Chapter Text
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~Illusions~
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" Here I am…"
A vast, calming breeze traveling by, stroking nearby objects and botanical life within its reach as it journeyed north. The palm leaves rustled, murmuring to other palm trees nearby in the midst of night, waves lapping against the shore as the tide commences to rise. The ever infinite night sky shined brightly, the stars glistening amongst one another, leading those out at sea to safety in the midst of nightfall. If it weren't for the blistering wind passing by, everything would be dead silent—all except for the tide's susurration.
Around this time of night succumbed in the depths of twilight, the residents of Smash Manor and the town which sat nearby were sound asleep in their own beds, dreaming the night away in solitude. Lana stood in front of the shore, engulfed by her own contemplations. She slowly inhaled before exhaling, taking a deep breath while she placed her left arm over her chest, glancing down at the sand beneath her.
"Why am I still here? If I do end up ceasing to exist, it'll only end up hurting you. These emotions are quite overwhelming but alas, I know all favorable things must come to an end soon."
A tear rolled down past her cheek, embracing the terrain beneath her feet. Her chest started to ache once more while her internal, emotional turmoil gnawed its jaws at her flesh, eventually transforming into muffled sobs. She couldn't believe how foolish she was. To think she was able to fall in love and forever be with the one she cherished the most but in spite of it all, second thoughts began striking her at every opportunity it could grasp its avaricious hands on.
"Pit deserves better than me… I thought every moment I've spent with him since the day we've first met at the ball could persevere however, lately, I haven't been feeling like myself. I almost feel as if I'm… fusing back with her to… become one… again."
Lana's subtle cries swiftly turned into violent sobs. She couldn't keep her emotions in check anymore, letting out the melancholy which subsided within her subconscious since the day she was born. Lana began reminiscing the first time she began experiencing these doubts since the week she arrived at the mansion.
Palutena sat in the manor library, engrossed in her own studies. She couldn't help but learn about the foreign cultures of the other fighters on her spare time. She felt that it would not only help her grasp an better understanding of their mannerisms but also have an slight advantage over them when they were to engage in battle. Her studies were abruptly cut short by none other than her ecstatic captain Pit.
"Lady Palutena! Lady Palutena!" he chirped loudly, repeating himself to make sure he was heard.
Palutena perked up and smiled. She was used to always seeing the captain of her guard in such high spirits but never busting out through the roof. She wondered if Pit managed to find some ice cream off the floor or something, proclaiming it gives him health — well, it did in their respective homeland.
"You awfully seem to be in extremely high spirits today Pit," Palutena simply pointed out, keeping her warm smile. "Is there something you wish to tell me?"
Pit frantically waved his hands, his grin curling wide as his cheeks radiated a hue of salmon. Trying his best to compose his thoughts into one sentence, Pit couldn't help but express himself as he began fiddling his thumbs, trying his best to convey his words into an coherent sentence however, failed at doing so.
"Guess what?! Guess what?! GUESS WHAT?!" Pit boasted, jumping up and down gleefully. He tried his best to suppress his excitement as much as possible yet he couldn't quite conceal it.
Palutena chuckled at the Pit's sudden burst of energy, finding it to be quite adorable. Even though she had put him through many hardships in the past, Palutena felt like a mother watching her overjoyed child proudly exclaim about their huge surprise. So just like any parent would, Palutena responded in a way a child would want them to.
"What is it that you're trying to tell me Pit? Did you happen to stumble upon some ice cream today? Or perhaps, did you manage to claim victory over your own doppelganger in today's match?" Palutena eagerly guessed.
"It's even better than that!" Pit exclaimed. "My girlfriend's coming over to the manor to visit me for the week. You remember me telling you about her, right Lady Palutena?"
"Of course Pit. How could I ever forget about hearing you ramble on and on about Lana. In fact, it's almost as if she managed to cast as spell on you. Soon, she'll cast another one of her spells in a flash, prying you off my hands and into her own. In fact, I see lots of laundry, cleaning around, and furthermore, cooking in your future Pit," Palutena replied, teasing him.
Pit frowned a bit in response. He always got a bit worried when Palutena teased him, recalling how she could be serious at times and stand by her claims—not to mention he grasped every word literally. Because of her slightly mischievous nature, some of the participants could not ever tell if she is truly joking with them or not.
"Lady Palutena," Pit whined, "don't scare me like that, jeez. The last thing I need to worry about is how much detergent goes into the washing machine and if reds are to be washed separately from whites."
"Oh Pit," Palutena said, smiling once more. She already knew Pit was too lazy to do laundry on his own, constantly relying on the comfort of hot springs to relax—and to cleanse his tunic while at it. "You truly never cease to amaze me. Where would I honestly be without you, seeing how Pittoo on the other hand has a mind of his own. Oh—speaking of Pittoo, I wouldn't be surprised if he's gawking at a certain Ylissean princess. Needless to say, his fondness for her has grown over the duration he's been here."
Dark Pit sat on top of the tree branch, peering over in Lucina's direction. Out of the entire group of various fighters to include assist trophies and the special guests he met thus far in the humble abode, he had an eager fondness for the Hero King's descendant. To him, her natural beauty was like no other, being complimented by her soft and gentle nature. He knew the hardships she's experienced in the past, let alone a traumatic nightmare which prevented her from getting a full night's rest. In the beginning, Dark Pit didn't pay much heed to his little crush on the princess, believing himself to only be experiencing some sort of temporary infatuation or so he repeatedly told himself.
It wasn't until that fateful day when she beckoned him to be her date for the dance. He full heartedly recalled putting up a front to prevent Pit from catching on about his newfound feelings for Lucina, otherwise Dark Pit would never hear the end of it. Furthermore, Pit was the type to proudly boast about his twin's accomplishment amongst his friends, especially to the divine woman whom he pledged to forever serve and protect; Lady Palutena, otherwise known as the goddess of light. A faint grin began forming upon his lips curling, reminiscing Lucina's smile. Out of everything he could wish for, it was to see Lucina smile once more, let alone take her hand and finally confess his feelings to her. Everything about her made him feel extremely elated yet it quickly scurried off once he remembered that he was only a clone and nothing more.
As much as Pit heavily badgered him for his attitude or even rambling about topics he could care less about, Dark Pit was thankful that he saw him as his own brother rather than an incomplete shadow. However in spite of it all, it really didn't help that Palutena or even Viridi herself constantly reminded him that he was only Pit's doppelganger and nothing more. He loathed the fact that if Pit were to somehow get involved in a fatal event and lose his life in the process, he himself, would cease to exist. Dark Pit knew his existence didn't matter much else to anyone nor did he really care however, he knew his death will be too much for Lucina to handle. Pit promised him that he would do anything he can in his power to figure out how to make him his own person yet so far, all of his efforts seemed to be futile.
Realizing that he was getting consumed by his own thoughts and the endless tide of his own worries, Dark Pit shook his head, snapping out of it. He leaned on the tree branch, observing Lucina, who seemed to be engaged in a conversation with none other than the famed tactician Robin and Meta Knight.
"Lucina, you seemed to be troubled," Robin exclaimed, "Is something up?"
Lucina lowered her head a bit, facing the other direction as she looked quite doleful. Lucina took a deep breath, pausing for a moment or two before replying to her father's most trusted companion.
"It appears that I've either misplaced or lost a treasured memento my mother handed down to me when I was born," Lucina answered. She gave off another frustrated sigh, combined with the mixture of both disdain and disbelief. Lucina felt foolish to lose something that not only had huge significance but also, it was the only thing she had left of her actual mother. As much as she loved her parents, deep down, she knew they belonged to none other than her infant self. Lucina couldn't help but envy the baby however she was glad the child was going to live a happy and carefree life. Furthermore, she would not have to worry about any future threats which lie ahead.
"Perhaps we can help you look for it," Meta Knight suggested. He wrapped up in his own thoughts for a minute before adding onto his reply. "Let's start by retracing your steps. Where was the last place you were at?"
"Well, I was sparring earlier with the Hero King himself in the training room," Lucina replied. She became a bit hopeful, praying to Naga that the treasured item accidentally slipped during her training session with Marth.
"Well then, let's head over to the training facility," Robin recommended.
Lucina began making her way back towards the mansion alongside Robin and Meta Knight as they took off for the training facility.
As the trio departed, Dark Pit got up and hopped down, instantly obtaining an idea on the spot. Dark Pit decided that he himself was best suited for the task of finding the object that holds high significance to Lucina. Rubbing his chin for a moment or two, Dark Pit made a mental note to check the beach later at night to see if it somehow winded up along the shorelines. As he began trotting his way towards the mansion, Dark Pit was slightly taken aback, rubbing his eyes as he saw something—no, someone for an split second before they vanished into thin air.
He was able to catch a good glimpse of the face before the illusion, ghost, or whatever it was took off. The figure turned out to be none other than a woman however, something about her face seemed extremely familiar yet he couldn't quite pinpoint it at all. While Dark Pit became consumed by his own thoughts, Pit's voice quickly pierced through it, grabbing him and pulling him back into reality.
"HEY PITTOO!" Pit shouted, "guess who's here?!"
"Oh great… just the person I wanted to see…" he muttered to himself.
Pit finally caught up with him, holding Lana's hand as she blushed a bit before giggling.
"Pit-stain, what is it that you want now? Make it quick, I got important business to attend to," Dark Pit snarled in irritation. He would slightly bend his wrist backwards before moving it in a circular motion, telling Pit to hurry up.
"Lana just wanted to greet you Pittoo, that's all," Pit answered.
Lana smiled wide, giggling once more as she waved towards Dark Pit.
"Hi Pittoo!" Lana chirped, "How is your day so far?"
"For the love of god, stop calling me that ridiculous nickname. And second, I have better things to do than to waste my time chatting away with you and Pit-stain both!" Dark Pit barked. Before Lana or Pit had the chance to reply, Dark Pit already turned his back on them, leaving the premises as he went to look for the missing item. As he returned back to his own thoughts, a sudden realization struck him.
The woman he saw for a brief moment heavily resembled Lana herself.
"Just who the hell is that woman anyways and furthermore, why is her spirit roaming around here to begin with? Now, what strikes me the most is, why does she look so much like Pit's stupid girlfriend?"
Realizing the answer, Dark Pit felt like an idiot for not realizing it sooner, especially since he learned about this months ago.
The illusion his eyes just encountered a few moments earlier was none other than the spirit of Lana's other half, the dark sorceress, Cia.