I meant to post this a lot earlier, but things didn't quite work as planned. I'm so sorry for the long wait!

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Their previous queen had once mentioned to him in passing that he had a flair for the dramatic. He'd told her it was utter nonsense.

Garry found himself in one of the many rooms of the Fabricated world, laying on his back and staring up at the ceiling. There were shards of broken mannequin heads littered about that he pointedly ignored, as well as a few holes here and there that once dispensed a rather horrid gas, but now laid inert with nothing escaping. There was nothing in that room but a painting of a woman with an umbrella and a torrent of rain that was currently falling on him, soaking him to the bone and running down his face almost as if he were crying. He'd added some thunder and lightning just for the effect, though.

Okay, maybe she wasn't so full of shit when she called him dramatic.

Dramatics aside, he couldn't bring himself to do anything more than lay on the floor in that room and think. The droning of the rain helped to soothe his nerves somewhat as he ran over events in his mind.

He'd felt emotions so powerful it was as if someone were shouting in his head. It wasn't something he was used to or something he cared to continue. The question was why this was happening.

His first thought was that Garry was still alive in him somehow. Perhaps he wasn't as dead as Mary had claimed. However, he'd checked himself. The guy's heart had ceased beating. He was absolutely certain about that.

Maybe his emotions were somehow rubbing off on the fake? Also ludicrous, but not entirely impossible. It was certainly more possible than the notion that he was legitimately gaining feelings for this girl on his own. No, he had more important things, like the conquest of this world. He had no feelings for her outside of her capacity as a tool to give him what he wanted.

So then why wasn't he able to take her earlier? Why did he fail in taking her body? After something like that, it would have been so easy to break her emotionally. Make her a puppet.

Why did that thought make him sick?

Monster.

He dug his nails against the ground and clicked his tongue in annoyance. His mind seemed to be taking it upon itself to torment him, because there was no way Garry was in his head talking to him.

He sat up and shook the rain from his hair, thinking of what to do now.

"Well, for the time being..." He stood up and stretched, giving a sigh. He would keep his distance from Ib for now. Maybe it would help sort his head out, let him see he had no actual feelings for the girl. Perhaps he'd been around her too much recently and that was what was messing with his head.

Besides, there were some things happening in this world that he needed to check out.

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Cassie wondered to herself for what felt like the hundredth time if Ib was pushing herself too hard.

It had been a week since that fateful dinner with the fake Garry. Ib had been gone too long, to the point where Seo and Cassie had to seek her out. When they found her, it wasn't hard to tell what had happened. It wasn't until a day later that she'd been emotionally stable enough to even talk to them, enough to tell them that the deed they thought had happened didn't occur. He had backed off at the last minute and left her there.

Still, she was shaken for the first two days. Then, out of nowhere, she threw herself into her work even harder.

They'd been concerned. On one hand, Ib was a strong girl. They'd seen her get over things quickly. They'd also seen her come face-to-face with things that barely made her flinch.

Still, there was the possibility that this was bothering her far more than she let on. That she was trying to drown herself in her training and battles as a way of running away from the feelings that night gave her. They weren't entirely sure if it was healthy or not to let her continue on this way. Especially with how reckless she was getting. It didn't help that she was still rather young. Garry had wanted them to age her more than she was now. They had only stopped because of a fight that had broken out. A twelve-year-old girl barely had the power to do some of the things she was doing, yet she was doing it anyway. It was only a matter of time before she broke down at her current pace.

Seo came up beside her, watching Ib with his sister as Ib neatly slashed a loyalist doll wide open, darkness and stuffing flying everywhere as it was cut as easily as paper.

It had taken a bit of trial and error for Ib to figure out a weapon for herself. Mary had been partial to knives and daggers. The fake Garry seemed to prefer whips and bindings. Ib had tried weaving her roses and vines into all manner of implements. She had outright refused whips when she found out the fake used those as a weapon of choice. She had tried swords and other such melee weapons, but found that she simply didn't have the arm strength to wield them properly. She'd tried daggers despite Mary's affinity for them, but found she couldn't bring herself to swing them.

In the end, she had proven handy with the most unlikely weapon: a scythe. The thing was mostly vine along the handle and the blade was practically made of thorns around more thickly braided vines. It was heavy, but once she figured it out, she was able to use it effectively. Rather than relying on her, frankly poor, physical strength for her swings, the weight of the head along with the circular swings would leave the strength of the swing to centripetal force. It was a bit slow, but whatever she hit wasn't getting up any time soon. Still, her body was too small to wield it effectively. They would have to find a better long-term solution. Perhaps it was time to fast forward her again. But how would they bring up that subject with her?

"Stop! Mercy, please!"

Ib's scythe came dangerously close to another doll's head before she heard the plea and managed to stop the blade's momentum. She gave the doll a hard glare, but nodded her head forward as if motioning for the doll to get the heck out of there. It didn't need any more prompting than that and ran away like the hounds of hell were on its heels.

That was another thing that worried Cassie. Ib was reckless, but also far too merciful for her own good. If an enemy was actively attacking her, she had no problems with cutting them down, but if an enemy pleaded for mercy, she had a habit of letting them go. So far it hadn't come back to bite her in the ass yet, but Cassie was worried that it was only a matter of time.

With the last enemy gone, Ib scanned the battlefield with her eyes one last time. Satisfied that there were no other threats, she nodded to the other mannequins and dolls to go rest. Her forces had been rather small at first, especially after a few battles early on, but she found that as she continued to win battles against the loyalists, more denizens were coming to her side. It was relieving, as it meant less opposition.

Then why did it feel like they just kept on coming? How many creatures lived in this world, anyway?

She sighed and dropped her scythe, rubbing her sore arm muscles as the weapon seeming melted into a pile of vines before seeping into the ground and vanishing. She made her way to Cassie and Seo, smiling stiffly, "Well, that was something."

Cassie shook her head, surveying the landscape of shattered mannequins and torn dolls, "You know, Ib... I can't help but feel like you're stretching yourself too thin."

Ib gave her a stubborn look but said nothing. They'd already brought this up a few times, but the resulting conversation never actually got anywhere. It was obvious that Ib was either not going to admit to pushing herself so hard, or wasn't going to do anything to change her behavior.

Seo was the one to pipe up this time, "Let's have some lunch."

Cassie was a bit frustrated at the sudden subject change, but Ib looked relieved, "Yeah, that sounds good." She made her way to her meadow, Cassie and Seo fast on her heels. Seo whispered something in Cassie's ear that had her frown, but then veer off and go a different direction. When Ib opened the door to only find Seo behind her, he smiled a bit, "Cassie's getting some food and told me she'd catch up."

Ib frowned but then gave a nod, slipping through the door and waiting for Seo to join her before letting the door shut. She left it visible so Cassie could easily find her way in.

The meadow was in daylight again and in much better shape than the first time she'd crafted it. Many of the seams were gone now and the grass had sprinklings of tiny flowers here and there. The tree in the center had a different shape to it now, Ib having decided on a cherry tree in the end. She had the tree in bloom at the moment, the entire thing covered in delicate, pink blooms that swayed in an artificial breeze and occasionally drifted down to rain over their heads.

She sat under the tree with Seo, giving him a pointed look, "So what did you want to talk about?"

He blinked then gave a sheepish smile, scratching the back of his head, "Eh... I was that obvious, huh?"

Ib raised an eyebrow, but there was an amused glint to her eyes, so he was at least relieved to know she wasn't angry. He sighed, "Look, you really are pushing yourself too hard. You're only twelve, technically. Someone your age shouldn't be doing such complex magic or wielding a weapon taller than she is."

She shrugged a bit, looking to the side, "If I don't, they'll kill me. Or you guys. Or anyone else on our side, really."

Seo gave a sigh, his next words coming out in a more serious tone than she was used to hearing from him, "Ib, you are our queen. It is good to hear you take such responsibility. But at the same time, are you really doing it for those reasons? Or are you doing it to run away from other things?"

Ib tensed at his words, as if trying to ward off feelings she didn't want to be feeling right then. She gave him a dirty look, then sighed and looked away, "Maybe both. I don't want to talk about it."

Seo bit his lip, looking frustrated, "Ib, your body-"

"Well then, let's just make me older again!"

Cassie, who had been coming in the door right then, nearly stumbled over the basket she was carrying. She'd been thinking of how to bring up the subject, so she was kind of happy to hear Ib bring it up.

But, she had only heard the end of the conversation. Seo, on the other hand, frowned at her, "Ib, that's not what I meant. Yes, it's a good idea, but I feel like you're doing it for the wrong reasons..."

Ib huffed and bit the inside of her cheek, "I need to be able to use my powers better, right? Besides, that scythe is heavy."

Cassie brought the food to their spot under the tree and sat with the other two, pulling out an apple and biting into it, "She has a point, Seo."

Seo let out a small growl of frustration, "Yes, she does, but she doesn't need to use having an older body as an excuse to continue pushing herself to the breaking point."

Cassie's eyes widened as the scope of the entire conversation seemed more clear, seeing now why her brother was unsure. She frowned and Ib was frustrated to see this was going to be two against one, with herself as the one.

Seeing the look, Seo gave a sigh, "We're not saying we won't do it, Ib. At the same time, you really need to sort things out in your head and come to terms with the things that have happened and what the best way to approach them is. We'll respect your choices, but I don't believe that running away from the things that hurt is the proper way to deal with them. As a person and as a queen."

Ib was angry. Very angry. What the hell did they know about what happened? She pushed her anger down when she realized that yes, they did know at least a bit. They knew what happened to her, from the moment she entered this world to the moment Garry pushed her down in the grass and beyond. They knew the sorts of things that tormented her. They were her best friends after all. It wasn't like they were against her.

When she thought of it that way, her anger ebbed a bit more. Right... they weren't telling her these things to hurt or embarrass her. They honestly felt her recent actions were unhealthy. She sighed and drew her legs up close to her body, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her forehead against her knees. She let her eyes drift shut and thankfully the twins stayed silent and let her think. That made her smile a bit. They really did know her well, huh?

Maybe she was messed up in the head. She wasn't sure. Sure, she felt a bit uneasy from what the fake Garry had tried to do to her, but she'd gotten over that soon after. He hadn't actually managed to do anything to her and she was still very much intact. Oddly, it was the argument just before he attacked her as well as the fact that he'd even backed off that made her feel conflicted and confused. She wasn't sure what to make of him or his intentions. Her mind was a constant swirling mess if she let herself stop long enough to think about it.

She sighed. Maybe they could talk about it; her, Cassie, and Seo. For the time being, though, she wanted to drop it.

She looked up at saw them both looking at her expectantly. She gave them a sheepish smile and took a sandwich out of the basket, nibbling it, "Um... would you guys be willing to continue this conversation later? I think I need a few years to sort out how to say it."

The two looked to each other, some sort of silent conversation seeming to flow between their expressions before they needed and returned her smile.

Things would be dropped for now. But this was far from over.

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Immersing yourself in an illusion willingly was a strange experience to be sure. When this spell had first been cast on her, she had no clue it was any different from reality. This time, since Ib was the one using her own power to support the spell, she was intimately aware of its nature. Hell, she was in control of it. It was kind of fun, in some ways. It was like having a very long lucid dream. One where you could control every facet of the dream to your liking.

Well, for the most part. When you don't have two pushy best friends who want what is best for you.

As with last time, they insisted that she get some schooling in. It wasn't enough to make her physically older, she also needed to mold her mind.

Still, it had taken an in-illusion month of her relaxing on the beaches of Hawaii before either of them had any luck teaching her anything.

They skipped the school pretense this time, at least. Rather than making some fake school, the three of them just lived in a house together in her head. They let her keep it on the beach if she promised not to keep skipping lessons to swim every other hour. It had been difficult to promise.

It was very rarely all three of them at the same time. They were still wary of possible attackers, so often she was with either Cassie or Seo while the other kept watch. They took turns sitting in that house with her, relaxing and teaching her everything they could get their hands on.

Several years passed in her head, though it was mere days for Cassie and Seo outside of the illusion.

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"Alright, Ib, that's the end of your last lesson."

Ib let out a satisfied sigh and leaned back, letting her upper body flop down outside the open door to the sea and breathing the breeze in deeply, "I'm going to miss this."

Cassie let out a chuckle, "What, lessons?"

Ib stuck out her tongue but didn't bother to sit back up, "This in general. Living with you and Seo on the beach. The days being lazy and peaceful, other than your demonic educational lessons."

"Hey!"

Ib grinned cheekily and sat up, "I definitely need to make a beach somewhere in the Fabricated World once I'm out of this illusion."

Cassie realized that her cleaning up after the lesson was basically unneeded, as this space would no longer exist soon, and instead dropped herself down to sit next to Ib, looking out at the ocean with her friend, "Yeah, probably. I think you have me hooked on it, too."

Ib tugged playfully at a strand of her hair, "Would be cool if we could figure out a way to do this, too. The human form business."

Cassie pouted and tugged back at a bit of Ib's hair, "Hey, what's wrong with how I normally look?"

Grinning widely, Ib batted her eyelashes at Cassie, "Nothing, it's just nice to be able to hug you without feeling like I'm going to crush you. Plus, Seo's actually kind of hot as a human."

"Ib! That's my brother!"

Ib smirked, "I'm just kidding, geez!"

Cassie huffed, but then blushed and let it go when Ib rested her head on Cassie's shoulder. Ib mumbled a bit more calmly, "There's also this I'll miss."

Cassie rolled her eyes but gave Ib a pat on the head, smiling as her friend closed her eyes and just relaxed against her shoulder.

"Cass. I'm afraid to go back."

The red-eyed girl turned her eyes down toward Ib, sighing, "Garry?"

Ib nodded a bit, "I still don't know how to deal with it all."

They had talked at length during her time in the illusion about things. About all the events up to this point and Ib's feelings regarding them. Cassie wished she had all the answers, if only to get the sad look from her friend's face.

Cassie's fingers ran through Ib's hair comfortingly, "One step at a time, Ib. When you get back, we'll ask around for some answers. Even if Garry won't tell you what's going on, there's bound to be someone who knows what happened to the real Garry and how things got to this point. We just need to change the angle we're coming at this from."

Ib nodded in agreement. It made sense. With how hunted the two of them were, it would be hard to keep everyone in the dark about their whereabouts. Someone besides the fake Garry had to know.

After a few more moments, Ib sighed and stood up, "Well, I guess it's time to leave this place, huh?"

Cassie stood up too and dusted some sand off her backside, "Yeah. It's been four days, who knows when the next attack will be?"

Ib nodded her agreement, "So what... do I do?"

The other girl put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a wide smile, "I guess just let go."

Ib gave her a last look before trying to let go of her power. It was hard at first, as it was something she'd been doing passively for what felt like four years now. Once she realized how tensed her power was, it was easy to find that part of herself that was holding it together and just let it all loose. She closed her eyes as the world was swept out from under her and went black.

Her eyes opened a moment later to find Cassie and Seo standing over her, faces pinched with worry. She gave them a reassuring smile and sat up in her bed, stretching her limbs, "Ugh, I need to get some exercise. I feel all stiff." Her voice was a bit scratchy as well and she accepted a glass of water from Seo gratefully.

Cassie plopped down on her lap and gave her a cheeky grin, "Welcome to being sixteen, Ib. Please try not to crush me with your boobs when you hug me!"

"And what was this about me being hot in my human form?"

Ib groaned. These twins...

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While Ib had been in her illusion, Garry had been gathering some intel of his own. He'd spent a large amount of time in what equated to enemy territory. Luckily, they seemed too intimidated by him to really mess with him. The fact that Ib wasn't with them helped to dim their interest in attacking him.

No one seemed particularly helpful in terms of giving information. Even a few tortures and interrogations did nothing to help the situation.

Still, being on that side of the Fabricated World let him figure out some things he wouldn't have otherwise.

The entire place still felt choked by Mary's presence and he wasn't entirely sure if that was a bad thing or not. At the very least, it might explain the aggression of the loyalists. The presence of their old mistress in the air might have been enough to keep their loyalty for her intact. Then again, there was the slim possibility that the reason her aura hadn't left the Fabricated World yet was because she was still alive.

That was absurd, though. He had watched Ib burn her portrait. There was nothing left.

He felt he needed to validate that, though, and made his way through the various rooms to where her painting was usually hung. He sighed a bit to himself for having been so paranoid. There was no painting on the wall. Only the burn marks from where it was set ablaze. No one was in the room at all, save for himself.

He shook his head and turned to leave, but noticed something different in the corner of the room. Fresh paint and soiled brushes. There was no sign of any painting in the room, though. Perhaps they were from Mary making her own pictures, alone in this room. He gave the paints another, uncomfortable glance before turning on his heel and leaving the room.

Utter nonsense.

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Sorry for the shortness, but that scene is where I wanted the chapter to end. Hopefully it's still a good chapter. I was worried it might have moved too fast. Let me know!