((Collab Post between Letter Bee and Lucek))
Ascot was devestated.
Apparently, his Uncle had tried to train Amelia, but ended up aggravating her condition in the process, causing her to to be confined to the medical wing. How could he?! Hhow dare he?! Ascot didn't care what his Uncle did to him, but any hint that Amelia might come to harm sent him off to a blaze of worry. Amelia was his charge, the person whom he had been devoted to for the past three years. He couldn't allow her to get hurt, not under his watch.
After checking to make sure that the girl was really all right, Ascot went back to his room. On a whim, he sent an Email to Lucius saying:
Hey, Lucius, why don't we have a dream-meeting? Basically, we both sleep in our rooms, and I use Mentalism to come inside your head. Normally, I wouldn't ask this of people, but, well, some sad news has happened today, and I need to both rest my body and talk with someone. Ascot knew that dreamwalking granted his body less rest than True Sleep, but it was still enough for his needs.
He waited for Omega's answer.
Omega finished his training, working up some sweat. Still it was mostly because of the length and intensity of the training. After returning to his room and refreshing himself he noticed a message on his terminal… it was from Ascot. He didn’t see anything wrong with agreeing to that, he had a spot for the boy, maybe because he felt something similar from him. No matter, he picked up the device and wrote an answer.
I don’t mind, though I’m not really sure if I’d be the best person to talk to. I’ll make you a “door” so you can get past the wards that are around my room, all of them. I’ll be done in a few minutes, we can go at it then.
He sent it and went to work, making an entrance like that was easy, after all he had to only make a connection though. Still to someone wanting to go in it would be like a door they’d have to… well knock on. No matter, he was done faster than he though so he laid down on the bed, sent a signal to Alpha to do the routine and fell asleep.
Thanks, Ascot messaged after he had showered, brushed, and put on his pajamas. Then, he turned off his computer and went to sleep. From there, it was easy for him to break out of his own dreamscape, and, well, escape to the space between dreams, which appeared as a space of blackness, dotted with globes of light that embodied human minds. Following Omega's unique dream-trace, the boy went to the imaginary door, and knocked.
The door opened with a slight sound, which shouldn’t be really happening after all this was not a real door. No matter, once Ascot entered it would close behind him, not allowing entry for anyone else. The space was black, seemingly empty, aside from the small crimson and azure spheres that illuminated a small path. It led to a place where two large beanbags a small table with a book on top of it. It was lit by the same lights, but the small space was brighter. Omega sat there in one of the beanbags, next to him a cat and fox curled up on pillows, they seemed sleeping. The man motioned the boy to sit, with a welcoming smile, so different than he usually was, not to mentioned he looked younger here, his age about the same as Ascot’s.
Oh, wow, thought Ascot, Young Omega looks so handsome! The boy immidiately felt guilty for some reason, and that reason was not because he felt that what he was feeling was wrong; that was so 70 years ago. Rather, he felt as though he was betraying someone, someone with...someone who - and then he remembered Amelia's frail form, lying on the medical bed.
I'm in love with Amelia, but still attracted to other people, that was Ascot's conclusion. He then sat down happily, and a little bashfully, on the beanbag chair, smiling all the way. When he had finally settled himself, he spoke:
"Thanks, and, you're cute as a 13-year old," the boy openly stated.
Hearing the comment Omega blushed a bit, this was his more innocent self, he didn’t know why he looked like he did, but he had all his memories aside from those locked by magic. “Thanks…” He said a bit flushed while scratching his own head looking a bit innocently, but steadied himself soon after. ”I’m not really sure why I look like this, or this place, it was like this from the beginning. Well it’s not that important.” He chuckled, regaining himself fully, then smiled and continued looking at the boy, a small glance at the book on the table. ”So what did you want to talk about? You seem a bit off.” Omega could read people, what he said was put mildly, the boy really was not himself.
"I'm the handler for a young girl named Amelia..." spoke the boy, before giving a summary about who Amelia was, her backstory, and finally going back to Heinz's attempt to train her, an attempt that left the girl injured and in pain. His tone was sad, even more so because he had just discovered that he loved her in the strangest way possible. He then continued:
"Anyway, Amelia, I love her, and I don't want to see her come to harm. Although Uncle had the best of intentions, he always has, I find it hard to deal with the fact that he can...blunder in such a big way, and with such consequences. I can handle him training me and sending me on missions even though it's dangerous and breaks the law, but to put Amelia in danger, well, I'm hurt..."
"I just now found out that I love her, and, well, I'm wondering, should I risk letting her come to harm all the more? Should I continue to trust Uncle?"
”Hmm….” Omega rubbed his chin on hearing about the situation. He was at a loss, but something was bothering him. Why did Amelia’s condition seem familiar… No, now he should try helping the boy… I don’t really know.”” He paused but continued after sighing. ”I don’t know what love is, well I can understand it but on a different plane. I can say that when you love a person you worry about their wellbeing more than your own. You want what is the best for those you care about… but…”
He leaned back in his beanbag a bit. ”I think I can see where you are torn, you care about both of them, both your Uncle and Amelia. Thing is while you know your uncle tries his best you don’t want to see her hurt. Sorry it’s a bit hard to put it into words.” Omega sighed. ”I can only say that you want to trust your uncle as you know he wants the best for both of you, but because he fails where you think it counts most, you start having doubts.” He really had trouble expressing himself, he wasn’t used to doing that. ”I think you should talk to your uncle and tell him what you feel. Not to mention offer help with Amelia, he wants to improve her condition but I think he wants to do it too fast… not to mention… Amelia… seems like a curse… strange…” He got lost in thought the last words barely audible.
"Yeah," spoke Ascot, "perhaps I should go to Uncle, tell him not to act alone. Uncle's a man of impulse; it both serves him well and hobbles him. As for Amelia, what curse are you talking about? Her condition, it comes from her harsh living conditions, as well as the lightning shocks the Mafia gave her when she disobeyed."
Omega snapped out of his daze, when Ascot spoke. ”Something was bothering me, that’s all… I mean you know how you can use someone’s own magic against them right? It doesn’t work on experienced mages but rookies or those untrained… I think you get the idea. It just seemed similar to that curse. Basically their own magic is eating away at the body. The condition is similar, that’s all. The seals preventing her powers from overflowing also got me thinking that it might be it. But I don’t know… maybe… sorry I don’t think it would be self-inflicted. Forget I mentioned it. After all this isn’t the issue. But yes, you should talk to your uncle, I also want to offer my help. Somehow both you and this Amelia seem to be somehow kindred spirits to myself. I don’t know why I have this feeling though.” He smiled embarrassed, though his eyes looked at something he couldn’t grasp… something close yet forgotten.
Ascot looked straight into Omega's eyes, taking in their golden hue. He then felt it; not the precognitive 'twing' that accompanied him when he heard the name 'Lucius Dreginau', but, rather, a hunch, a true hunch.
"Omega, sensitive question...how much do you remember of your childhood?" the boy asked. "Just asking because, well, even though you're a, well, assassin, you have this sort of...innocence about you."
The assassin… or rather his now young form sighed. After a short silence he said on a slow almost painful words ” I am the first Omega, now you are the second. I started walking this road once in solitude, but I was joined by you, as you will one day find one who will share our fate. More than just by blood, we have been and will be as one. May the shadows protect you my child. Omega… Child of the dragon.” Omega got quiet for a while, taking the book from the table, opening it on the words he just spoke. It looked like the book was a diary, which he handed to the boy. If Ascot would look through it he’d come to a passage stating : My name is Omega, aside from that I am nothing. The pages before that were blank, nothing was there as if erased. ”Those words were said by my master, teacher…. Mother… That book… well I think you should know what it is.” The word mother was really quiet for some reason. Not to mention the pain and sadness when he spoke.
"Your memories. The book symbolizes your memories." Omega's pain and sadness were reflected by Ascot now, reflected in the latter's eyes and demeanor. "Your master, she was a morally complex person, like Uncle." He then looked away.
"You know, the reason I allowed myself to be used by Uncle was so that other children won't have to be used, so that they wouldn't have to suffer..." he was crying now. "To be deprived of your..." he then estimated the number of years the blank pages covered "...of your first ten years, no one should go through that, unless said ten years were really, really horrible. And, somehow, I don't think they were."
"I'm so sorry..." the boy said, his tears continuing to fall.
Omega blinked, he wasn’t controlling himself, it seemed his body moved by instinct. He kneeled next to Ascot and hugged him, petting his head gently until the boy stopped crying. ”Thank you. But don’t cry, this is how my life went, it was both good and bad, it made me who I am now. Maybe it could be different, but I know one thing…. If the First Omega hadn’t picked me up… I would probably be dead.” He paused and looked at the boy. ”I learned how fragile life can be, even if I take lives I don’t want more like me to be made… That was what both the previous Omega and me strived to do.”
The two animals stirred and trotted over one hopping on Omega’s shoulder the other on Ascot’s. ”These two… are like me… they lost but gained things. That is life. I… live like I have because I have nothing else. I am grateful I met you… you are kind… Let me help you how I can, as you have already helped me, thank you.” A single tear slowly traced his cheek, before falling to the ground.
"Thanks..." spoke Ascot, genuinely greatful, genuinely glad that he was being embraced by such a handsome person. "And, I want to be of help as well, because when people suffer...I suffer as well." His tears began fading, and a smile graced his face once again.
"Omega...if for some reason you want your memories back, just tell me," he continued. "'Until then, why don't we just spend the time talking, playing games, and, well, being close. It's been a long time since I've interacted with people my age, even though in real life, you're not really...well, let's just say I miss the company of other teenagers, even if it's stimulated."
Omega shook his head. ”Regaining them seems tempting… maybe someday… now it would just remind me what I lost and can never have again.. that would be sad.” He went back to the other beanbag. ”Well stimulated… I don’t know… wouldn’t me not having those memories basically make me a teenager now? After all I don’t really know my age aside from being past twenty… Removing the ten years I don’t have… well let’s say In heart I am one.” He chuckled. ” But I would love to keep you company, I haven’t really lived the life of a teenager like normally someone would… being an assassin and all.” He smiled. ”Right, maybe Amelia could join us… either here or.. well I figure I could pass for a teenager with a bit of tweaking.” He grinned.
Ascot smiled. "Perhaps in the Dreamscape, then. So, it's a playdate?" Hopefully, Amelia won't be too jealous from the way I act around him.
”I’d love to.” He smiled genuinely and innocently. ”Just give me a nudge, I’m free as you know.” He chuckled. This will be fun, I just hope I don’t screw up. Well the two will help… He thought to himself a bit antsy for the next meeting already...