Chapter 311
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Lily sat up with a gasping breath. She'd *died*.
She felt dazed and disoriented, so she could be forgiven for her lack of caution right after she came back to life.
With blank eyes, she looked at the wall in front of her.
The feeling of her blood leaving her arteries, gushing out, without her being able to stop it with her magic depleted, haunted her. If she had a choice, she never wanted to experience it ever again.
It had been terrifying, feeling her vision go hazy.
The wall was decorated with a single painting. A painting of a blooming rose, and what appeared to be dew, on closer inspection, was actually droplets of blood, blending into the red crimson of the rose.
Lily stared at it, not particularly thinking about anything at the moment. She felt terribly cold, as if she was still devoid of all her blood.
However, her mind was working as she tried to think about where she was, and whether or not she'd ever seen that picture before.
Where was she?
How was she able to survive against all odds? Or… was she really dead? Was she in hell?
The thought sent a chill up her spine.
Lily was dazed, disoriented, and confused, so when she jumped as someone suddenly put an arm on her, she was *definitely* excused.
She lashed out, her magic working sluggishly, only for her magic to be deflected by the other person.
Lily's eyes narrowed as she prepared to launch herself out of the bed, going back to fight mode. Just because it wasn't in her disposition to do so didn't mean she couldn't.
However, before she was able to do that, her eyes locked with crystalline blue ones, so characteristic of a Neil, and her own blue eyes widened. "Alec?"
Alec's blue eyes appeared especially blue today, and they practically shone under the light from the window.
Lily's eyes, traitorously, started to grow teary, alarming Alec.
She lurched forward, hugging her friend. She started laughing wetly when she felt him stiffen up.
He was still at this phase where he wasn't that comfortable with human contact, and he was a lot more guarded with his softer emotions right now.
Alec stiffened at Lily's unexpected hug, his mind racing. He relaxed a little when he realized that this was probably the *real* Lily and not just an impostor.
The emotions in her eyes were too real upon seeing him, so he was inclined to believe his hypothesis.
The question remained: why was she reacting like this? Was it just because of her brush with death? Or was she older, wiser? Was Alec… dead in her time?
Alec didn't hug her back, but he didn't remain stiff in her arms as well.
Her loud cries eventually died down to little sobs, and Alec had to wonder where all the tears were coming from. Surely, she'd already cried her body's weight in tears.
Still, he was sure that a brush with death like that was more than a little traumatising.
Lily clutched the man that'd she'd missed so much in her arms. He was younger and smaller, but he was *alive*.
She could live with that.
Lily sniffled, hating how she was looking weak in Alec's eyes. She tried her best to stem the flow of tears, but they just weren't stopping at all.
All her repressed emotions were coming out all at once, leaving her to the tender mercies of these unfortunate feelings. It just added more to her disorientation, and she wasn't particularly sure whether or not she was really alive at all.
She must have said it out loud, because Alec answered her. "No, you're not."
Stunned, she pulled back from the hug, not sure what he meant. Then, the implications of it hit her, and she actually felt herself calming down a little.
She resolutely ignored the wet patch on Alec's clothes, embarrassed beyond relief.
Alec saw how confused Lily looked and decided to explain it for her. "You're not breathing."
"What?" Lily just looked more confused than ever. "What do you mea-"
She placed a hand on her chest, then felt herself go pale. She started to panic a little, pressing her fingers to her pulse point, but there was nothing.
Lily gulped. Her heart… was not beating. Now that Alec mentioned it, she hadn't started breathing until he mentioned it as well.
Stunned, Lily just stared at Alec with her mouth agape.
Alec's lips twitched, and he smiled his usual smile at her, regaining his equilibrium.
The smile seemed to allow Lily to lose some tension.
"Wait, so… am I dead or alive?" Lily asked, confused. "Am I in hell? I'm sure I died."
It startled a laugh out of Alec. "No, you're dead, but you aren't in hell. This is Incantix."
Lily's confusion just grew in the following minutes. She was dead… but she was alive at the same time. What was happening?
The last thing she remembered was her dying from – she shook her head, dispelling the memories.
Alec took her hand without permission, and she was bemused enough that she just allowed him to. This Alec… was different from the one in her memories.
She looked down at her hands, and they were much smaller than she remembered them being.
"What year is it?"
"It's year AR 1," Alec replied calmly.
The first thing that Alistair did when he took over as emperor was to change the ruling year, saying that it reminded him too much of the corruption of the Rhys family.
"Twelve more years, then," Lily whispered to herself, and Alec's eyes sharpened.
Twelve more years to what?
"You're so small like this," Lily mused to herself. She didn't even consider hiding it from Alec, knowing about him being a System.
Alec tilted his head, smiling at her. "You're smaller than me, though."
Lily snorted. He was always like this. He waited for people to trip up on their own, revealing their own secrets.
"I am. And I'm sure that you know what's happened to me already."
Alec had a suspicion, but he wouldn't be confirming anything of the sort.
Lily just made an impatient sound at the back of her throat. "I died in the year AR 013," she said primly, and Alec was surprised at the change in her personality. "Now, I'm back."
"Yes," Alec said plainly. "You died here, after Kieran's uncle slit your throat deep enough that you bled to death."
Lily's fingers twitched briefly at the mention of Kieran's name, before she registered what he said. She immediately made an affronted sound. "Excuse me? What did you say? I died to Kieran's *uncle*? No, I didn't!"
After all the things she'd been through, for her to die in this timeline from that pathetic man?! When she had clearly survived in her own?! It was practically an insult!
The look of disgust was shown clearly on Lily's innocent-looking face, and Alec gave a soft laugh.
He'd wondered whether or not he would like Lily at all, considering they didn't know each other that well, but it looked like they got along well in the future – her past?
Anyway, those experiences that she'd apparently go through with him in the future would probably never come to light.
With Lily's presence in this timeline, things had already started shifting.
You know what they said about a single butterfly's wing flap causing hurricanes.
Lily's hand jolted away from Alec after he poured in a bit of his magic to diagnose her. "Don't do that," she said plainly.
Magic from people who shared the Awakening Magitype always felt less than pleasant since they clashed.
Besides, Lily was the healer of their little group!
She checked over her body as Alec started speaking. "You are well and truly dead."
Lily let out a strangled laugh as her own diagnosis confirmed his words. "What the hell happened to me?"
It was at this moment that the door opened without any warning.
"Uncle, I heard voices – are you talking to yourself-?"
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Lily sat up with a gasping breath. She'd *died*.
She felt dazed and disoriented, so she could be forgiven for her lack of caution right after she came back to life.
With blank eyes, she looked at the wall in front of her.
The feeling of her blood leaving her arteries, gushing out, without her being able to stop it with her magic depleted, haunted her. If she had a choice, she never wanted to experience it ever again.
It had been terrifying, feeling her vision go hazy.
The wall was decorated with a single painting. A painting of a blooming rose, and what appeared to be dew, on closer inspection, was actually droplets of blood, blending into the red crimson of the rose.
Lily stared at it, not particularly thinking about anything at the moment. She felt terribly cold, as if she was still devoid of all her blood.
However, her mind was working as she tried to think about where she was, and whether or not she'd ever seen that picture before.
Where was she?
How was she able to survive against all odds? Or… was she really dead? Was she in hell?
The thought sent a chill up her spine.
Lily was dazed, disoriented, and confused, so when she jumped as someone suddenly put an arm on her, she was *definitely* excused.
She lashed out, her magic working sluggishly, only for her magic to be deflected by the other person.
Lily's eyes narrowed as she prepared to launch herself out of the bed, going back to fight mode. Just because it wasn't in her disposition to do so didn't mean she couldn't.
However, before she was able to do that, her eyes locked with crystalline blue ones, so characteristic of a Neil, and her own blue eyes widened. "Alec?"
Alec's blue eyes appeared especially blue today, and they practically shone under the light from the window.
Lily's eyes, traitorously, started to grow teary, alarming Alec.
She lurched forward, hugging her friend. She started laughing wetly when she felt him stiffen up.
He was still at this phase where he wasn't that comfortable with human contact, and he was a lot more guarded with his softer emotions right now.
Alec stiffened at Lily's unexpected hug, his mind racing. He relaxed a little when he realized that this was probably the *real* Lily and not just an impostor.
The emotions in her eyes were too real upon seeing him, so he was inclined to believe his hypothesis.
The question remained: why was she reacting like this? Was it just because of her brush with death? Or was she older, wiser? Was Alec… dead in her time?
Alec didn't hug her back, but he didn't remain stiff in her arms as well.
Her loud cries eventually died down to little sobs, and Alec had to wonder where all the tears were coming from. Surely, she'd already cried her body's weight in tears.
Still, he was sure that a brush with death like that was more than a little traumatising.
Lily clutched the man that'd she'd missed so much in her arms. He was younger and smaller, but he was *alive*.
She could live with that.
Lily sniffled, hating how she was looking weak in Alec's eyes. She tried her best to stem the flow of tears, but they just weren't stopping at all.
All her repressed emotions were coming out all at once, leaving her to the tender mercies of these unfortunate feelings. It just added more to her disorientation, and she wasn't particularly sure whether or not she was really alive at all.
She must have said it out loud, because Alec answered her. "No, you're not."
Stunned, she pulled back from the hug, not sure what he meant. Then, the implications of it hit her, and she actually felt herself calming down a little.
She resolutely ignored the wet patch on Alec's clothes, embarrassed beyond relief.
Alec saw how confused Lily looked and decided to explain it for her. "You're not breathing."
"What?" Lily just looked more confused than ever. "What do you mea-"
She placed a hand on her chest, then felt herself go pale. She started to panic a little, pressing her fingers to her pulse point, but there was nothing.
Lily gulped. Her heart… was not beating. Now that Alec mentioned it, she hadn't started breathing until he mentioned it as well.
Stunned, Lily just stared at Alec with her mouth agape.
Alec's lips twitched, and he smiled his usual smile at her, regaining his equilibrium.
The smile seemed to allow Lily to lose some tension.
"Wait, so… am I dead or alive?" Lily asked, confused. "Am I in hell? I'm sure I died."
It startled a laugh out of Alec. "No, you're dead, but you aren't in hell. This is Incantix."
Lily's confusion just grew in the following minutes. She was dead… but she was alive at the same time. What was happening?
The last thing she remembered was her dying from – she shook her head, dispelling the memories.
Alec took her hand without permission, and she was bemused enough that she just allowed him to. This Alec… was different from the one in her memories.
She looked down at her hands, and they were much smaller than she remembered them being.
"What year is it?"
"It's year AR 1," Alec replied calmly.
The first thing that Alistair did when he took over as emperor was to change the ruling year, saying that it reminded him too much of the corruption of the Rhys family.
"Twelve more years, then," Lily whispered to herself, and Alec's eyes sharpened.
Twelve more years to what?
"You're so small like this," Lily mused to herself. She didn't even consider hiding it from Alec, knowing about him being a System.
Alec tilted his head, smiling at her. "You're smaller than me, though."
Lily snorted. He was always like this. He waited for people to trip up on their own, revealing their own secrets.
"I am. And I'm sure that you know what's happened to me already."
Alec had a suspicion, but he wouldn't be confirming anything of the sort.
Lily just made an impatient sound at the back of her throat. "I died in the year AR 013," she said primly, and Alec was surprised at the change in her personality. "Now, I'm back."
"Yes," Alec said plainly. "You died here, after Kieran's uncle slit your throat deep enough that you bled to death."
Lily's fingers twitched briefly at the mention of Kieran's name, before she registered what he said. She immediately made an affronted sound. "Excuse me? What did you say? I died to Kieran's *uncle*? No, I didn't!"
After all the things she'd been through, for her to die in this timeline from that pathetic man?! When she had clearly survived in her own?! It was practically an insult!
The look of disgust was shown clearly on Lily's innocent-looking face, and Alec gave a soft laugh.
He'd wondered whether or not he would like Lily at all, considering they didn't know each other that well, but it looked like they got along well in the future – her past?
Anyway, those experiences that she'd apparently go through with him in the future would probably never come to light.
With Lily's presence in this timeline, things had already started shifting.
You know what they said about a single butterfly's wing flap causing hurricanes.
Lily's hand jolted away from Alec after he poured in a bit of his magic to diagnose her. "Don't do that," she said plainly.
Magic from people who shared the Awakening Magitype always felt less than pleasant since they clashed.
Besides, Lily was the healer of their little group!
She checked over her body as Alec started speaking. "You are well and truly dead."
Lily let out a strangled laugh as her own diagnosis confirmed his words. "What the hell happened to me?"
It was at this moment that the door opened without any warning.
"Uncle, I heard voices – are you talking to yourself-?"
Lily sat up with a gasping breath. She'd *died*.She felt dazed and disoriented, so she could be forgiven for her lack of caution right after she came back to life.With blank eyes, she looked at the wall in front of her.The feeling of her blood leaving her arteries, gushing out, without her being able to stop it with her magic depleted, haunted her. If she had a choice, she never wanted to experience it ever again.It had been terrifying, feeling her vision go hazy.The wall was decorated with a single painting. A painting of a blooming rose, and what appeared to be dew, on closer inspection, was actually droplets of blood, blending into the red crimson of the rose.Lily stared at it, not particularly thinking about anything at the moment. She felt terribly cold, as if she was still devoid of all her blood.However, her mind was working as she tried to think about where she was, and whether or not she'd ever seen that picture before.Where was she?How was she able to survive against all odds? Or was she really dead? Was she in hell?The thought sent a chill up her spine.Lily was dazed, disoriented, and confused, so when she jumped as someone suddenly put an arm on her, she was *definitely* excused.She lashed out, her magic working sluggishly, only for her magic to be deflected by the other person.Lily's eyes narrowed as she prepared to launch herself out of the bed, going back to fight mode. Just because it wasn't in her disposition to do so didn't mean she couldn't.However, before she was able to do that, her eyes locked with crystalline blue ones, so characteristic of a Neil, and her own blue eyes widened. "Alec?"Alec's blue eyes appeared especially blue today, and they practically shone under the light from the window.Lily's eyes, traitorously, started to grow teary, alarming Alec.She lurched forward, hugging her friend. She started laughing wetly when she felt him stiffen up.He was still at this phase where he wasn't that comfortable with human contact, and he was a lot more guarded with his softer emotions right now.Alec stiffened at Lily's unexpected hug, his mind racing. He relaxed a little when he realized that this was probably the *real* Lily and not just an impostor.The emotions in her eyes were too real upon seeing him, so he was inclined to believe his hypothesis.The question remained: why was she reacting like this? Was it just because of her brush with death? Or was she older, wiser? Was Alec dead in her time?Alec didn't hug her back, but he didn't remain stiff in her arms as well.Her loud cries eventually died down to little sobs, and Alec had to wonder where all the tears were coming from. Surely, she'd already cried her body's weight in tears.Still, he was sure that a brush with death like that was more than a little traumatising.Lily clutched the man that'd she'd missed so much in her arms. He was younger and smaller, but he was *alive*.She could live with that.Lily sniffled, hating how she was looking weak in Alec's eyes. She tried her best to stem the flow of tears, but they just weren't stopping at all.All her repressed emotions were coming out all at once, leaving her to the tender mercies of these unfortunate feelings. It just added more to her disorientation, and she wasn't particularly sure whether or not she was really alive at all.She must have said it out loud, because Alec answered her. "No, you're not."Stunned, she pulled back from the hug, not sure what he meant. Then, the implications of it hit her, and she actually felt herself calming down a little.She resolutely ignored the wet patch on Alec's clothes, embarrassed beyond relief.Alec saw how confused Lily looked and decided to explain it for her. "You're not breathing.""What?" Lily just looked more confused than ever. "What do you mea-"She placed a hand on her chest, then felt herself go pale. She started to panic a little, pressing her fingers to her pulse point, but there was nothing.Lily gulped. Her heart was not beating. Now that Alec mentioned it, she hadn't started breathing until he mentioned it as well.Stunned, Lily just stared at Alec with her mouth agape.Alec's lips twitched, and he smiled his usual smile at her, regaining his equilibrium.The smile seemed to allow Lily to lose some tension."Wait, so am I dead or alive?" Lily asked, confused. "Am I in hell? I'm sure I died."It startled a laugh out of Alec. "No, you're dead, but you aren't in hell. This is Incantix."Lily's confusion just grew in the following minutes. She was dead but she was alive at the same time. What was happening?The last thing she remembered was her dying from she shook her head, dispelling the memories.Alec took her hand without permission, and she was bemused enough that she just allowed him to. This Alec was different from the one in her memories.She looked down at her hands, and they were much smaller than she remembered them being."What year is it?""It's year AR 1," Alec replied calmly.The first thing that Alistair did when he took over as emperor was to change the ruling year, saying that it reminded him too much of the corruption of the Rhys family."Twelve more years, then," Lily whispered to herself, and Alec's eyes sharpened.Twelve more years to what?"You're so small like this," Lily mused to herself. She didn't even consider hiding it from Alec, knowing about him being a System.Alec tilted his head, smiling at her. "You're smaller than me, though."Lily snorted. He was always like this. He waited for people to trip up on their own, revealing their own secrets."I am. And I'm sure that you know what's happened to me already."Alec had a suspicion, but he wouldn't be confirming anything of the sort.Lily just made an impatient sound at the back of her throat. "I died in the year AR 013," she said primly, and Alec was surprised at the change in her personality. "Now, I'm back.""Yes," Alec said plainly. "You died here, after Kieran's uncle slit your throat deep enough that you bled to death."Lily's fingers twitched briefly at the mention of Kieran's name, before she registered what he said. She immediately made an affronted sound. "Excuse me? What did you say? I died to Kieran's *uncle*? No, I didn't!"After all the things she'd been through, for her to die in this timeline from that pathetic man?! When she had clearly survived in her own?! It was practically an insult!The look of disgust was shown clearly on Lily's innocent-looking face, and Alec gave a soft laugh.He'd wondered whether or not he would like Lily at all, considering they didn't know each other that well, but it looked like they got along well in the future her past?Anyway, those experiences that she'd apparently go through with him in the future would probably never come to light.With Lily's presence in this timeline, things had already started shifting.You know what they said about a single butterfly's wing flap causing hurricanes.Lily's hand jolted away from Alec after he poured in a bit of his magic to diagnose her. "Don't do that," she said plainly.Magic from people who shared the Awakening Magitype always felt less than pleasant since they clashed.Besides, Lily was the healer of their little group!She checked over her body as Alec started speaking. "You are well and truly dead."Lily let out a strangled laugh as her own diagnosis confirmed his words. "What the hell happened to me?"It was at this moment that the door opened without any warning."Uncle, I heard voices are you talking to yourself-?"
