Level 4 + The Stillness And The Scream
Sublevel 2 + Enlightened
Nova walked with the woman who wore white. They were in the field of dandelions that Hikaru and the other girls had been in at the beginning.
"Nova, do you know who you are?" the White Lady asked.
"Yes," the pink-haired girl confirmed. "I am Nova, part of Hikaru."
The White Lady turned her sad, soft eyes toward Nova. "Is that all you are?"
Her companion stared back, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, Nova." The White Lady sighed. "You are part of Hikaru, just as Hikaru is part of you. And you feel an empty place in your heart when you and Hikaru are not together, yes?"
"Yes..."
"That empty place is the part of you that you have not yet come to know." The White Lady halted, turning and grasping Nova's hands in her own. "Nova, you are not just part of Hikaru. You are also your own person."
Nova shook her head. "No. I'm... I'm Hikaru!"
"You are Nova."
"I'm Hikaru!"
The White Lady tightened her grip on Nova's hands. "You are not listening. Yes, you are Hikaru. But that is only part of you. More than anything else, even more than you are Hikaru, you are Nova."
"But..." Her red eyes brimmed with tears. "I've never been anything but Hikaru."
A soft, sympathetic sigh escaped the White Lady. She sat in the tall grass, and Nova mirrored her. "Yes, Nova, you have always been part of Hikaru. But the time has come for you to leave that place."
"But I love Hikaru."
"And Hikaru loves you. But you must exist separately from one another now."
Nova whined, "But why?"
"Because," said the White Lady, "it is what you have been destined to do. It is why you were brought into my world. You cannot learn this in your own. Only here can you fulfill your destiny."
"What is my destiny?" Nova's voice was barely a whisper.
The White Lady brought her face very near to Nova's. "Your destiny," she said slowly, meaningfully, "is to be here, and to live in this land, and to accept the burden you must come to bear."
The warm breeze suddenly felt chilly to Nova. "What is that burden?"
The White Lady's eyes spilled over with tears. "You must bear the obligations of the Owner of the Light."
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Fuu found herself standing in a tiny room. It was a simple, square room, perfectly box-shaped. All the walls, the floor, and the ceiling were matching in size and shape. It was a plain, empty white box. There were no windows. There were no doors. There was no furniture. She couldn't even see where the light that lit it came from. It was bare.
The blond girl shivered. She was not comfortable here. She sat in one corner, closing her eyes, her face tipped up towards the ceiling. She waited.
She soon felt the presence of another in the room. Fuu would not open her eyes, though, for fear of what she would see.
Something --- a hand --- touched her head. A little gasp of surprise escaped her; her eyes flew open.
Ferio smiled. "Hello, Fuu."
She stared back at him. There was no malice in his warm golden eyes. "Why have you come?"
He sat in front of her. He was not wearing what he had been when they had last met. Now he wore plain, dark gray robes. A hood was pushed back over his shoulders. "You have done what you came to do, Fuu." He smiled. "You managed to rescue the Light of Emeraude without succumbing to its temptations."
Fuu glanced away. She had, by now, realized what had made her tremble and cry upon discovering the Light.
I can take away all your fears, the soft voice had said. I can take away those capabilities that you hate --- those mental enhancements. I can even rid you of the memory of how you came to get them. You would love that, would you not?
She had wanted to accept it so badly. She had wanted to shatter the glass sphere and let the cold Light wash over her and steal away her troubles. But she had not. She had promised she would not.
"I never did wish ill upon you," Ferio was now saying. "It was a duty to act as though I did."
"You had to test me," Fuu said quietly. "You had to see whether I was qualified to seek the Light of Emeraude."
Ferio shook his head. "We knew you were qualified. If you weren't, you would not have been allowed to enter our world. But you weren't strong enough yet. You had many things left to learn. Those things had to be taught to you."
"Such as accepting myself the way I am," she whispered.
"Yes."
Fuu hugged her knees to her chest, glancing up at him. "Now what must I do?"
He smiled sadly. "Wait," he said. "The time will come when everything will be clear at last."
The jade-eyed girl chewed her lip nervously. "She will die, won't she?"
"Yes."
A deep sigh escaped her. "I do not know that I like this world and its ways."
Ferio stared at her, an unreadable expression on his face. "I don't know if I do, either."
Their eyes met, and they sat for a long time.
Sublevel 2 + Enlightened
Nova walked with the woman who wore white. They were in the field of dandelions that Hikaru and the other girls had been in at the beginning.
"Nova, do you know who you are?" the White Lady asked.
"Yes," the pink-haired girl confirmed. "I am Nova, part of Hikaru."
The White Lady turned her sad, soft eyes toward Nova. "Is that all you are?"
Her companion stared back, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, Nova." The White Lady sighed. "You are part of Hikaru, just as Hikaru is part of you. And you feel an empty place in your heart when you and Hikaru are not together, yes?"
"Yes..."
"That empty place is the part of you that you have not yet come to know." The White Lady halted, turning and grasping Nova's hands in her own. "Nova, you are not just part of Hikaru. You are also your own person."
Nova shook her head. "No. I'm... I'm Hikaru!"
"You are Nova."
"I'm Hikaru!"
The White Lady tightened her grip on Nova's hands. "You are not listening. Yes, you are Hikaru. But that is only part of you. More than anything else, even more than you are Hikaru, you are Nova."
"But..." Her red eyes brimmed with tears. "I've never been anything but Hikaru."
A soft, sympathetic sigh escaped the White Lady. She sat in the tall grass, and Nova mirrored her. "Yes, Nova, you have always been part of Hikaru. But the time has come for you to leave that place."
"But I love Hikaru."
"And Hikaru loves you. But you must exist separately from one another now."
Nova whined, "But why?"
"Because," said the White Lady, "it is what you have been destined to do. It is why you were brought into my world. You cannot learn this in your own. Only here can you fulfill your destiny."
"What is my destiny?" Nova's voice was barely a whisper.
The White Lady brought her face very near to Nova's. "Your destiny," she said slowly, meaningfully, "is to be here, and to live in this land, and to accept the burden you must come to bear."
The warm breeze suddenly felt chilly to Nova. "What is that burden?"
The White Lady's eyes spilled over with tears. "You must bear the obligations of the Owner of the Light."
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Fuu found herself standing in a tiny room. It was a simple, square room, perfectly box-shaped. All the walls, the floor, and the ceiling were matching in size and shape. It was a plain, empty white box. There were no windows. There were no doors. There was no furniture. She couldn't even see where the light that lit it came from. It was bare.
The blond girl shivered. She was not comfortable here. She sat in one corner, closing her eyes, her face tipped up towards the ceiling. She waited.
She soon felt the presence of another in the room. Fuu would not open her eyes, though, for fear of what she would see.
Something --- a hand --- touched her head. A little gasp of surprise escaped her; her eyes flew open.
Ferio smiled. "Hello, Fuu."
She stared back at him. There was no malice in his warm golden eyes. "Why have you come?"
He sat in front of her. He was not wearing what he had been when they had last met. Now he wore plain, dark gray robes. A hood was pushed back over his shoulders. "You have done what you came to do, Fuu." He smiled. "You managed to rescue the Light of Emeraude without succumbing to its temptations."
Fuu glanced away. She had, by now, realized what had made her tremble and cry upon discovering the Light.
I can take away all your fears, the soft voice had said. I can take away those capabilities that you hate --- those mental enhancements. I can even rid you of the memory of how you came to get them. You would love that, would you not?
She had wanted to accept it so badly. She had wanted to shatter the glass sphere and let the cold Light wash over her and steal away her troubles. But she had not. She had promised she would not.
"I never did wish ill upon you," Ferio was now saying. "It was a duty to act as though I did."
"You had to test me," Fuu said quietly. "You had to see whether I was qualified to seek the Light of Emeraude."
Ferio shook his head. "We knew you were qualified. If you weren't, you would not have been allowed to enter our world. But you weren't strong enough yet. You had many things left to learn. Those things had to be taught to you."
"Such as accepting myself the way I am," she whispered.
"Yes."
Fuu hugged her knees to her chest, glancing up at him. "Now what must I do?"
He smiled sadly. "Wait," he said. "The time will come when everything will be clear at last."
The jade-eyed girl chewed her lip nervously. "She will die, won't she?"
"Yes."
A deep sigh escaped her. "I do not know that I like this world and its ways."
Ferio stared at her, an unreadable expression on his face. "I don't know if I do, either."
Their eyes met, and they sat for a long time.
