Hey there! It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm sorry I took so long, I really wanted to get something done sooner but... everything was a mess. I'm fine now though, finally! And I won't keep you any longer! So, shall we get going?

Unable to get any sleep, Gothel was pacing the floor of the throne room, her thoughts pacing around her mind in perfect synchronization.

She already was on edge for the whole day and that terrible headache she had just as she simply tried to close her eyes for a moment, was the icing on the cake. And she knew that it wasn't random... She hadn't experianced something like that in years, probably centuries. And if it came back, it couldn't be good.

She wasn't really worried about the boy. She knew he was more powerful than that (whatever that was...). She just hoped he wouldn't know too. Because if he did, things could get even worse than they already were.

By now, she had learned to deal with doubts and thoughts of the worst scenarios, but at this point everything seemed far too fragile. And the moment she thought she had control again, something would happen to let her know this wasn't true.

Ridiculous...

It almost felt like someone was mocking her now... From another world, from another side-

Her gaze for a moment drifted in a mirror.

She walked up to it, meeting a tense, almost desperate reflection. A sight she always despised...!

She turned away and left, before she could smash it to the ground. She had something better, on which she could take out her anger.


... Lights...

Bright, shining blue...

...And intense, glowing yellow.

Each light trying to outshine the other.

...Voices...

Two strong voices blending two different songs together in the same ethereal melody...

Each song trying to silence the other.

An once dear friend now standing on the other side as a cold-blooded enemy, longing with all their being to devour their opponent.

A malicious, taunting smile is heard in their song, and faintly seen through the light, along with their eyes, glowing with yellow light as well. But also with satisfaction. With pride.

But the sight slowly grows blurry...

Every breath is useless, bringing pain instead of air.

And the pain is so vast and overwhelming, that it starts smothering the blue light... silencing its song...

...

...

...!


Varian jolted awake, with a scream that was followed by erratic, rapid breathing and an unknown, but overwhelming feeling in his chest. A feeling that slowly subsided, along with the sound of an accelerated heartbeat.

A few seconds passed before he realised that both Rudiger and Regina were beside him, and had shared his scream.

"What happened with you this time?" She asked, worried but also a little exasperated.

"What... what are you talking about?" Varian asked back, as he finally got his breathing under control.

"You were talking in your sleep. You were saying those words from yesterday. When that witch tried to... you know. But this time there was no glowing." As she was speaking, Rudiger climbed across his friend's shoulders, his eyes searching his face with a concerned expression.

But Varian wasn't looking at either of them. Instead his gaze was focused on his chest, where his right hand rested, feeling his hearbeat accelerate again for a short moment.

Nightmares seemed to become more of a habit ever since that night, but this one was different. This one had taken all of the previous dreams and kept the things that scared him the most.

An otherwordly situation that he did and didn't recognize.

A shattered feeling of safety.

A terrifying creature wanting to end him.

...Wait a minute.

"Zhan Tiri..." The moment that name came out of his mouth, the monster's image flashed again before his eyes and that feeling returned. Strong and almost violent, as if he was being torn apart.

"What did you say?" Regina asked, leaning over too to see his face.

"That... that monster on the pillar. I saw it. I... I knew it." Varian's voice was soft, but every word was full of fear, making him sound like he was out of breath.

"You're really not making much sense, you know that?" she said, exchanging a brief look of concern with Rudiger. "What's with that monster-thing? What did you see exactly?"

"I... I'm not sure. There were bright lights everywhere. And there was... there was singing. I was singing! I think..." His body tensed again as he spoke and he felt his stomach twisting. "I could hear two people, each singing a different song at the same time. One of them was the same song I heard yesterday, during the Sugarby incident. And I think... I was the one singing it."

"...Did it go like: Wither and decay. End this destiny-"

"Break these earthly chains. And set the spirit free." Varian finished, his eyes widening. "Was that...?"

Regina gave a small nod, a hint of fear appearing in her eyes. "That was what you were saying. Then and now... How did that other song go?"

The question seemed to have caught the young alchemist a little off guard. He immediately turned away, as if there was any clue about it on the ground. "It... I couldn't hear it very well. That other voice. It sounded so twisted and loud and I couldn't really tell much. But, there was something about... burning."

Suddenly, the princess gave a terrified gasp, her hands clasping over her mouth. And before the young alchemist could ask her what was wro-

"Incandesce and burn. Break the bond within. Heal your vessel's hurt. Collect this life for me...! That's it, isn't it?" She spoke that incantation, in a voice just as scared and soft as Varian's before, and as she did, she was trembling.

And he didn't seem to react any better. As the last words of the incantation left her mouth, that image... Zhan Tiri's image flashed before him again.

Those golden eyes cutting through him. That malicious, gruesome voice. All that light around him, stealing his breath and replacing it with anguish...

A series of painful words in the tongue of a stranger. A sudden conundrum of heat and cold... And a baby crying-

"Aah!"

"Huh?! Hey!" Snapping out of her thoughts for a moment, Regina reached out to the young alchemist, who suddenly doubled over with his hands clutching his head.

Rudiger slid off his friends shoulders and started nuzzling him, in a (rather futile...) attempt to calm him down. He could have sworn that there were tears forming in his shut eyes.

All those images. All those sounds. They were all over his mind on a loop, getting stronger every time. And it hurt. He felt as though there was a battering ram inside him, slamming his skull, trying to shatter it.

He wanted to scream, but all that was coming out of his mouth was a soft whimpering.

Stop... Stop, stop, STO-!

"HEY! HEY! What's wrong?! Look at me...! Please! ...Varian!"

Suddenly, Varian's eyes snapped open. And he raised his head to see the princess right in front of him, with her eyes wide, fearful.

She had her hands on his shoulders, and they were slightly shaking. She held his shocked, teary gaze for a moment, before retreating her arms.

The young alchemist wiped his eyes with his forearm, before taking Rudiger in his arms and letting him on his shoulders. The flashes were gone and only left a fading sensation, that was more of an irritation than pain. He was really grateful that it was over, but he couldn't help but be intrigued by what snapped him out of it. It wasn't really any form of comfort, it wasn't a point that he passed out from the pain. Just... a moment of shock. That shouldn't even be one in the first place. And yet-

"Are you-...?" She asked softly, but immediately stopped and turned away, avoiding eye contact. Before Varian could speak, she stood up, facing the entrance. "The rain has stopped. Come on. Let's get out of here already."

The shock on his face remained, as he looked between her and Rudiger, who nodded in agreement.

Let's get out of here already...

That sounded just about right. This place had caused them enough trouble as it was. But-

"Did you not hear me?! I said let's go!" Now she ordered and exited the tree, her steps fast and agitated.

"Wait!" He called out as he caught up to her and grabbed her hand. "We can't leave. Not yet. We have to go back down there." The other two stared at him in utter shock, but the princess' look soon changed to an angry glare.

"Are. You. NUTS?!" She yelled, pulling her hand away. "We went through hell and back to get out of there! And now you want to go back?!"

"Look I don't like it either! But there's something I need to figure out. That dream I had and- It cannot be random! Do you remember what I told you about that image on the pillar?"

"I remember being stalked and attacked by a crazy ghost. I remember us getting captured by said ghost, which later tried to steal your body and squash me and your raccoon to death! I remember us being trapped in a dark room with a dying light, struggling to find a way to escape! Do you remeber any of that?"

Varian looked away in nervousness, but only for a second, noticing a look on Rudiger's face that clearly showed he didn't like that idea either. "But the ghost is gone now! And we have that scroll! You don't have to come with me if you don't want to. Just use it to open the-"

"No! I'm not going to stay here any longer and push our luck just because you want to 'figure something out'! I said we're leaving and that's exactly what we're going to do! End of discussion!" The whole time she was speaking she was trying to keep her voice from breaking. But as she started walking, thinking it was over-

"How did you know what the second song said?"

Hearing those words, she came to stop. And her eyes grew so wide that it almost felt like they'd pop out of her skull. "What. Did you... say?"

"You're not that far away, you heard me. So, answer the question." The alchemist demanded as he walked up to her.

"I am not obliged to tell you anything! I don't owe you anything!" This time she wasn't able to stop her voice from breaking.

"If you're not gonna let me look for answers down there, you will give me what you can. So once again: How did you know what the second song said? Where did you hear it? Is the one you said Gothel used to-"

"STOP!" She screamed pushing him back strongly. Not wasting another minute, she got the scroll in her hands, and ignoring his plea to wait, she started ripping it to pieces.

When she was done, Varian could only stare at her in shock. And she stared back. With a deadly, yet tired look in her eyes. As if she just barely won a battle. But suddenly... it melted. All of it melted away, washed out with a single tear that ran down her cheek. Leaving a face that mirrored Varian's, and then added terror. Before running away.

And that is all for now! Hope it was worth the wait. I'll see you next time! Bye bye and be safe everyone! Also, please leave a review :)