A/N: Ah... a lot of important information in this chapter, it can be confusing! Sorry if things aren't clear, so feel free to ask questions, this one will undergo heavy editing later...
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Crime and punishment
Chapter 25: Riddle Me This
Hey you, if you had the ears that I have, then I would Hey you, if you had the heart that I have, then I would Hey, if you'll hate me at some point, I might as well just
Sing you a song from my heart but I just wonder if you'd hear me?
Flood you with all of my love but I wonder if you'd feel me?
Kill myself and save me from this misery 'cause
If I cannot earn your love, you don't need me at all, at all, at all
Hey you, "If only you had", it won't get me moving "Do it slow" + "How do we?" + "Ready go" = And I'm gone Hey, if I'll hate you at some point, you might just love the me Hey you, if you had the ears that I have, then I would I don't need to reach your ears you are defending
But I would not move ahead even if I just could
I would not play with a knife, but there's no choice, it's my life
'Cause if I were to decline, I'd really not be worth a thing
In your eyes, not a thing, demise
But it no longer cares about your feelings
She that needs you now is gone, she is forever gone, she's gone
Hey you, it hurts, you know
Sing you a song from my heart but I just wonder if you'd
Hey you, if you had the heart that I have, then I would
Flood you with all of my love but I wonder if you'd
I don't need to fill your heart, this is my ending
All I need is all the pain hidden inside you
That's my only way to mend, in the end
I'm alone in the world that is now. The world that has ended.
I heard a loud roar of frustration coming from the opposite side of the main room as we reentered it.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I can't take it!" Seiran's loud curse was muffled by the closed door to the left of the room.
"Oh Master! What treacheries must you endure at the hands of these vile spirits?" Red cried.
That was oddly poetic, I thought as I rolled my eyes.
"He's big guy, I'm sure he's fine. Wouldn't do him any good to say he's been beaten by a little girl anyhow…" I said.
"But…" She looked longingly at the door.
"Hey, we agreed to split up because it was it was faster. The quicker we finish this, the faster you guys can go back to doing…. Whatever it is you guys do."
At this, all protest seemed to stop, and Red begrudgingly followed me across the room. I stopped in the middle and looked at the floor to ceiling mural that was encased in a plain wood frame. It looked to be almost half complete. I let out a shaky breath. Almost doesn't cut it, but it was a start…
There was some more muffled shouting coming from Seiran's end of the room, followed by, "May the odds be ever in your favor, let the games begin!"
What on earth are they doing?
I glanced backwards at Red who looked like she wanted to storm the room and liberate Seiran.
"Ah… let's go check out this room…" I dragged her into the room closets to the one all the noise was coming from. It was at the top left of the main room, a painting was to the right of the door. It was titled "The Beauty of Blanc".
" 'The Beauty of Blanc' huh?" I said in an attempt at distracting Red, "It looks like someone just got lazy…"
"Huh?" Red looked like I'd just pulled her out of some train of thought. She shifted her gold frame to her other side and hastily muttered an apology.
"Ah… Never mind. It was nothing important," I said quickly, feeling awkward.
Turning away from the strange painting, I proceed to opening the door.
This room was small compared to the room with the stick figures. It seemed to be a library, rows of shelves lined the room, Red slipped away from me to look around, but I myself felt increasingly tired. I wandering around to the back, settling down on the ground, leaning against a blank space.
It must have been all that walking in the endless hall… I yawned sleepily. Funny… Didn't I just take a nap? I nodded a few times. Mmm…. A few minutes won't kill me right? Riiiight….. My mind seemed to go blissfully blank as I drifted off.
I wandered around aimlessly, nothing on the shelves catching my interest. The current book I was reading was titled The Collected Works of Guertena. It was about all the various things by our creator, listing the title, when it was completed, and how it was made.
I lost interest fast for I had seen all these works, heck, I lived with them. Quickly I put the book back on the shelf, reaching for another, one with a plain brown cover. I flipped it over, reading the title. "Cubism". I haven't the faintest idea what that was, but the ground shimmered next to me, a painting piece appeared on the floor.
Huh. Leaning my frame on the shelf, I picked up the painting, which vanished. Was that all we needed to do in this room? I thought. There's usually only one puzzle, then we're suppose to move on to solve the next.
I jumped as there was a muted thud coming from further back in the room. I looked around, but nothing appeared out of the ordinary. I was surrounded by just shelves. Wait, that's not right either…
"Garry…?" I called out, not being able to remember the last time I had seen him since we entered the room.
I grabbed my frame, slowly making my way up the aisles of shelves. I hopped up and down, trying to catch a glimpse of his purple mop head, but no avail. Continuing further back, I came across the north wall, signifying the end of the room. I glanced around, spying a foot from the edge of the shelf that covered a little over half the wall.
When I walked over, I found Garry slumped over in a deep sleep.
At least I think he was asleep, his breathing was deep and rhythmic.
Wait. What? This was the guy who told me to speed it up earlier! How dare he take a nap!
I kicked his foot. "Hey! Wake up!" He didn't moved.
"C'mon! Get up!" I shook him, grabbing the collar of his frayed coat. "MOOOOOVE!"
"You… Have NO RIGHT to take a nap NOW! Not with Master being forced to do WHO KNOWS WHAT, quite frankly this isn't even his PROBLEM! It's that girl's FAULT, trouble follows her like the PLAGUE!"
I continue to shake him, not caring in the least when his head smacked against the wall after a particularly rough jerk.
"The sooner you get up and finish this, the sooner she can just leave! SO FOR GOD'S SAKE, WAKE UP!" I roared. He remained unmoving.
"AUGH!" I let go of his coat abruptly, he slumped against the wall, his head lolling at an uncomfortable angle. This is ridiculous! How can anyone sleep through that? How infuriating.
I paused. How can anyone sleep through all of that? The answer is they can't.
It was unnatural, there was no way for him to remain unresponsive through the loud racked I had made.
I tapped his hand. It was freezing, as if he had been holding something cold.
Something's not right. I backed away from him. Hauling my frame behind me, I raced to the door. It was locked, the handle, a frigid cold.
I banged my fist against the door. "Locked in again…" I muttered.
I dragged my frame behind me, stopping at an aisle I hadn't explored yet. I threw a fleeting glace in the direction where Garry lay.
"There is no coincidence, only inevitability." A familiar voice whispered.
"Such is the law of this world…" I remembered. I glanced back at the aisle.
I must have missed something. Everything that happens in this world is for a reason.
I searched all the aisles again, going left to right, from the shelves that were closest to the door, but soon I found myself in the back with Garry. I was empty handed.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHGGGGHH!" I shrieked.
I cursed, slamming my fist into the wall next to his head. "I hate you, you know that?" His shallow breathing was his response.
"I don't know why I'm even bothering! I don't give a damn about what happens to you or that girl! Now I'm stuck here!" I gave an exasperated sigh. "Why am I even talking to you?"
He's gone after all. His body is cold, his breathing, shallow. He won't last long.
He was Master's beloved creator, but then he left him, spending all his time dreaming of a girl. A girl whom he gave his life to save. Master hated him for that, simply abandoning him, and in turn, I hated him too.
Master… The one I cherish above all, because he reminds me of him, my creator, the one who made this world and everything in it. But… the more time I spent with Master's creator, the more he also reminded me of my creator.
If Garry dies, then Master will leave me, just like he did. Then I'll be all alone. I'll have no purpose, no meaning to my existence. I'll just sit in my frame and watch the world pass me by. In this never ending cycle where time is an illusion.
Forevermore…
"No….."
Never ending…
"NOOOOOOOOO!" I screamed.
I can't go back!
"I… Can't…" I whispered. "Please… don't leave me in the dark…."
Please….. Can't I be free….?
A piece of paper floated down from the ceiling.
"Just when you've forgotten….."
I felt the air in the room shift, the temperature rose a few degrees. There was a ripple of space coming from the area near the door. My eyes widen.
I took off, feverously sprinting towards the door. I had to be fast! The distortion could disappear, and I'd lose my window!
I was here, my head snapping to the right, where the vibe around that space felt different. It was an aisle I had previously explored, but something made me feel that if I started down this path again, something would be different.
I now saw that there was a canvas in the corner, hidden by the shadow created by the shelf that loomed next to it, but unlike the first time I had passed it, there was text now written in small letters.
"Enter a secret room?"
This place is trying to lead me somewhere!
I nodded my head vigorously, hoping it was a valid response.
Another piece of paper floated down from above.
"Read the writing on the back of the east book case."
I glanced around, walking into the center aisle, going towards what I thought would be the right shelf. I dashed over. Ah… I remember now.
There is no coincidence, only inevitability, such is the law of this world… Everything that happens in this world is for a reason.
"But that isn't all… You simply have to wish."
There was a small ripple of light, text appearing on the shelf after it receded.
"Next look at the gap behind the long shelf."
The longest book shelf was the one by Garry I believe, I thought, making my way back to him.
This is a world where the will rules all. It is that above all else.
Shoving him aside I reached into the gap to pull out a small scrap of paper.
"Look back at the first note."
I looked around to where I had dropped it and new text appeared.
"Close your eyes and count to three, then it should be ready."
I closed my eyes. I. 2. 3.
There was a cord hanging from the ceiling. Here goes nothing I thought. I gave it a good tug.
I blinked, and in that fraction of a second the room had shifted. I was now in a much larger space, with a slide show projected on the wall.
There was a pane, much like the ones we encountered when a password was needed, but that's not what caught my eye.
There was another piece of the girls rose.
This version of her seemed to be only slightly younger than the original, looking to be 16, however her gaze showed a wisdom beyond her years.
"Greetings," She said, her voice carrying an odd musical lit.
"Hi…" I trailed off lamely.
"You need not be nervous." She tilted her head curiously. "I merely want to ask you a few questions. Should you answer them correctly, then I will disappear and return to the original. Should you fail…"
She grinned coolly. "Well, you won't have to worry about it anymore, now will you?"
"Do or die I guess?" I said nervously.
"Precisely…" She mused. "Now, let us be on with it."
She cleared her throat before continuing. "I'll assume you know how you came to this space."
It wasn't a question. Did she expect me to answer?
"Because I wished it to be?"
She laughed. "If wishes were fishes we'd all be fishing, but alas. That would be too simple, but here in this world some things are simpler than they seem, wouldn't you agree?"
I shrugged. How was I suppose to respond to that?
"But to put it simply, yes, because you willed it to be, it came to pass. However, there is much you do not know about this world and those who reside in it. I have decided my first question." She paused, leaning in closer. "Who am I?"
What? What kind of question was that?
What an odd thing to ask… Even so, I still had trouble remembering her full name. Master said it at least once I'm sure… "Isobel… Marrie… Hart?"
She blinked slowly, obviously displeased with my response. "Well that is one way of answering it… Not the answer I was looking for however… Ah well, another try perhaps."
She crossed her arms in thought. "Alright, let us try this. Who are you?"
These questions are absurd! How ridiculous, she knows who I am.
"I am the Lady in Red."
She scoffed. "Do you always give the most obvious answer?"
"It was an obvious question!"
"Think deeper." I could tell her patience was wavering.
I thought for a short amount of time, nothing I knew about myself seemed relevant to bring up.
"I am the lady in red." I stated lamely once again.
She gave an exasperated sigh. "Listen here, I am trying to get you to realize something that will greatly help you, however I am not permitted to directly tell you."
I don't like this girl's patronizing tone! My temper flared once more. "Well if you're questions weren't so oblique, then maybe you would get better answers!"
Her gaze steeled, a glare that sent shivers up my spine. "This is something you must realize for yourself. Think about all you know, list it all off if it helps, the answer is there. It is something that will change the outcome of everything from here on out."
Her voice carried a tone of reason that even I could not brush off.
Begrudgingly I did as she asked, pausing a moment to collect my knowledge.
"I am The Lady in Red, painted by Guertena. The year I was created is unknown. He used an odd combination of oil and acrylic paints, adding gloss as well as contrast between the muted and vibrant colors. I am in-cased in a juniper wood frame, hand painted by Guertena himself, having a gold finish in contrast to the dark background of the portrait. The picture depicts a woman in her mid twenties with luminous, long brown hair, and a striking dark red for eyes. She was said to be Guertena's lover, however it is now know that she merely seduced him for money." And that was it, all I had read in the books.
"That is closer. Tell me more about the woman whom you depict."
"I don't know. The books here never said anything."
She clicked her tongue. "That is incorrect. You do know, you are not like the other variations that have been created. You are the original, therefore you posses the ability to feel the emotions of the woman whom you portray."
I posses her emotions? Then is that the reason I feel so strongly about Master? The reason why those emotions exist at all?
"She loved him…" I realized.
"Who did?"
"She loved Guertena… It's why I'm able to feel such emotions… Maybe even why I feel drawn to the ones who remind most of him..."
"Then who are you?"
"I am… The woman in the portrait…"
"Her name?"
"Iso… Marria Hart." I whispered. The name just appearing to me in some deep knowledge I've always known…
"If that is who you depict, then who am I?"
"You're… her descendant… She's you're ancestor…"
She leaned back satisfied. "Iso Marria died at the age of twenty-four… after giving child birth. The stress was too great. She succumbed to the pain. If all is as you say…"
"Isobel is also a descendant of Guertena…" I rocked back and forth on my heels. The spirit before me was right, this changes everything.
"She controls everything! The gate, this world-"
"And all who reside in it." She finished.
"She has the right by birth, direct control of everything…"
"Aye…" She agreed. "The painting Mary is no more, and the one before her no longer holds the right. Isobel is the pillar of this world."
"In this world where the will rules all… She uphold everything with her wishes…"
"But she is unstable, and this world now reflects that. Since she is the pillar by bloodline, should she die, this world would cease to exist. Everything in it would vanish along with it."
"But why… Why is this happening…?" This was too much, so many things could go wrong, we needed to finish this quest fast, or we could all disappear.
"There is an entity here who wishes to become a god. He brought Isobel here so she can do what is call The World Reset."
"No…" I whispered.
"Everything would revert back to the way it was before, theoretically all the distorted works that were created would disappear. The people trapped here by their power would vanish with them. The world would reset, and start anew, and a new pillar would be allowed to be chosen should the original choose to retire."
"This can't happen… Anything that isn't suppose to be in the gallery would cease to be?" All those memories… Seiran… My Master…
"This was never suppose to happen. Guertena left this world as a sanctuary, an escape from reality. It was not meant to leave control of the first pillar." She grasped my hands.
"My time runs short. This is where I must leave you. You have done well to realize the truth. Maybe you can help prevent that boy from becoming a god… Solve the puzzle in this room and you shall receive your prize." She smiled sadly.
"I'll take my leave now, but before I do, I leave you a riddle."
"As destructive as life, as healing as death,
an instituter of strife
just as prone to bless
it is all that is good, yet with an evil trend
as it was the beginning of things
it can also be the end..."
"Beware, the flame…" And with that she vanished.