Fwoosh… huuummm…
The sound of her fingers dipping in and out of the painting echoed through the tunnel of colors.
She had pulled her entire arm from within it and tried to find anything different or strange about it.
Slowly, she tilted her head to the side and whispered out a single word, pointing to her arm with her other hand.
"Warm."
Aaron frowned, looking at her in confusion until he noticed pale tendrils drifting up from her limb, dissolving into the air.
"It's steaming? That's not warm, that's burning!"
Eleanor simply blinked before responding flatly.
"No. Only warm and numb."
She placed the portrait on the floor, stood up, and swiftly examined the deeper segments of the hallway.
"Further."
Aaron barely caught her voice as she started walking, and called out to her quickly, without much time for thought.
"B-But shouldn't we try to put our heads through and take a look or something like that?"
Eleanor stopped, turned around, and rolled her eyes at his response, then sighed deeply and replied in a monotone voice that still somehow betrayed her irritation.
"Do you want your head to be cut off? No. We keep walking and find a bigger one."
With that, she continued down the brightly colored tunnel at a steady pace, not waiting for his response this time either.
M-Maybe she's right… This portrait is only the size of my head, so my whole body wouldn't fit, and that might cause problems…
Aaron shrugged and followed behind her, further reflecting on their situation while they passed more paintings that left a lingering feeling in his heart.
They all feel so familiar yet at the same time different…
…
As time passed, the pair saw many paintings throughout their expedition deeper into the pathway.
One was of a hideous creature that was almost certainly a small sea terror that lacked eyes and had blood dripping from its ears.
Another was a view from a window that reflected a lush valley filled with plants and animals frolicking about.
What confused the two was that occasionally, there would be portraits ripped to pieces as if a crazy person had torn through them, while others were completely blank, devoid of life.
After walking for nearly a kilometer, they arrived at a painting that looked like it could fit Aaron if he slouched.
Eleanor wore a pleased expression while Aaron furrowed his brow slowly.
"Are you sure this is big enough for me?"
His voice was firm, yet hints of worry slipped through.
"If not big enough, then I'll put you back together like a puzzle."
Eleanor snickered at her joke; however, Aaron didn't share her amusement.
I miss the old Eleanor who wouldn't joke about me being ripped apart…
He sighed and walked over to her side, watching the picture gradually appear.
"Is that…"
In unison, the pair noticed the unusual aspects of the painting, quickly realizing something incredibly important.
The image showed a small pier with a few fishermen hoisting their daily haul off their cargo ships, with one such figure mysteriously blurred out as if something was preventing their view.
"It's just like that memory of yours I saw."
Aaron spoke in a daze as a headache started to form deep in his head, worsening rapidly with every moment he stared at the portrait.
Why does this one feel different… Even that shack from before didn't make me feel like this…
Next to him, Eleanor frowned, looking alternately between the picture and Aaron before concluding.
"Same height and same build."
She rubbed her hands together, gradually inching closer to the person-sized frame.
Aaron stared at her, perplexed, before stuttering out a question.
"H-How can you compare that so fast?"
Eleanor turned her head, stuck out her tongue, and took another step forward.
"Guessed."
As she spoke, her foot made contact with the object, disappearing into the illusion.
Wait, she's not about to… She wouldn't… She couldn't…
The moment the thought occurred to Aaron, it was already too late.
"Follow me!"
With a single jump, Eleanor entered the painting, vanishing for a moment before appearing in the image as if she had always been there.
Is she insane?
He stood for a second before stepping forward and grazing the surface with his hand.
"Here goes nothing."
After that, he jumped.
…
On a tiny archipelago squeezed between Sea of Dreams and the Sea of Chains lay a ruined village decimated by terrors and beasts of all shapes and sizes.
Pieces of colorful coral danced from the roofs of the homes, each draping over the edges, blocking paths and entrances alike.
Toys lay scattered through the streets, showing signs of life; however, near every toy, a deep clawmark was embedded into the stone.
Inside one of the destroyed homes, a single light shone through the ever-approaching darkness that had begun to encompass the land.
Each pane of glass had been painstakingly repaired to perfection with gold carving highlighting the brilliance of the ruins.
Standing at the doorway was a tall woman with magnificent silver hair that absorbed each ray of moonlight as if she were a mirror.
"Come in~"
Behind the entrance, a playful feminine voice resounded in her ears, causing her to groan before turning the handle slowly.
"Why did you summon me here now? I was in the middle of executing Master's plans."
Arianna rolled her eyes while facing the white-haired child who stared at her from a chair.
Her eyes sparkled as if they were fresh sapphires while her short figure barely filled the large seat she was lying in.
Within her hand was a textbook that she had shut promptly upon the red-eyed woman's entry, almost guarding it from her.
"It won't take long~"
The girl rasped her fingers against the edge of the table, revealing a worn scroll from a tiny compartment on the side.
Arianna tilted her head but remained silent, noticing the child preparing to speak again.
"That pathetic sea unicorn that you call 'Master' can wait for me to give you this~"
Gradually, she stood up and walked over to the woman, placing the parchment between her fingers.
"It is almost time for 'his' awakening, so you should be ready for the world to descend into chaos~"
The little girl's blue eyes reflected joy as she spoke of chaos; however, Arianna's expression was frozen in a scowl.
"It's impossible to revive 'him' without the Mausoleum's which I was in the middle of retrieving, so if you don't mind, I have to get back to my work."
She grabbed the scroll, turning away from the child and walking to the door.
Behind her, a faint laugh could be heard from the girl, almost mocking the woman.
"Is there something funny?"
Arianna's expression was deadpan as she whipped around to look at the child who was trying not to double down in laughter.
"It's… It's funny that you think the Mausoleum of Dreams can be conquered by you of all people~"
Fury burst from the silver-haired woman as she summoned a pistol from the darkness that radiated around her.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
She looked at the girl, yet received only a pained smile from her as she struggled to constrain her giggling.
"The girl who's never dreamt of anything is asking ME why she can't conquer Dreams~"
Her white hair covered her face as she finally failed to restrain herself, with the noise of her chuckles echoing through the room as Arianna stared at her in shock.
"H-How do you know about that? I haven't even told Master about…"
She barely stuttered out a response before a dark shadow encompassed the room, erasing all visible light.
The smell of ash filled the chamber, overpowering the scent of books and lavender that the child had spread through the room.
"Now, now, Arianna, no need to threaten our wonderful oracle, Esme, is there?"
Out of the floor, a figure clawed its way from the darkness with two horns jutting from its skull, emitting an unusual red glow.
The red-eyed woman immediately fell silent, kneeling where she stood, bowing her head to the man.
"Ah, no need for formalities. Though you should probably get back to Sea Fallen before phase three of the plan is set in motion… Don't want those pesky terrors mistaking you for their prey, do you?"
Arianna widened her eyes before nodding and sinking into her own shadow her vanishing completely in a moment.
"Mister Unicorn, why are you here~"
She had picked up her textbook again and had reclined into the chair, showing little respect for the uninvited guest.
"Discourteous as always, I see Ms. Blair…"
He looked at her as he twitched his hand in a circular motion.
In an instant, a black throne appeared behind him, allowing him to sit and chat with the girl.
"Let's talk about your little game, shall we?"
Across from him, the young girl closed her book, placing it to the side, staring at the man curiously.
"If you insist~"