Finding the will to get himself on the road leading to Subcon Village had been the hardest decision Snatcher had ever made. He wanted nothing more than staying in the forest where he felt much safer than the very idea of coming to the same place where Vanessa was. Considering all the deadly creatures possibly living into the woods, that was saying something...

He knew he couldn't just get out of the forest and walk the length of the ramparts until he found the town doors. If he wanted this to work, he had to be convincing and had to invent a reason for him to be here, as his old self was supposed to be abroad for his studies. He had thought about this on the way to Subcon Village and he imagined several hypothetical scenarios. But he supposed that simplicity worked the best: his old teacher, a young woman whom he didn't remember the name yet, might have become ill, thus sending him home until she felt better to teach him again. He then would have paid someone to take him to Subcon Village, but that person could have stopped at the entrance of the forest. They could have argued and he would have had to go through the forest by himself. He then would be pitied over by everyone, just like the dumb prince he used to be.

This was the perfect plan and there was absolutely no way this wasn't going to work.

He then looked at his trembling legs. He couldn't walk without his cane yet, so he had to find an excuse for that too. He shrugged: what if he had just hurt himself and sprained his ankle? In a way, he did stumble a lot before coming here, so that wasn't completely a lie. His clothes were now dirty and his whole body hurt like hell, there had to be bruises somewhere to confirm his claims!

After joining the main road leading to the village, he took a deep breath. He could do this. He had no other choice anyway. He ignored the feeling of dread in his stomach and made several steps towards the huge doors, where two guards stood next to them. The one on the right spotted the ghost first and made a gesture to his partner to look in his direction. When both of the guards' stare fixed upon him, the shade felt another rush of fear crushing his shoulders. However, he forced himself to remain calm: he couldn't run, this was the hardest part yet he had to do it! If he didn't, things would never go back as they were before and he would not allow it.

The guards seemed to recognize him quickly and ran to meet him, leaving their post without thinking. Snatcher thought he had everything under control, until one of the sentinels called him by his name, the one thing the shade had repressed the most during all these years passed in the afterlife :

-"Prince Alistel! Are you alright ?" said the guard, before coming right next to him, soon caught up by his partner. Both of them looked at him with worry, while he lowered his head, afraid of showing any distress on his face. One of the guards realized the shade might need help standing up and caught Snatcher's left arm before putting it over his shoulder. The other sentinel instantly imitated him, both of them keeping Snatcher straight.

"Oh, that was a low blow..." thought Snatcher, who hadn't expected to hear his real name that soon. His heartbeat had sped up immediately and it took all he had in him to not wince. He couldn't deny the horror he felt for a very brief moment. God, he hated that name now.

He could take a better look at them, now that they were closer and he shouldn't have looked. He knew them. After hundreds of years, he could still recognize them. The guard on his left had blond hair and was pretty imposing, but he was really kind when you got to know him. Which Snatcher did! He even remembered his name! Barry, that was the man's name. The other was thinner and had grey hair. He also had a sterner face. He was older and more experienced as a sentinel than Barry. Snatcher didn't have to wait very long to find his name either: Sander. He could remember all the time they talked, each time he left the village or came back... And they were alive. Just in front of him. How was he supposed to keep an impassive expression?

He suddenly realized he still hadn't replied to their question and pulled himself together.

-"I... I'm alright..." He answered, teeth clenched. He couldn't deny that being held up really eased the pain in his legs, but it still hurt a lot. Plus, he didn't like being touched or needing someone's help, though he put his pride aside for now. He then remembered his story and continued: "I think I sprained my ankle."

He was about to explain the reason of his early return but he was cut short by Barry, who gave him a concerned look :

-"Oh, don't worry Prince, we'll get you home right away !" The man then nodded in Sander's direction: "Hey, go find a carriage, I'll take him to our post in the meantime so he can sit." Sander agreed and let go of the ghost to leave, not holding the latter anymore. Snatcher let out a pained groan, as he had to put his right leg back on the ground. He felt the ache in his body increasing. Why did humans have to use legs? He couldn't help but wonder as the pain annoyed him more and more.

-"Come on Prince, it's going to be okay." Barry tried to reassure him, with his strong enthusiasm and optimism: "It's not that far, you're going to make it and then you'll get to sit on the most comfortable chair we have !"

If Snatcher used to find the other very nice and pleasant to talk to in the past, now he just wanted to strangle him to make him shut his mouth. He was back in his old body, thrown away in a world that he just wanted to forget, in the same village where his crazy ex was, but sure, there were a lot of things to be positive about! Well, first, he wasn't dead yet! Or frozen! Or locked up in a cellar, shackled to a wall! Man alive, that would be terrible if it ever happened to him again!

The ghost forced himself to smile though. He had to play along, play the role of the prince, he couldn't let people know that something was different. Who knew what might happen if it ever reached Vanessa's ears... He already feared her reaction to his early return. And, deep inside, he even feared she was the reason behind this mess in the first place. But why wouldn't the world be frozen if she had kept her memories? Why was he the only one to remember? It didn't make sense, at least for now, he supposed. He needed to look for clues to know what happened exactly.

-"Ahaha, oh I can't wait !" He laughed grudgingly. Well, on the bright side, he didn't even have to use his excuse, so that was a good point. Perhaps the sentinels had thought it wasn't their business and they were right to think so. Too bad it wasn't going to work on his parents, but as soon as their faces came to his mind, he tried to think about something else. He couldn't do this right now. He knew he was going to see them again soon; however, he just couldn't at the moment. He felt like the smallest effort at remembering something difficult would make him lose his balance completely. The only thing he could do to keep his mind occupied was to focus on the pain in his legs.

It lasted less than a few minutes but it felt like hours to Snatcher. When they reached the observation post, the shade thought he was going to lose consciousness from exhaustion. The moment Barry helped him to sit down was the best thing that had happened during the day. In a way, that wasn't very hard, as the day started pretty low on a scale from one to ten... His whole body sank into the chair and the thought of never getting up crossed his mind and almost convinced him. He knew the day was going to become much more complicated and that didn't really help.

They had entered the building hidden into the rampart. It lead to a small set of rooms, one of them being Barry and Sander's observation post, or at least where they stayed when they weren't guarding to doors. Snatcher had only been there once and barely remembered the place. It wasn't a big room, just enough to have two people inside it. The walls were made of the same stone as the ramparts and the floor was made of cobblestones. There weren't a lot of furniture: there was a table in the centre of the room, two chairs next to it, plus the one Snatcher was sitting on. There were several cupboards, probably to put weapons inside it and other things the ghost wasn't familiar with. The room didn't have any window, which wasn't really surprising, as it was supposed to be hidden. It was largely decorated according to the guards' interests, especially posters of diverse festivals and parties happening in town. Some were familiars to him, others not so much. It had been so long, he had just forgotten trivial things like these. He felt a pinch in his heart: all of this was supposed to be behind him yet he couldn't help but feel a bit of nostalgia at the sight of the room and its decorating. He gave himself a psychological punch in the face: everyone was dead. There was no point in regretting the past or being nostalgic about it, since he was going to change everything the way it was before coming back.

He took a deep breath and came back to reality, trying to change his focus on something less painful. His eyes fell on Barry, who opened a closet in one of the cabinets. The man had a smile on his face, which annoyed Snatcher even more. As if there was something to be happy about, in a day like this. He rolled his eyes, but quickly changed his expression once Barry turned around, a bottle of something in his hand.

-"Do you want to drink something, Prince? It might help you feel better, while we're waiting for Sander to come back." He gave Snatcher an earnest look, before continuing, in a less confident tone: "I know we're not supposed to have this kind of thing here, but... Well, things can get pretty boring while we're in here, so..."

Snatcher suddenly realized how much he lost the habit of small talk, considering that he was briefly at a loss of words. God, he was supposed to improvise, not remaining mute! He shrugged and smiled, hoping to be convincing :

-"Pff, don't worry, your secret is safe with me." Though, his confidence broke a little when a look of confusion crossed Barry's face. Did he say something wrong? Was he supposed to reprimand him for having a bottle of what the ghost supposed to be alcohol? Why would he care if the other drank in his free time? The shade didn't even belong here anymore!

-"Hum... Okay ?" replied the guard, still smiling, yet the shade could see it wasn't as genuine as before: "So, do you want me to give you anything ?"

The ghost nodded silently, not sure about the way he could answer without being suspicious. What if it was obvious? If he couldn't fool a single guard, then what about Vanessa? He wouldn't stand a chance! She was going to see that something was different and he couldn't allow himself to lose a second time against her. Once was already too much.

Barry poured two drinks and gave one to Snatcher, who couldn't help but stare at it: would he be fine drinking? Not that drinking alcohol was a problem, but did he remember how to swallow things or liquids? Saliva hadn't been easy at first, but he had managed to get the basics after a while. Drinking? That wasn't the same thing. He was cut in the middle of his thoughts when the man started talking again :

-"So, how is Alianor? If you don't mind me asking, I mean."

Snatcher felt his heart skipping a beat: Alianor? His mind became blank all of a sudden. The name did ring a bell, but he really couldn't remember who it belonged to. It belonged to a woman, by the sound of it, probably one living in the next town where his old self was supposed to be, but who? As a prince, he had met many people, and over the long and numerous years he lived as a ghost, he forgot a lot of them. Now? He could only list a few names and recognize some faces, but that was all. All he could do at the moment was bluffing, the only other solution being to remain silent while he searched for the right person. However, that would only make him more suspicious than he already was.

So he did one of the things he was very good at: lying.

-"Alianor? Oh she's doing great! You know how she is!

-Really? That's good to hear. I still need to reply to her letter.

-Yeah, she told me she was waiting for it.

- She did ?"

"Nailed it." Thought the shade, a feeling of pride swelling inside of him.

Small talk lasted for a few more minutes, and Snatcher felt relieved when Barry's smile became as sincere as it was before. The man then chugged his drink and let out a sigh of pleasure. The ghost looked at his own drink, which he hadn't touched yet and became nervous. If he didn't drink it soon, he would revive Barry's suspicions. He gathered his courage and imitated his host, hoping to swallow without any problem.

He utterly failed to do so.

The taste of alcohol was so strong it immediately surprised him, confusing him much more than he thought it would. Too stunned to think, his tongue completely disobeyed him and he felt the liquid flowing in his windpipe rather than in his oesophagus like it should. The feeling of touch in there instantly gave him the irrepressible need to cough in order to expel the liquid out of his throat.

Well, that had gone well until that instant.

Barry was startled by his sudden reaction to the beverage and stood up fast, coming next to him :

-"Oh my God, Prince, are you okay ?" He asked, while patting Snatcher's back gently, a worried look in his eyes: "I'm sorry, I didn't think it was this strong !"

Tears started to appear in the ghost's eyes, his throat burning too much. "It was just supposed to be a drink !" He thought, irritated. He didn't remember drinking alcohol was that difficult... Or he just spent too much time in the afterlife and simply lost the habit to.

-"I'm..." He was interrupted by a new fit of coughing before he could speak again: "I'm fine, it just... Went down the wrong way.

-Oh." Replied Barry, visibly unsure: "Well, it happens sometimes. Do you want a glass of water?

-No, thank you..." Drinking more liquids was the last thing he wanted to do after such an experience. He knew humans were fragile and needed to drink water every day in order to survive but he was still adjusting to his old body. This could wait a little longer. Right now, there were other things on his mind.

Barry continued to pat his back for a few seconds, until Snatcher made a sign for him to stop, thanking him silently. He didn't like being touched: it felt... Very weird. He had lost his senses of touch and smell after he died and now... Everything was so overwhelming: the feeling of his clothes against his skin, the pain in his throat and in the rest of his body, his eyes stinging, the patting on his back, every smells floating around in the room... It was a lot to take in.

A few knocks on the door resonated through the room and brought Snatcher to reality. His eyes looked up, just in time to see the door open. Sander appeared and bowed slightly to the ghost before talking :

-"My Prince, the carriage is here to take you to the castle."

This sentence was like a cold shower. Every muscle in Snatcher's body froze, while his mind became blank. Horror grew inside of him as he realized little by little what that meant: there it was. The moment where he was going to see his parents... And Vanessa. He squeezed the chair armrests with his hands, so tightly that the skin on his knuckles turned white.

He didn't want to go there. He really didn't want to go there and meet all of them again. Why did he have to go through this? Wasn't eternal suffering enough of a torment by itself? Why was this happening to him? Sure, he did steal a few thousands souls, but that couldn't possibly be the reason of his position here...

The ghost was snapped back to reality once again when a voice cut his thoughts :

-"Prince Alistel ?" Sander asked, now worried just as much as Barry: "Are you feeling alright? Do you need us to fetch a doctor for you ?"

The questions triggered an alarm in the shade's brain: he was being suspicious again. He needed to pull himself together, for the love of God! Or, well, the love of any being other than the one who put him back in a fleshy being.

Even if the idea of delaying his family reunion was more than tempting, he had to come to terms with his situation. He couldn't postpone that eternally, especially as he really needed to fix all this mess. He raised his hand, smiling grudgingly :

-"No, no, it's fine, I just... I'm still a little shaken by my cough. I'll ask for a doctor as soon as I arrive at the manor, don't worry." He tried to get up, but the pain in his legs stopped him shortly and he clenched his teeth to not make any sound. His pained expression must have been pretty easy to see, as Barry and Sander instantly came to his sides to hold his arms. Even though the sense of touching was again overwhelming, he couldn't deny how much it really helped him. His legs hurt way less thanks to their support and standing up was easier.

-"Please don't push yourself, my Prince. We're going to help you get into the carriage and we'll ask the driver to warn your servants as soon as you arrive."

Snatcher nodded silently. He really was pathetic, wasn't he? Even his dumb old self was able to walk on his own. Why did his legs hurt so much anyway? He didn't remember hurting himself in the past... Or maybe something had happened before he woke up? Who knew...

The two men held him straight and took him outside, this time on the other side of the doors. The sight that greeted Snatcher made his nausea come back instantly: there were houses, shops, people walking, talking, laughing, kids with dweller masks running around... All of them used to be completely frozen, buried under several meters of snow. And now... Everything was so loud and alive. People who were close turned towards them and smiled, as if they were glad to see him. Some of them even waved at him! But why would they? He was the reason they died in the first place! Well, they didn't know it yet, but that didn't change anything. His breathing sped up, as well as his heartbeat. His vision became cloudy and he could hear a ringing noise in his ears. He felt like his body was weighing much more than usual, or at least than in the last few hours.

-"My Prince, please, stay with us !" The voices were distant but Snatcher forced himself to focus. It wasn't over, there was so much more to do before losing consciousness like this. He straightened a little and said in a hoarse tone :

-"I'll be fine, I'm just..." Just what exactly? He didn't even know himself! How was he supposed to lie when he had no idea what was happening to him? Sure, he knew seeing parts of his past would make him ill-at-ease, but to that extent? What would he be like once in front of the castle? Or in front of Vanessa? He really started to regret his decision of coming here. If he was almost going to faint every time, what was the point of coming here? He was supposed to look for a solution, not confirming his extremely weak and pathetic state for everyone to see!

-"It's okay, don't push yourself. Here, the carriage is this way." The world started to move as the soldiers walked while holding him. When Snatcher looked up, he saw many people's worried looks, fixed right on him, while they were talking to each other quietly. Well, too bad, he did confirm his extremely weak and pathetic state for everyone to see. What was next, being thrown in the cellar once again?

He spotted the carriage pretty quickly and let out a sigh of relief, as the guards helped him get into it. Barry gave him an apprehensive look and opened his mouth again :

-"It does seem quite serious... I can fetch a doctor for you so they can come as soon as possible to the manor, if you wish for it, Prince. That way, you'll just have to go inside and wait for them."

Snatcher nodded, feeling too nauseous to think clearly. He hated to be that way! He was supposed to be terrifying and powerful! However, now, he was just a dumb and sick human. What a joke.

Barry and Sander bid farewell to him and closed the door. As soon as he was alone again, the ghost put his hands on his face and let a groan escape him. This was already so hard and he hadn't seen the monster of the village yet!

A few words could be heard from the exterior of the carriage and the shade guessed that the sentinels were explaining his situation to the driver. After a while, the vehicle started moving and the motion helped Snatcher to relax and calm down. He closed his eyes for a while and took deep breathes. God, how was he supposed to do this ? He sighed and reopened his eyes again, to look through the little windows. He could see houses passing, people, statues, shops... It didn't look like anything it had become in Snatcher's future, and it was so weird to see it again like it used to be before... Everything.

But then, all of a sudden, his eyes fell on yellow hair and on a green dress. His face grew pale as blue eyes met his for a very brief moment. He immediately stepped back from the window, as a feeling of pure terror settled in his stomach.

He just saw Vanessa outside. And she saw him as well.

This was going to be a horrifying nightmare.