>>6319647A terrifying mirth raises in her voice as it coils around the shuddering figure of the girl who was cut, the girl who was betrayed, abandoned, and now left here, to see the blood of her beloved run over her own treacherous arm. <span class="mu-s">Time is of the essence. What do you say? Deal?</span> Chortles her hideous voice.
It’s all so horrible.
And by design.
If only you could step in and stop it all from happening.
Even if it has happened before.
Past sense and now waddling through madness, at hip-height, you still slumber towards the two lovers, your left hand extended.
The red glow painting their outlines shifts. The Stilladìa looked at you—she blinks and the twin furnaces inside her dim, darken—turning to glowering coals. Just enough to show the sorrowful sneer of her platinum lips.
She glances at her past self, at Candeloro, who is laying there, a handful of breaths away from expiring, his hand still stubbornly set against Bragia’s cheek.
“Now that you see, Argia Candente,” she starts, her voice a rough croak. “Now that you see. What should have I done, according to you?”
<span class="mu-r">Even if it might have been too late. And useless. And the pain in your hand and the emptiness around you scream against this tired, frazzled habit, but… perhaps praying? Couldn’t this had been her own test?</span>
<span class="mu-b">You jumped at Soralisa when it came to help her. Even if she was not your friend at the time. What is done out of love goes beyond good and evil. She did right.</span>
<span class="mu-g">The memory of your destroyed mansion still lingers. Maybe if she had let herself be consumed, your family would still be safe… but then you bit your lip at such a shameful thought. You withstand her expectant gaze for a few more moments, then look away, in silence.</span>
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thanks everyone for the well-wishing. I feel a bit better, or at least better enough to write another update, if short and not at all sweet. I hope you enjoyed it anyway… and now, time to vote or suggest. Thanks for playing.