Time passed by as a day went by, all this while Austin didn't do anything else as he kept Marlene company, slowly helping her mind to heal. And when the new day was about to begin, Austin knew that it was time to do the second act, one that will fully deal with the seal. With a smile, Austin carefully moved Marlene, making sure to place her in a comfortable position, and soon he too fell 'asleep' beside her.
Just as he did, Marlene, who was beside him, started to wake up. Her eyelids fluttered as she opened her eyes, her gaze unfocused as they focused on the beautiful ceiling above. The cold ice calmed her mind down as the power that was leaving her body filled her like never before. A few seconds passed till she regained her memory.
'I'm back?'
She asked herself, the last moments playing in her mind, especially the part where she cried like a little girl and the madness in her was taking over her mind.
'Why do I feel like I'm missing something?'
Just as she asked herself this question, the voice of the dragon sounded out again.
"Looks like you are awake."
Hearing it, Marlene slowly sat up from her position, her mind feeling as clear as it ever felt. She felt as if she had woken up from the best dream she ever had in the world. Soon, the pieces of memory, emotions, and ideals that Austin left for her fully integrated into her mind, and the first thing her eyes moved to look for, disregarding even the voice of a dragon, was Austin.
"Austin!"
She called out as she saw him lying beside her, her body moving fast as she carefully held him close to her, her sparkling blue hair falling softly to Austin's sleeping face, while her watery blue eyes became gentle like they never before did, a sweet smile filling Marlene's face as she lightly took Austin's head and placed it on her lap, her mind being fully consumed by Austin till she heard the dragon's voice again.
"You know I don't like being ignored..."
"What happened to him?"
Marlene asked in a regal and powerful tone, the bearing of the position she took up in her dreams giving her a more mature and powerful feel, and the dragon seemed to be impressed by it.
"Um... the effects seem to still linger even though I sealed most of your memories and healed your mental bearing."
"Meaning?"
Marlene asked back, her gaze only focused on Marlene.
"It's simple, everything you went through won't be able to hold in your mind, and you might go mad if I didn't do something about this."
Marlene stayed quiet, processing the information as she kept patting Austin's hair. She once again marveled at the powers of what a dragon can do, but she didn't show it out as the situation kept playing through her mind. She wasn't the person that entered the illusion, she had come out a different woman.
"Will it be forever sealed?"
"No, it would come back as your mental strength keeps getting stronger...."
The dragon replied, making Marlene thoughtful for a moment, her gaze passing with several thoughts as she asked again.
"Why this sort of illusion, why did I have him in it, and was it really an illusion?"
This time the dragon stayed silent, taking a moment after which it spoke.
"The illusion is tied to broken relationships of past spectral forms. Whatever you saw in there in the way I set made you relive the desire you have suppressed against what you should and can have."
A certain light passed through Marlene's eyes as she heard the dragon's words, the fervor in her eyes increasing a bit more as she stared at Austin.
"Is he undergoing the same trial as me?"
Marlene asked as her gentle eyes still kept looking at Austin as if he the most perfect thing in the world, one that would break at the lightest touch.
"No, I'm making him go through something much more cruel, for he pissed me off."
The dragon spoke with a calm tone, just as she did, a huge amount of killing intent exploded from within Marlene's body, her gaze turning sharp as she looked up at the ceiling. But as soon as she did, the sharp ceiling above started to tremble, and it would seem that one wrong move from her would end up killing the two of them.
Seeing it, she regained her senses, her mind being much more controlled than before. But once the name of something bad to Austin came up, she just wasn't able to control herself anymore.
"Why?"
She asked, and just as it did, a scene started to play in front of Marlene, where Austin kept talking back to the dragon, throwing out dangerous words as he saw the situation around Marlene get worse. Marlene saw how Austin looked worried as the atmosphere around her got worse as she spent her time in the illusion.
She even saw Austin get punished and pushed around just so he would make sure that she was safe. Seeing all this, anger and love kept colliding within Marlene. She wanted to shout out, but she knew that she wasn't in power there. All she could do was hold this within her heart and make sure nothing like this ever happens again.
"What is he going through?"
Marlene asked with gritted teeth, her eyes burning.
"I gave you your worst nightmare of the future, and I am giving this boy the worst nightmare of the past."
Just as he finished speaking, the screen before Marlene fluttered, starting to show what Austin would be going through. Seeing this, Marlene's eyes trembled for a moment as she started to ask.
"Did h-"
"No, he didn't see any of your illusion, and I am showing you his because I like to see him get more embarrassed, just cause you all got here doesn't mean you are all above me, everything around here for me is fun, and I would like to see what this child would do when his past catches up to him."
"No, I won't see this."
Marlene directly replied as she closed her eyes.
"Too bad, then I will make him keep reliving this moment, even if he passes the test."
This once again got Marlene, her eyes opening wide as she started to focus on the screen, which started to fizzle out, and soon Austin was shown on the screen, him moving through the forest with a cloak covering over him while a mask covered his face.
Soon from there, the play began. From Austin finding himself in the forest, and saving a veiled girl, she shows no absolute appreciation for him and even gave him snarky remarks. But even then, Austin didn't push her away. When he saw that she was poisoned, he took her in, made her safe in a cave, and treated her like a queen.
Seeing all this, feeling immense jealousy in Marlene's heart and mind, the desire to get this girl and chop her to pieces filled her, but Marlene held herself back, watching everything from now on, trying to understand a story that Austin never told her about.
Soon everything became clear to her. Austin and the girl started to spend time together, with each of them hiding their identity. The two of them fell in love together, which quickly brought cracks in Marlene's heart.
Anger and jealousy she never felt like before filled her up to the brim. She had never felt like this before, but she kept watching, cause if this is a scar of Austin's, then something bad was about to happen, and it did. Along the way, their love looked strong and powerful, but cracks started to happen.
And it was then Marlene got to know that the girl is Celestinia!
The princess and the next ruler of the Dragon Realm! This shook her heart, several doubts and questions filling up her mind, but she held it back again and focused on what happens. She saw as Celestinia's emotions started to change, how she got cranky, how she became more demanding, and how badly she started to treat Austin.
Now it was no more love, it just seemed to be pure bullying from her side. Marlene watched all this quietly till Celestinia pushed Austin to sure death, where he barely even survived by sacrificing a lot. She could see and somehow even feel the pain and betrayal that filled Austin as he was pushed into the portal.
'You really went through something like this?'
Marlene asked herself, feeling that the world itself was punishing such a good man. How could the world be cruel to such a kind person? But for Marlene, it wasn't done, for another story began, the one that Austin did tell her. Here he was much older, but the situation went as he told her, she saw a fairly beautiful woman and Austin surviving together, and she treated him like a lover and big sister till things went as bad as Austin told her.
Once again, the world punished a kind man, from then on, Marlene could only watch, her heart squeezing as she did so.
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