The Yumekawa Imperial Palace was even larger and more grand than Yuiitsu's home. A lot larger. The guards at the entrance were quite surprised to see Veliona back again so suddenly. And on foot, with no guards in sight. But they didn't ask any questions as they led her inside. Aldrich and Levi tailing close behind her.

According to the guards, the emperor and his daughter were currently in a meeting with the emperor of the Nishūkan region. They would have to wait until it was over before getting an audience with them.

Veliona shrugged. "That's completely fine by me. I'd like not have to deal with her again at all."

The 'her' in this case referred to the emperor's daughter, Amane Rei. Veliona did not have the best relationship with her, as Aldrich and Levi soon found out.

"Back again so soon?" Rei remarked snidely a few hours later. After the emperor of the Nishūkan region had taken his leave, she and her father had been alerted to the princess' arrival and Rei had made her way to the guest room she had been placed in shortly after. "I suppose if I had the misfortune of being your father, I'd try to get rid of you as much as possible too."

"Oh, bite me." Veliona retorted. "I am here of my own volition, because unlike you, I can do things without my father's say-so first."

"Princesses, couldn't we all just try getting along a little better?" Aldrich said with a nervous laugh, trying to break up the two princesses who were pretty much butting heads.

Rei gave a small huff of annoyance before turning around, arms crossed. "Who are these two anyway?"

Veliona did the same. "These are my friends. Sorry, I'm sure that's an unfamiliar term for you."

Aldrich bowed promptly. "Aldrich de la Rossa, a knight-in-training in the Order of the Rose. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, your highness."

"Oh, a knight-in-training?" Rei appraised him, moving closer and making Aldrich back up in turn. Her face getting a little too close to his. "The pleasure is all mine."

"Hands off, skank." Veliona yelled as she pulled Rei away by the hair. They got into another glaring contest. "I don't want you anywhere near him."

"You back off, he can decide who he wants to spend time with for himself." Rei growled back.

Aldrich looked to Levi for help, but the boy was just staring blankly at a wall. So he just decided to not get in the middle anymore. After a few minutes, the tension simmered down on its own.

"Luckily for both of us, we'll be leaving first thing tomorrow." Veliona aired. "We'll be heading back to Yves. Because, for your information, I was not sent away. I was abducted."

Rei was genuinely surprised by that casual revelation. Her tone softened by a mile. "Wait, really?"

Veliona looked pleased at the new expression on her rival's face. "Yes, really. My father must have sent word out of my kidnapping ages ago. Maybe you'd have heard if you didn't always have your head so far up your-..."

Rei interrupted, shaking her head. "No, I've made it a point to keep abreast of all matters in Yumekawa. There has been no messenger from Yves, nor word of your disappearance."

Veliona's look of superiority slowly vanished. Replaced with bafflement. "That's impossible! I've been gone for over a week. Arissa would have alerted my father the second she realised."

Rei's look was doubtful.

"You must be mistaken." Veliona continued. "It matters not anyway. I shall confirm for myself when I speak with my father tomorrow."

Her confident demeanor faded as soon as Rei left. Aldrich tried to reassure her by saying it was probably all a misunderstanding, but she only replied with a small nod.

Her unusual quietness was concerning, but it was already late so Levi and Aldrich left for the room they would be sleeping in. It was a lot more furnished than the room in Yuiitsu's house. Levi sat himself down on one side of the tatami bed, staring blankly at the wall.

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Aldrich sat down next to him. He waved a hand in front of Levi's face but got no response. So he tapped him on the shoulder, making him jump a little.

"Are you okay?" Aldrich asked. "You've been quiet for a long while now."

"Sorry," Levi replied sheepishly. "I've been trying to reach Abaddon."

"How is that working out?"

Levi sighed. "Well, you see, usually when I want to talk with him, I can just close my eyes and... I don't know if I'm explaining it right, but it's like I'm teleported to a separate realm. A space... between our souls. He's still there, but he's asleep and I can't wake him up."

Aldrich nodded, arms folded. "I see." He did not understand any of what he had just heard.

It must have been apparent to Levi because he reached for his hand. "Maybe I can show you. Let me try something."

Aldrich wasn't quite sure what he was going to do, but he placed his hand in his anyway. "Okay, now look into my eyes." Levi instructed.

Aldrich did so, but after a few seconds he could feel a giggle rising in his throat. He found it hard to stare directly at a person's face for so long and keep from laughing for no particular reason.

"Come on, I'm being serious here. The eyes are the passages to the soul after all."

Aldrich suppressed the laugh and nodded. He stared as intently as he could, right into Levi's eyes. It was easy to miss from far away, but Levi's eyes were both different colours. His left eye was a light blue like the sky, and the right a captivating shade of green.

A few minutes passed and nothing had happened. He wondered if it was working at all.

×

Levi drew in a sharp breath as his eyes shot open. He had done it, they must be in the space between his soul now. But when he looked around, nothing looked familiar. He must have messed up, he realised. He had never tried this before. But where was this then, Aldrich's soul?

Levi called out for him, but his voice was swallowed up by the unending darkness. It was all pitch black, unusually so. Levi hadn't been in a lot of soulscapes, but he didn't think they were supposed to be so cold and empty.

He called out again, Aldrich's soul must be somewhere nearby. Maybe he just hadn't figured out how to manifest a physical form in this realm yet. He began to move forward, but it was hard to move. It was like walking through sludge. And he had no idea where to go anyway.

But he kept moving forward anyway. Until he caught a faint glimmer of something in the distance. He picked up the pace, and after what felt like forever he drew closer.

He wasn't sure what he thought he had seen, but what was in front of him was definitely not Aldrich's soul. It wasn't Aldrich, but it was alive, and pulsating darkly. Levi hadn't noticed when he had started holding his breath. Its eye shot open suddenly, its pupil darting around wildly until finally focusing directly on him.

He took a large step back and then tripped. He shut his eyes as he fell.

×

Levi woke up with a loud yell, startling Aldrich. Aldrich sat up in the bed and turned to face him.

"Are you alright?"

Levi breathed heavily. His heart still racing. "W-what happened?"

Aldrich shrugged. "You had your eyes closed for like, ever. So after a while I figured you had just fallen asleep, it was a long day after all. So I shifted you onto the bed and under the sheets."

"I was... asleep?" Levi repeated slowly. "For how long?"

"Well, it's almost morning, so..." Aldrich started, gazing over at the patch of sunlight filtering in through the room's window.

He had fallen asleep. So that's all that was, just a nightmare. He thought to himself. He let out a sigh of relief. He had seen some particularly disturbing things lately, he guessed.

Aldrich hopped out of the bed and onto his feet. "I'm going to go find a bathroom. You'll be alright on your own for a bit, right?."

Levi gave him a confirmatory nod and then he was gone.