[i]What's wrong? All you have to do is move forward.[/i] Grant asked. [i]It's heavy isn't it? That weight is on us every day.[/i] [i]Not that a spoiled girl like you would know.[/i] [i]Poor little princess, better hurry or you'll drown![/i] All their voiced were distracting, much more so as they were literally the cause of the weight on her dress. Nadeline felt like it was pointless. The water was getting closer and closer, and although she didn't want to admit it, she was just about starting to panic. She was more afraid of the water than the voices, but they were driving her crazy. The waves were around her waist. At least if they were in front of her, she could smack every single one of them so they would shut up. But she couldn't give up yet. She didn't know why or how, but she knew if she gave up it'd all be over. "[b]Nadeline.[/b]" The voice was physical, she heard it. She stopped struggling long enough to see her looking at herself. She stood on the shallow part, staring right back at her, though she did not wear a wedding dress. Instead she had her usual clothes. What in the world was going on? "[b]And you are the manifestation of my sins?[/b]" She asked her rhetorically. "[b]Spare me the stories, I just need to get out of here.[/b]" "[b]No...I don't think I am. I am rather unsure about my purpose here.[/b]" She admitted rather wholeheartedly with a small shrug. "[b]Well then, other me, if you could offer me any advice on how to get the voices out of my head and his stupid dress off, I would be more than happy to hear it, please.[/b]" The other Nadeline thought to herself for a moment. "[b]You could...always just drown. What's the worst that will happen?[/b]" She nearly tripped. "[b]Are you insane?! I could DIE. I...I cannot swim, and even if I could this stupid dress would probably make me sink to the bottom of the ocean.[/b]" "[b]How do you know that?[/b]" "[b]Anyone with a brain could figure that out, dear.[/b]" "[b]Anyone with a brain would probably have taken off the dress when it started getting heavy.[/b]" Wow, was she really this annoying? Despite her earlier threats, she couldn't quite hit the other Nadeline. "[b]You are not helping.[/b]" "[b]Why should I help you? You can help yourself. You're not like the others. This isn't affecting you like it is them.[/b]" "[b]Them? You...You mean everyone else is going through things like this?![/b]" She asked, rather alarmed. She nodded. "[b]Don't you hear the voices? They sound cruel, but they're speaking logically. Everything here is logical, even if it doesn't seem to make sense.[/b]" She told her, pointing to the dress. "[b]Your burdens being the dress, your unwillingness to let them go is why it's heavy, the voices are your own mind speaking your insecurities...The worst thing that you're afraid of is drowning. Which...is perfectly rational considering you cannot swim, so that's why we are on the beach. But you're also wearing a wedding dress. So...you tell me, Smart One.[/b]" Nadeline stopped moving, the waves crashing onto the two of them. "[b]Then...that makes you my rationality.[/b]" "[b]Bingo~[/b]" She winked. "[b]Trust me. Trust yourself. Go to the sea...your friends need you.[/b]" Nadeline finished moving, letting the ocean take her. She simply looked up at the sky. The water covered her torso, slowly rising more and more. Soon it reached her neck, and at this point, she closed her eyes. Soon she was underneath the water, but as she opened her eyes, she was met with the view of a ceiling. This one was rather familiar looking, and as she looked around, she realized she was back in the Necrohol of Nabudis. Still, she was alone. Where had everyone gone? It was then that she remembered being pulled into darkness by the shadows. Obviously someone had been manipulating them, managing to turn their worst nightmares against them. Might have worked on her too, though as the voices had confirmed, she had no trauma, no struggle. For the first time in a while, however, she was thankful. The blonde princess placed her hands by her head and jumped to her feet, brandishing her rapier. She needed to find the others. ------------- Emiri was so close to Jaakuna, but at this point she was on all fours, one hand reaching out for his. Jaakuna reached out for her as well. They were so close, she should have just gotten up and grabbed him. Yet she let her fear get to her. Her fingers brushed his, and she forced herself to move forward. She grasped his hand firmly, finally being successful. As if on cue, Jaakuna slipped. He let out a small yell as he fell, still grabbing onto her hand and pulling her with him. The pair fell in a rush of blue, white, and several other colors before she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she was on the Ifrit. Sitting up, she looked around. Had it been a dream? She was so confused, she didn't understand what was going on. The door then opened, and as she moved forward she realized it was Vincent. What was he doing here? As she was about to ask, she realized he had climbed onto the bed, and on all fours he crawled over to her. The look on his face was one she recognized. “[b]It’s no wonder my brother likes you so much.[/b]" He said, repeating his exact words from when he had kidnapped her. He got on top of her, running his hand through her ponytail. She froze as he forced her on her back, though she let out a scream as he began touching her. What the hell was going on?! "[b]Stop![/b]" She cried, trying to push him off. He laughed a little, his lips on her neck. Despite her struggle, she couldn't get him off, and the more his hands roamed she noticed how he managed to kiss and touch her was the exact way Jaakuna did. But once his hand went between her legs, all thoughts flew out of the window. A glint showed her dagger still in her boot. She withdrew it, slashing at him. She didn't care if he was Jaakuna's brother, he had no right to be touching her! He backed away, somewhat surprised, and he opened his mouth as if to ask something. Taking the opening, she kicked him down, managing to get on top of him. Raising the dagger above her head, she brought it down, stabbing him. He let out a rather choked yell of pain, though something else happened. Now he was blonde, now she found green eyes looking at her, a face full of surprise and an expression of someone who had just been betrayed. It was Jaakuna. Emiri had just stabbed Jaakuna. "[b]Dear gods...[/b]" She whispered, dropping the dagger. What had she done? No, she knew what she had done. She just plunged a dagger into the love of her life. ------------- Over and over and over. Each moment came and went, and when he thought there weren't any moments left, they started over from the beginning. His mother dying, his father's murder, Emiri's departure, the disaster of a date he had first with Savayna, her mentioning Jaakuna, letting her go to Archades...each moment replayed in front of him. Each moment, over and over and over. He didn't know how many times he had watched these moments, but at this point he was just sitting there, watching them. If he closed his eyes, they'd play in his head. If he tried to block the sound out, the noises would get louder. He could not interact or change them. They just kept playing, over and over and over. Every moment, every regret, every one of his fears. Over and over and over. ------------- "[b]You may call me Shion.[/b]" The blue haired woman informed him, though she did raise an eyebrow. "[b]And that is not what you told Mtra. You wanted information on my garden. You wanted to know if your son was a member...I don't appreciate being lied to, Golden Wolf. I'm going to assume you did not mean it and that you simply didn't know better.[/b]" She spoke rather airily, lightly twirling a lock of her extremely long hair in her fingers. "[b]I will confirm that yes, your son is one of my best. Now, why would you be concerned? Strength is what gets you around in this cruel world. He is strong, he has a secure position...and he's rather handsome. At least I can see where he gets it from.[/b]" She said, releasing her hair.