Chapter 6

Chapter 6: You and I

           Yareth woke up from his unconsciousness. He opened his eyes and blinked. Did he remember crying and falling asleep?

He decided to blink his eyes again. He was confused. He tried to move his body and found that it was hard to move around. His hands and feet feel heavy.

It was like something was obstructing him. It was heavy and oppressive. Yet it wasn't concrete or a solid thing. The thing that was blocking him was not also a form of gas. He blinked his eyes again. Surprise that when he moved his body bubbles would appear around.

Finally, realization dawned upon him. He was in the water. He was being surrounded by the water. Yareth unconsciously opened his mouth in shock. But he quickly closes it. Afraid that the water would enter his lungs.

" ...Heh.. "

Yareth quickly turned his body. He heard the voice of someone. His eyes widened when he finally registered the person in front of him.

Black hair, blue eyes. And a very familiar face. Yareth's mind shook. How could this be?

" Who are you?! "

He looks at the person in front of him with fear and anxiety.

How could it happen? It was impossible.

" Why it isn't possible? "

Yareth becomes more nervous. He didn't expect the familiar person in front of him to reply. It was... as if this person could read his mind.

" I am ..... Me. This is impossible. You couldn't exist. "

Yareth started trembling. He was... The person in front of him. Looks like the 'him' in his past life. It was beyond impossible.

" No, it wasn't impossible. It was simply beyond your current comprehension, Yareth. "

Yareth feels confused as he looks towards the very familiar face. He doesn't get what is this shapeshifter is saying.

" Shapeshifter? How cruel... "

The unknown being said those words as he walks closer and closer towards Yareth. He brought his hands in front of his body, ready to defend himself from any attack coming from this person.

" But, I couldn't blame the fault on you to be this ignorant... "

Instead of an attack, Yareth felt a very familiar gesture. The person who looked like him in his past life is patting his head.

" You are just a child. Your mind works in a very simple way. "

The head pat... Feels comfortable for some reason.

" Despite the knowledge and those memories, inside and out, you are a child. Emulate it however you try and want, but you would never be the person of your past. "

Yareth frowned as he heard those words. Yet his eyes dilated as he heard this familiar stranger's next words.

" You can never be I am... I and you– “Yareth”, despite being the same soul are different from each other. I am what I am. And you are what you are. "

The person.... he of the past life smiled.

" You are just a child. That knowledge shouldn't be your burden and responsibility. Within these past few weeks, you are overtaxing yourself. Working hard and worrying about a lot of things. A lot of stress.. physically and mentally has accumulated inside you... In the end, your body and mind decided to give up on the recent events. "

'He' was right. Yareth thought as he look at himself. It was a strange turn of events. To have himself comforting his self. There were no parents in this life, who would truly care for him. Yareth was envious of his past life. Isn't it a very strange feeling?

Finally, Yareth decided the courage to ask.

" Then...what is this place? You are not just here to comfort me, aren't you? "

Yareth feels the hand on his head being removed.

" You are dreaming. "

Yareth feels relief when he heard that. With the recent knowledge of Beyonders, he thought that being transported into a strange place is not impossible.

... Wait, did he just say Dreaming? Yareth suddenly feels worried. In this world, isn't it quite dangerous for some Beyonders to dream?

" You are right.. "

'He' was reading Yareth's thoughts again.

" This is a convenient thing. Anyway, we have no time to dilly dally as you are right to be worried. We don't want Beyonders of the Visionary Pathway to stumble upon us within this strange situation, don't you? Who knows what would they do? "

Yareth looks around just in case. He heard a chuckle.

" Don't worry it wouldn't be easy for low and mid-level Beyonders to notice this part of the dream. It was the 'big guy' that I am worried about. "

Yareth remembered that guy. He was also horrible like that villain guy in a monocle.

" Well being dangerous and powerful runs in their genes. They are brothers after all... Or should does the like Father like son apply more to this situation? "

" Hey, can you just say what you wanted to say? You say that we have a limited time don't we? "

" Right, I'm sorry kiddo. "

Yareth restrained the bubbling frustration on him.

" Proceed carefully on what you would do. "

Yareth frowned.

" The knowledge of this world is our advantage. So don't change too many things. If possible, don't change anything at all. "

Yareth never thought of himself as a cold-hearted person until now.

" Lastly.... "

He suddenly felt that the other him and his surroundings are getting hazier.

" The Outer Deities are aware of your existence. "

A weird feeling came over him. He was disappearing. Popping out like a bubble out of existence.

-----------------------

Yareth woke up with a gasp.

" Are you alright, Prince Yareth? "

He sprang up from the bed. Sitting, and looking around the room with panic. He was welcomed with a sight of his worried tutor Levan Septimus.

" Mister Septimus? .... "

" Feeling not awake and ready yet? Did you dream or something? "

His tutor asked in a joking manner. Yareth notice one of his tutor's hands which was holding something. His eyes widened and focus on the very important object.

Yareth decided to reply with his tutor's question despite it being like a joke. Or a statement that he didn't need to reply to. He knows that it was just his tutor worrying about him.

" Something like that.. Mister Septimus. I dreamed of meeting myself. "

An amused smile tugged on his lips when he said those words.

" I see. I see... That was one strange dream. "

Mister Septimus didn't believe in his 'Joke'. He thought of it as really some kind of Joke in response to his joke.

" Anyway, I have already the potion of the Reader Sequence prepared for you, Prince Yareth. The taste for the potions is the thing that you would experience with the most horrible flavor in your life. I hope that you are prepared. "

Yareth nodded his head slightly. Trivial matters like the horrible flavor of the potion don't matter. His tutor then decided to give the potion to him. As he accepted it, Yareth decided to not think where some of the ingredients of the potion came from.

It was horrible and nightmare-inducing. Deserving to be called a world of madness.

Yareth stared at the potion on his hand. It felt warm and cool at the same time. It was really strange.

" Mister Septimus, is there a ritual needed before I drank the potion? "

" I see... That you have done your research well. Please put yourself in your most comfortable position. "

Yareth stared at him.

" Is that it? "

He swore that he remembered the protagonist doing something before drinking the potion.

" No, there is no ritual needed in advancing below the sequence 7 in our Pathway. I don't know if it was the same case for other Pathways. But being in your most comfortable position would help in case that there would be side effects. "

" I appreciate the reminder, Mister Septimus. "

Yareth removes the cork from the glass bottle of the potion. He grimaced as the smell reached him. Pinching his nose, he drank the potion in one go.

The potion reached his throat then down to his stomach in a matter of few moments. Yareth staggered slightly as he feel different sensations assaulting his body.

It's cold, hot.. he feels his body getting stronger but feels his body relaxing and turning like a jelly. Many contradictions. His body started trembling. His vision was getting blurry.

He suddenly found himself not in his room. But in something else. Darkness is surrounding him.

{ Who are you?..... Who are you?... What are you?... What are you. What are you? WHAT ARE YOU?!..}

Yareth can hear repeating whispers inside his mind. It was overwhelming. He feels that his head would explode.

It was different. It should be a clue. Why it was different for him? Is it because he wasn't the protagonist? Is it because he was—

" Kiddo.. focus... "

Yareth blinked his eyes again. He saw the hazy vision of 'himself' through his eyes. He let out a sigh and close his eyes. Clenching his fist and feeling the pain so he can ground himself to reality.

Finally, as the minutes passed, the murmurs were getting fainter and fainter.

{ Lenburg... }

Until they all disappeared.

Yareth opened his eyes again. He was back in his room again. And his tutor has a very worried look on his face. It was like that his lifespan was reduced again and he looks older than before. Did his tutor get another stress line on his face?

" ...Mister Septimus? "

Yareth hesitantly asked. He gained his tutor's attention. Yet he didn't expect what happened next. His tutor rushed towards him. He can feel hands on his back. And the faint smell of ink, parchments, and sea breeze reached his nose.

" Thank the God of Knowledge and Wisdom... You're Alright. I thought that you would lose control and become a monster. "

He was being hugged by his tutor. It was strange. Yet, he feels a tingly feeling in his heart. Then his tutor's words registered on his mind. He looks over his shoulders and gazes at his room.

His previously neat and clean room looks like a mess. It was like that a child had thrown a tantrum in his room. Which he did according to his tutor. He nearly failed?

Becoming Beyonder was harder than he thought. He never expected himself to be so vulnerable. Yareth sighed again. It would take some hours to clean his room.

" How strange that was your priority kiddo.. "

Looks like that wasn't a dream at all.