Arthur sat there with a complex gaze as the little girl skipped around him. Her appearance was the spitting image of the Dia he knew, but the child-like wonder made him disturbed. The Ice Princess poured some drinks in his appointed house after she convinced the queen to make him stay.
“I thank you again for this kindness,” said Arthur while stealing glances at Diana, who stole glances at him. “The rumors around the Ice Princess are an understatement.”
“What other rumors have you heard?” asked the princess while giving him a cold beverage cup. Her hand made a gesture to the cup, and Diana ran to place her hand around it. But then, the cup began to boil before she let go of it.
“You are the person who sacrificed her life for the sake of Alva,” replied Arthur with a smile as his hand reached out to pat Diana’s head. The little girl was afraid but allowed it nonetheless. “You are the Duke of Fire’s wife, right?”
“That is correct,” nodded the Ice Princess. “You are not afraid of being seen with me even though you know that?”
“I have reasons to believe he will not show up,” replied Arthur. Of course, the Duke of Fire should not be a part of this illusion, but Arthur did not know the reason behind it if he was not. “I am quite strong myself.”
“Oh,” she exclaimed with rare surprise. Then, with a smile, she poured herself a cup. “How strong, exactly?”
Arthur wanted to tell her that he was about to kill the duke at some point. However, that was not as true as he hoped because his own life fueled that
Then, the cup in his hand flew away before turning upside down. The blue fluid inside it gushed upward as if gravity had been reversed. Diana and the Ice Princess stared at the liquid with amazement as it gathered to form a little bunny. The bunny then froze, turning into a sculpture before landing in Arthur’s hand.
“Here is a gift in return,” said Arthur with a smile as he gave the ice bunny to Diana. The little girl took it with enchanted eyes, running her fingers on its sharp edges. “Don’t melt it down by accident.”
“I will not,” Diana replied with her frozen breath touching the bunny. Arthur smiled before turning toward the Ice Princess, whose eyes lingered on her daughter before turning toward him.
“That simple act requires at least two traits or abilities, as humans call them,” her eyes were as blue as the sky. “Is there more you can do, outlander?”
“Is there something you want me to do, Ice Princess?” asked Arthur with a tilt of his head. “It seems like you brought me here for a reason.”
“I can sense see the colors of other people’s souls,” she said. “This is my unique gift and how I choose who to trust. The reason I brought you here is my child.”
“What is wrong with her?”
“She is the wrong here,” said the Ice Princess without hesitation. Arthur frowned as he stared at her, angered by her lack of consideration. “The world rejects her existence. Nevertheless, I can tell that you have a harmonious soul, so I ask you to aid her.”
After that, the Ice Princess bowed her head to plead for it. Arthur stared at it with a frown, as this should not be a part of the illusion. Of course, his meeting with Diana should not affect how things turn out to be, but what did the illusion creator want from this? It made him suspicious, so he had to refuse.
“I apologize, but there is nothing I can do to save her.”
“Knowing of her aliment from a glance proves that you are still capable,” unliked what he expected, the Ice Princess replied without being disappointed. “Please enjoy your stay here.”
Arthur watched the Ice Princess take her daughter and leave without trying to convince him. Her attitude made him realize how used she was for the disappointment. His eyes turned to Diana, who was still carrying the bunny.
Diana’s legs had black lines running on them, and it was proof that her body was unable to handle the conflicting traits. The rejection had already started, and it reminded him of the time she sacrificed her life to get him.
“Even if this is an illusion,” sighed Arthur as his heart felt like it was torn apart with pain. “I want to save her, just once.”
Arthur treated this as redemption for not saving her in the previous timeline. However, he was not unwise enough to let his emotions affect his decision. The fact that someone was asking for his powers here made him suspect a trap.
***
Her childish giggles came as surprises, and Arthur enjoyed her happiness as if it was his own. The little ice bunny was alive now and jumping to play with Diana, chasing after her while her tiny legs carried her away.
Arthur controlled the rabbit, and the Ice Princess seemed to roam the lands again for a cure for her daughter. Diana was the one to visit his garden to play around, and Arthur did not chase her away.
There were very few conversations between them, but Arthur did not mind. As for Diana, she seemed to be comfortable enough to play around like this. It was a happy memory that Arthur felt lucky to experience until she suddenly fell.
“Are you okay?” he asked with concern from his chair. The bunny jumped to land in front of her, looking at her, confused. Diana tried to lift herself, but her legs were no longer working.
Arthur’s lips pressed hard against each other as Diana looked around with confusion, her eyes losing color. Then, her small hands reached out to touch her face.
“I cannot… see…”
What broke Arthur’s heart was not the revelation that her health was getting worse but the lack of fear or surprise in her voice. It was as if she was used to it, and Diana did not act differently. Instead, after rolling to the side, she searched on the ground for the bunny, which cuddled against her hand after.
“I want my mother, mister.”
Her calm voice made Arthur far from being calm. As he nodded and was about to walk toward her, the Ice Princess appeared in the sky. Her feet landed on the ground beside Diana, the same expression on her face.
“It seems that I was too late again,” said the Ice Princess with unknown emotions. “I thank you, outlander, for making her feel joy before it was too late.”
Arthur did not reply and watched cracks appear on Diana’s legs, moving slowly to cover her whole body. The Ice Princess crouched to carry her away as Arthur seethed with anger.
“Is this a joke to you?” he asked, his chest inflating and deflating. The ice around them was beginning to melt as his boiling rage reflected on the surrounding. The Ice Princess turned toward him with confusion as his powers reached out toward the runes. “You think I would fall for this trap?”
Arthur was not the same naive person as before, who allowed luck to decide whether he would live or die. After careful consideration, there can only be one reason for this illusion.
This was a pathetic attempt to make him give away a part of his power. Everything was built for this moment where Arthur tries to heal Diana with his powers to keep this sick fantasy going.
His rage was akin to the drums of heaven being struck repeatedly. The surroundings began to shake as the runic world and reality morphed around them. The image in front of him began to distort and dissipate like smoke to reveal the hollow interior of a grand hall.
Arthur closed his eyes as the illusion fell apart. For the shortest duration, he was allowed to take care of the person he loves, even as a child. However, the worst dream is the one you long for in reality because it turns life into an absolute nightmare.
The boiling rage cooled down into something far more destructive as his eyes opened. The world in front of him was revealed as nothing but a giant hall with countless pillars inscribed with illusion runes.
Arthur saw no one around, but the runes were still activated. Inside these runes should be the memory of what happened to Diana, and Arthur wanted to know it. His legs carried him to the pillar while his hand reached out toward the runes.
As his skin touched the runic lines, Arthur managed to see glimpses of what happened. A painful memory was buried inside these runes, and Arthur swallowed all of them.
With him acting as a vacuum, all runes began to be sucked into his body. Arthur closed his eyes as the new memories appeared in his mind. These memories belonged to Diana, and when he lived them, tears streamed down his face.
