[013 ☿] Even if the two of us are ever torn apart, I swear that I will change the world.

[waterfell]

The forest is quiet, and green. A cloaked man heads towards an altar in a clearing, already laid out with candles and, crosswise, his sword in its sheath. He takes a deep, cleansing breath, and picks it up

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[whitleas]

[Whitlea tries to stop him, at first, screaming out a "NO!", but her voice goes unheard--of course, she can't change the past--and she finds herself on the same side of the chasm as Mercury, and the only one that can possibly hear her frantic shouts for a stranger is the wind.

Then the forest changes, and suddenly she's by her friend's side, watching her tend to the grave site. She waits for a moment, then takes off her hat as she approaches, staying silent for a good while before speaking.]

...hey.

[waterfell]

[She takes a long breath before answering, so that the eyes she shows will be dry and the voice she uses will be steady.]

Whitlea. [It's been some time since they've met; nostalgia is showing itself through her dreams again, she concludes.]

A warrior is at rest in this place.

[whitleas]

I can tell. [She kneels down, places her hat down on the grave. It's only a gesture, but nonetheless, she feels as if this is all she can do for him.

But for her...well, she can try to be her shoulder.] You gonna be okay?

[waterfell]

[There's only ever been one answer to that.]

I'm fine. This was his own decision.

[whitleas]

...why'd he make it?

[waterfell]

[If she knew that, she'd be so much more at peace in this place. She'd even asked him once, when she realized what he intended, to at least tell her why, to make her understand. She'd deal with it somehow, if she could understand.

She's been left to figure out a reason for herself instead.]

He probably saw no need for more, once his vengeance was satisfied.

[whitleas]

Oh.

[And that's all she can say. Because what else can she say, that won't possibly open up wounds or drive the knife in deeper? She's never experienced the pain of losing someone dear before, of knowing they're gone and never will come back. The closest she's come to is when N disappeared, and even then she knows he's still alive.]

[waterfell]

[It's ironic, that the person who was supposed to end it sent her the same message in the end: If it's just Mercury, just her, there's nothing worth staying for. She is nothing worth staying for.]

If not by this, our worlds were bound to separate anyway. I knew that. [It's that rationalization again.]

[whitleas]

...how'd you guys meet, anyway?

[waterfell]

[Long ago and far away, he was the only person who saw the princess of planet Mercury as a girl like other girls, instead of only as the girl who could bring them prestige and advancement.

This time, he was the one waiting right there and the only one who wanted her or thought she could be worth something, when everyone else failed her.

The nearer truth, this time is that he'd found a vulnerable young girl and bent her to his will.]

We fought together against a common enemy. [That's all that comes out, right now.]