Dream 3
Miranda opened her eyes to find that she was standing in a street in Somni. "What's going on?" she asked aloud. She was startled to find that someone answered her. "I'm showing you something."
She turned around to see herself, a precise clone of herself. There was just one difference; the look on the doppelganger's face was a cold, cruel smile, a look that she had never seen on her own face.
"Who...who are you?" she asked fearfully. That look on the other Miranda's face was making her nervous. "You'll find that out soon enough." the doppelganger answered coolly. "But I need to make a point to you."
The doppelganger snapped her fingers, and suddenly, something appeared in front of her. It was Lavi, surrounded by some of the monsters she'd seen during the invasion. Despite their staggering numbers, he was fighting them off with ease.
"Not a bad fighter." the doppelganger commented. "He's good with that hammer. He's managing to fight off all those monsters on his own. He's protecting Somarium from the monsters, holding his own, and holding his ground." The doppelganger turned to Miranda. Her cold smile was gone, replaced by a look of pure hatred.
"And where were YOU?" she finished, her voice dripping with contempt. Before Miranda could answer, she snapped her fingers and Lavi vanished. He was replaced by an image Miranda recognized; Time Out, surrounded by monsters. She could hear her own whimpering inside.
"You were cowering in your protective bubble, afraid to set foot outside. You couldn't even fight against the monsters. All you could do was lie there and whimper like a scared puppy, weak and cowering." Each word that came out of the doppelganger's mouth seemed to be coated with poison, and each one made Miranda flinch.
"I c-couldn't do anything." she whispered, her voice weak and shaking. "I d-don't have any offensive abilities. Wh-what could I have d-done?"
The contempt in the doppelganger's voice was now rife with corrosive hatred. "You could have found someone to help. There must have been someone who could have used your backup abilities to help themselves. But instead, you chose to hide like a coward."
"St-stop..." Miranda whispered, her voice hardly audible. "P-p-please..."
But the doppelganger went on, her voice relentless. "You don't deserve to be an exorcist. You don't deserve to hold that valuable Innocence. You can't use it properly. If you keep using it, sooner or later, you'll end up losing everything you care about, because you can't protect them."
"STOP IT!" Miranda shrieked, throwing herself at the doppelganger. But to her surprise, she passed right through the clone, hitting the ground with a loud thump.
Looking up at the clone, she saw a look of evil, satisfied amusement on her face. "You don't get it, do you?" she said, her voice hateful and wildly amused. "I'm YOU. I'm everything you think about yourself. You're never going to be free of me. Never!" She began to laugh, a sardonic, spiteful cackle that the real Miranda could never manage.
Miranda plugged her ears, but that did nothing; she still heard the laugh. As she curled into a ball and began to cry, she thought that maybe the doppelganger was right about everything after all...
[She wakes up crying. As she holds one hand to her eyes to shield them, she fumbles with her Dreamberry, trying to stop the broadcast, but she fumbles it and drops it. Oh well. She holds both hands over her eyes and sobs.]
She turned around to see herself, a precise clone of herself. There was just one difference; the look on the doppelganger's face was a cold, cruel smile, a look that she had never seen on her own face.
"Who...who are you?" she asked fearfully. That look on the other Miranda's face was making her nervous. "You'll find that out soon enough." the doppelganger answered coolly. "But I need to make a point to you."
The doppelganger snapped her fingers, and suddenly, something appeared in front of her. It was Lavi, surrounded by some of the monsters she'd seen during the invasion. Despite their staggering numbers, he was fighting them off with ease.
"Not a bad fighter." the doppelganger commented. "He's good with that hammer. He's managing to fight off all those monsters on his own. He's protecting Somarium from the monsters, holding his own, and holding his ground." The doppelganger turned to Miranda. Her cold smile was gone, replaced by a look of pure hatred.
"And where were YOU?" she finished, her voice dripping with contempt. Before Miranda could answer, she snapped her fingers and Lavi vanished. He was replaced by an image Miranda recognized; Time Out, surrounded by monsters. She could hear her own whimpering inside.
"You were cowering in your protective bubble, afraid to set foot outside. You couldn't even fight against the monsters. All you could do was lie there and whimper like a scared puppy, weak and cowering." Each word that came out of the doppelganger's mouth seemed to be coated with poison, and each one made Miranda flinch.
"I c-couldn't do anything." she whispered, her voice weak and shaking. "I d-don't have any offensive abilities. Wh-what could I have d-done?"
The contempt in the doppelganger's voice was now rife with corrosive hatred. "You could have found someone to help. There must have been someone who could have used your backup abilities to help themselves. But instead, you chose to hide like a coward."
"St-stop..." Miranda whispered, her voice hardly audible. "P-p-please..."
But the doppelganger went on, her voice relentless. "You don't deserve to be an exorcist. You don't deserve to hold that valuable Innocence. You can't use it properly. If you keep using it, sooner or later, you'll end up losing everything you care about, because you can't protect them."
"STOP IT!" Miranda shrieked, throwing herself at the doppelganger. But to her surprise, she passed right through the clone, hitting the ground with a loud thump.
Looking up at the clone, she saw a look of evil, satisfied amusement on her face. "You don't get it, do you?" she said, her voice hateful and wildly amused. "I'm YOU. I'm everything you think about yourself. You're never going to be free of me. Never!" She began to laugh, a sardonic, spiteful cackle that the real Miranda could never manage.
Miranda plugged her ears, but that did nothing; she still heard the laugh. As she curled into a ball and began to cry, she thought that maybe the doppelganger was right about everything after all...
[She wakes up crying. As she holds one hand to her eyes to shield them, she fumbles with her Dreamberry, trying to stop the broadcast, but she fumbles it and drops it. Oh well. She holds both hands over her eyes and sobs.]