we needed, someone who would play along with the game long enough for this work. I knew you would go along with it if we used Ray."

"You played the part well, my dear," he says.

"I won't play this fucking game anymore if that-" Lila starts to argue with him but he removes his hand from her own. She's startled by the sudden movement, and her mouth shuts.

The twisted grin on his face is enough to make Lila stop talking where he sits. "Oh, you will continue to do exactly what the Savior wants. If you hesitate for even a moment, if you try to ignore the RFA, then I can't speak for the safety of Ray. You have no piece in the puzzle that can stop that. Any foresight that you have that we don't yet? It means nothing whatsoever. Ray will continue to tinker until he recreates the information and produces it. You aren't needed in the long run, but the Savior has a soft spot for you. She would prefer for you to be willing to benefit our family."

"Why are you doing this...?" Lila demands, she slams her hands against the table, fed up. "You have no power in all of this either. She's the one in charge! If she can get rid of me, she can get rid of you just the same! You don't have to do what you're doing right now! What do you gain out of hurting others like this?"

"You've hit a nail on the head almost. You're asking the right questions but you haven't found your answer. Here I thought you were smarter than this, my dear. Why you haven't figured it out yet? Did you recall that child that I thought I might never know?" Claude says. Something on Lila's face is starting to understand what he's trying to allude to. Her face doesn't seem to register what he's implying, and then -

it clicks.

Her eyes are wide.

It's the reaction that he wanted.

"Oh, there it is. You've figured it out," he grins, widely. "Yes, my dear, aren't you surprised? Your older sister is none other than the Savior of Mint Eye."

Lila doesn't move. The amount of panic she's feeling in that moment has stopped her from being able to move; He knew, he knew that this would work out the way that he wanted. That's the response he wanted to garner from his youngest daughter. Too stunned to speak, Lila rests her hands in her lap and she clenches the oh-so-very-tightly.

"You're lying."

He stands from his seat and approaches his daughter.

He rests his hand against her shoulder. "I would do anything for my children. That isn't a lie... and the one most in need of my help and cooperation isn't you or Lucy. The two of you have always been capable and self-sufficient... oh, but my poor Rika."

"She's been through much pain and she's helped me to understand that we mustn't hide from our pain. We need to revel in it, never deny it for a moment, and use it to benefit others. Rika has given me much more love and respect then you or Lucy have ever given, and much more power then I could have ever dreamed of having. Here at Mint Eye, I don't have to think that anyone will turn against me. Everyone looks up to my power - and they would never cross me because that would be the same as crossing the Savior."

Lila is trembling, her fear was plain as day.

Yet despite this, she can manage to open her mouth. "You aren't the man I know. You're evil, you've lost your mind." She muttered, uncouth.

Claude would use every ounce of this fear to stamp out the weeds in her heart. There was no place in paradise for useless weeds. It was a small she had to be broken and recoded, it was coming dangerously close to that outcome. "You have the potential to rule alongside your sister in the new world order, Lila. Don't you want to feel powerful for once in your life? You need to stop pretending that you're any different than me, or she. Accept your darkness for all it's worth and control it. You have the chance to destroy yourself and recreate yourself. The longer you refuse to commit to the plan, the easier it's going to be to crush the weed you're becoming." he pauses. He leans down just a bit.

"I know you hate the thought of others being hurt, especially someone getting hurt because of you," Claude says, clearly. He's right in her face and he makes absolutely sure that she's hearing every punctuated word. "If you want to keep him safe, then you would be wise to stop telling him that he can believe in something other than Mint Eye."

"You're a monster," Lila spats.

Claude doesn't flinch -

but Lila is shaking like a spring chicken.

She speaks as if she has no fear in her hear but it's written all over her face.

"I think of myself more of a martyr," he replies, simple as that. "If I go down, then I'm going to be the only one that fails while paradise flourishes." Claude brushes off the dust from his robe and heads straight for the door. His plan was now complete, and the Savior would be happy to know that Lila had gotten the message.

"Have a good evening. For eternal paradise, Wisteria," he says.

Behind the closed door, he would hear the weeping of the weakest link.


AUTHOR'S NOTE.

Does anyone want something written? I'll write you a one shot with any characters of your choice for cheap, I need money to get out of a shitty and emotionally-brutal household and it's going to take a while to stock-pile the money. PM if you're into that.