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In all the worlds he had visited, every place he visited was always a little bit different. Every place except the area contained within Frostcoffin castle. Even DeRosso was always the same. And now, even under Yoko’s rule, the castle seemed to remain the same, mostly.
He was taking a moment to admire the new painting. Had DeRosso painted this? Or had Yoko painted it? He stepped back and the surroundings around him changed immediately. Rather than the familiar castle he was surrounded by darkness. His eyes caught the barest glimpse of the sparkle of a mirror behind a thick covering. That hadn’t been there, or at least he thought it hadn’t. Ringabel slowly walked over and yanked the cover off.
And staring back at him was… Him.
But that wasn’t him. This Ringabel was wearing the light leather armor that came with being an archer.
Meanwhile he was wearing his heavy Dark Knight armor, helmet tucked under one arm.
So who was the person staring back at him?
Alternis?
No, because that person on the other side of the mirror didn’t seem like Alternis.
Then…
Another layer seemed to add onto the mirror.
This ‘him’ was dressed as a performer, his hair perfect, clothes a little tattered. Before he could take it all in the mirror layered again.
And again
And again
And again
Until he couldn’t make out one from the other.
He couldn’t even make himself out of the mess, consumed by the darkness. Lost in a sea of people that were him, but weren’t.
“Who is the real Ringabel?” A voice cut through the insanity.
“Who is the real Alternis?” The same voice asked a different question.
He wanted to respond.
Desperately he tried to get his voice to cooperate, to answer. But he couldn’t.
Because he didn’t know himself.
“If you cannot even find the real you, then why would anyone waste their time with you?”
He didn’t know.
“If you can’t even forgive a past you could not change, why should anyone forgive you?”
He didn’t know.
“The high and mighty Dark Knight, yet you wear your armor so tightly even the one you care for the most cannot see through it.”
That’s right…
Edea…
“Before you hid your scars with that armor, you were still a pitiful child, weren’t you?” The blackness seemed to shift.
“A mother who couldn’t love you. A father that didn’t know you.” The voice continued as the scenery shifted to the forests outside of Florem. The scene focused on a boy, so young, so alone.
“And then Braev Lee came along. The priest who denied his faith and began an uprising.”
Ringabel recognized himself as a child now, too small, too thin, too weak, Braev approached him, and offered to take him away from this place. The Templar took him away, leading him to a safe place where Mahzer sat, cradling a small child to her chest.
Ringabel finally knew what he was watching. These were his memories.
“The deepest expression of a person is their heart. Their memories…”
The scene sped up, going faster and faster, continuously speeding up and through his whole life until it suddenly halted as he plummeted from Grandship.
“And you lost yours.”
He felt like he’d crashed into World 5 all over again. He didn’t have breath in his lungs.
“A sad knight with no past and no future. Lost from your own world and thrown into one you were not meant for… What a sad man you are.”
Ringabel fell to his knees. His own life was being used as a weapon against him and he couldn’t- He couldn’t-
“You can’t protect those around you from harm. Lost in the hubris you created to hide your scars. Even now the one you care for so much chases you. She chases you into danger. So why do you run?”
The image mirrored around him changed. His own anguished screams echoed in his ears.
“ Edea?! Edea, stay awake! Please! EDEA! ”
He couldn’t breathe. His heart was being played like a fiddle and every sour note hit harder than a thundaga.
He could still remember in perfect clarity the way Edea felt in his arms, the way she looked. The strong, willful girl he’d grown up loving...
Slowly going limp in his arms… Her face was beaten and bruised… And he was powerless to do anything. His powers were only about self-sacrifice. There was no way he could save Edea in this situation with that.
He let out his own scream. He couldn’t handle these images, he couldn’t take Yoko’s prying, he couldn’t-
He was alone. He was alone and suffering and-
“I miss him...”
Edea’s voice cut through his thoughts like a knife.
It was soft, his mind registered it as a pleasant distraction from his situation. She needed him. She needed him despite knowing his failures. He had to go to her…
He got to his feet and stumbled through the blackness, searching her out. Crystals,he was an idiot.
He cried out, breaking free of whatever hold was on him. Yoko’s torments continued in the back of his mind.
“You are alone. Just as she is alone... ”
“Even if you reunite with each other… Your heart remains divided between your love and your duties. Which will you choose, Dark Knight Alternis Dim? Or are you the Playful Amnesiac Ringabel?”
“Whoever you truly are. Never forget that you will always be alone.”
“No.” He said firmly, fighting through the darkness. “I will not be alone! I have my friends, even if worlds separate us. I am more than a name, or a place, or a past!” He unsheathed Darkbringer. “I am more than my memories! And right now-” With a powerful swing he shattered the mirror around him. “- My Edea needs me.”
He sheathed his sword, his heart would lead him to her. Even for this short time they would have together… Even if he couldn’t stay… There were more important things in life than one's duties.
“Edea!”