Chapter Text
The Narrator
And then, the two of you step out into the world. I… think this is the end of me. Even if it’s not the end of you. I hope this was worth it. Genuinely, I do.
Voice of the Hero
He’s really gone, isn’t he?
The stars are so beautiful.
A quiet moment passes over you. A comfortable quiet.
I meant it, when I said I wanted to dance.
She gently pulls you forward, and the two of you fall into graceful step. The only rhythm that guides you is the shared thumping of your hearts, beating in perfect unison. Her face, worn and tired, brightens the faster you move, a soft, sad smile widening and widening until it reflects only genuine affection.
You send her out in a wide spin, and your arms stretch to their limits, only the tenuous grasp of your hand in hers holding her together. You share a gaze that feels like it lasts forever.
Thank you for taking me here. This is nice, even if it’s a little… cold… outside.
Voice of the Hero
Wait, what’s happening to her? Are those… hands? We have to do something!
* [Try to pull her free.]
You grab the Princess’s hand before the phantom arms can swallow her whole. The strange limbs do not attack you, but neither do they let go, leaving you in a desperate tug of war.
What are you doing…?
Her voice is hazy, half-asleep.
It’s cold out there… warm in here… I think this is where I’m supposed to be.
Voice of the Paranoid
I-I don’t like this. What if those hands come for us next? We should leave, now!
Voice of the Hero
Can we really just abandon her, after all of that? Though, I guess if this is where she’s supposed to be…
* “I think I’d rather be cold than alone. And I think the same goes for you. Or was this all for nothing?”
Alone… I don’t want… to be alone.
Her eyes flash open, so wide you can see the veins, and she slips from the mass of fingers and palms, stumbling up against you.
Voice of the Paranoid
Great, you did it, now leave! We need to be anywhere else!
* [Take her and run.]
Where are we going? Where even are we? I’m so cold…
The hands do not relent, spawning out of the folds of the blackness to grasp at the princess’s trailing locks and skirts, but you keep running. Eventually, you come to a mirror, a lone structure in the dark.
Voice of the Hero
There’s that mirror again. Is it just me or does it feel more… ominous, this time?
Voice of the Paranoid
It’s not just you. I don’t think we should go near it.
Voice of the Hero
I mean… I get that, but would you rather deal with those arms?
Voice of the Paranoid
Just because I hate the frying pan doesn’t mean I want the fire. I can hate the idea of both!
* [Run for the mirror]
Voice of the Hero
Yeah… Guess it’s our only real option, huh?
Voice of the Paranoid
It feels wrong.
As you approach the mirror, your head quiets down; they are gone, and in the glass, you see… you. And her.
Is that… me?
The Princess leans forward, scrutinizing her reflection.
I look… I look like… What do I look like?
With a piercing sound, a thick crack lances across the length of the mirror, splitting the surface in two. On one half, your bright eyes; on the other, the princess’s perplexed face. Then: a loud shattering.
Everything goes dark, and you die.
Why do you run from me? I mean you no harm.