Garden Of The Abyss

"How about we do a test?" He told her with a nervous smile.

"A test?"

He nodded, "I'll go to sleep, and you can confirm for yourself if it happens again."

"Sounds risky. If it is some sort of dream magic, I imagine there is a way to cause harm from within…" She told him.

"Well, it's riskier going through this without information, wouldn't you agree?" He smiled, "besides, we need to get this sorted before Briswall arrives. Outside force or not, if I'm slipping between dreams and reality while trying to undergo this mission…"

He knew that he was playing directly at how she operated, garnering a huff from the woman as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Fine then," Emilia looked straight at him, "But, I'm going to make sure you don't leave this room. It's bad enough that we have guards out there looking for you. If you get caught, it'd be bad news. Gallvania's young king isn't exactly known for being rational. You'd likely end up with your head off your shoulders."

"I was going to ask you to anyway!" He said, standing up to stretch before sliding himself onto the bed.

Still, Emilia held a worried expression as she watched him carefully even as he laid still, allowing his eyes to shut.

…If I'm being honest, this is pretty scary. In that world of dreams, I was stripped of my power–I felt it for the first time in a long time: primordial fear. Even so…we have to get through this before Briswall arrives. If we don't, the opportunity to deal a massive blow to the Argonauts will slip right by, he thought.

"Hey, Emilia," he said, keeping his eyes closed.

"What is it? Focus on sleeping. You can do that much, right?" She huffed, still keeping her golden eyes on him.

She watched as the dark-haired man, laid across the bed in front of her, reached his hand out towards her without opening his eyes.

"Huh? What're you doing?" She asked, confused with a slight fluster to her cheeks.

"I heard somewhere that when holding somebody's hand, the bad dreams are washed away," he said with a hint of playfulness.

Emilia quickly brushed his seemingly playful request aside with a blush, averting her gaze, "Whatever, this isn't time for your jokes."

"Alright, alright," he smiled, bringing his hand back as he kept quiet.

Though even with bringing his eyes to a close, sitting in the darkness of his own threshold between the world of reality of dreams, he found it quite difficult to fall into slumber.

What dream will await me this time, I wonder? He asked.

With that question, it was instead his curiosity that sailed him into the sea of dreams.

Again, it was only a sparse few moments between the feeling of his consciousness sinking away into slumber before he reopened his eyes to find himself awake.

As he sat up, he briefly looked at his hands, turning them before grabbing one of his hanging, black tufts.

"...It all feels real. I can't tell the difference," he muttered to himself.

"What feels real?"

–It nearly made him jump, not expecting another voice to exist in the room with him as he quickly turned his gaze to the side.

"Emilia?" He asked, finding his eyes laid on the familiar, amber-haired woman.

She was sitting exactly as she was just moments before on the bed across from his own, looking at him with a confused glance.

"What're you doing? Is it really that much of a tall task to sleep?" She asked.

"But, I did," he told her.

"...If we're talking right now, I'm pretty sure you didn't fall asleep, Sirius," Emilia sighed out, lightly shaking her head.

He didn't have anything to combat her words with as he was just as confused himself as he laid back down against the bed, looking up at the ceiling.

I know for sure I fell asleep. I felt it. Whatever…I guess I didn't, he thought.

Allowing his eyes to shut once more, he gave it another try.

Again, moments later, they opened as he sat up to once again, see Emilia by in the same spot, watching him all the same.

"What is it now?" She asked, resting her chin against her hand.

"I guess I can't fall asleep," he rubbed his head, "I have slept a lot already, so it makes sense."

Bringing himself to his feet, he stretched as he blinked a few times, leaning against the window will.

"I wonder why I'm the only one being targeted here," he sighed out.

"You know why," Emilia answered, peeling a fruit, "you're about as famous–no, infamous as it gets. I wouldn't be surprised if this attack isn't even connected to Briswall."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He raised an eyebrow to her.

Emilia shrugged with a small smirk, "You have a natural talent for making enemies. I'm just saying that we should consider the possibility that this isn't even an Argonaut."

"Well, it doesn't really change anything whether or not they are. We have to find them and end this," he spoke quietly.

Clenching his glove tightly, he gazed beyond the window at the city that stayed bright even beneath the veil of the starry skies.

The streets were lit with abundant lanterns, and people still strolled through the width of the neatly-paved streets in equal abundance.

"...Looks like Yulimium has trouble sleeping itself, huh?" He mumbled.

Letting out a sigh, he rested his head on his arms that were crossed and laid on the soft, wooden window sill, looking over at the woman of similar age.

"What?" She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, as if confused by his attention.

"For the first time in a while, I'm feeling pretty lost here," he told her calmly.

"Is that so?"

He breathed out a bit, "Magic like this is honestly frightening when you think about it. I still don't know if it's truly magic, or just my own mind failing me," he told her, gazing at the stars through the glass pane, "If I can't sleep, and he just stays tucked away, safe and sound, I'll lose eventually. No matter how strong I am, it's inevitable."

"I didn't think you were just a downer," Emilia suddenly said, tucking her knees close to her chest atop the bed.

He turned his gaze back to her, "Mm? What're you talking about?"

"I've always seen you as the hot-headed type who doesn't really think much if his opponent is weaker or stronger than him, and just always gives it his best shot anyway," she told him, "I guess I was wrong. You might be a bit of a coward after all."

"Is that what you think?" He said in a strained voice as he stretched his arms, ruffling his own locks as he faced her with a smile, "Seriously, when did I say a single thing about losing? I'm going after this guy–full force."

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