"What are you doing, Apatura?" A mysterious voice calls.
Apatura looks around the room, which is covered in darkness. She is standing, and a blinking light illuminates her. There is no one side from her.
"Who are you?" Apatura said, her voice bouncing through the empty room.
"I am you." The voice said, echoing at many different points not allowing for any chance to pinpoint where the sound came from.
"What do you mean! This is a spell; I won't be fooled!"
"How pitiful; your situation is incredibly atrocious. You are weak; there is nothing worthy of you. How can a butterfly become such a pitiful excuse for a living being?"
"Who are you!" Apatura tries to create a weapon, but nothing appears.
"Do you want to see me? Or are you afraid to learn the truth and want to vent that anger towards everyone except you?"
"What are you talking about! What are your credentials to say something with no truth behind it?"
In the depths of the room, a figure arrives closer and closer, enough to create a vivid picture of who is talking.
"Didn't I already tell you? I am you." Another being looks exactly as Apatura appears.
"How do you have my body? I promise once I get out of this spell, I will kill you!"
The other Apatura covers her mouth to not laugh out loud; however, she can't contain her laugh, bursting into a disturbed laugh.
"You always say that yet you never do anything about it?"
"But…"
"B-but? That is all you say before using a pathetic excuse to blame everyone but yourself."
"..."
"Let's not forget that time at the academy or the first time that they betrayed you. Yet you came back like a beggar with no purpose. That is not all; WE know the many times where WE have deluded ourselves into believing that we will have revenge on the one who did us wrong, yet we do nothing."
"It is not my fault!! It is their fault! Only if I had more power, they would have never done something so atrocious!! It was in their nature to be like that! I only wanted the best for my people!! You claim to be me yet know nothing about me or my thinking!!"
"There it goes, your constant victimization. When will you change?"
"I have no problems; it is all them; I did my best for them!! But whatever, right! What is it that you are trying to achieve here? Are you trying to make me mentally weaker to make me fall for whatever sinister plan you have?!"
The Apatura clone releases a grass aroma, giving her back to Apatura. Looking back, pointing at Apatura.
"I am here to tell you that the more you stay with the girl, the more you will realize your truth. Also, don't ever try anything to harm the child inside you. That reckless fight and all of your constant injuries only affect that child." Its voice gradually disappears with the world.
…
"Ms. Apatura! Ms. Apatura!" Iris shakes Apatura with all her strength.
"Iris, are you alive?"
"Yes! Now wake up! We need to run away before he appears once again and takes you away!" Iris's shaking continues.
Apatura holds Iris's hands. "We can't run away."
Iris looked confused. "Why?"
"Because you will die."
"..."
"I have to save you; let me at least try to save you. Give me that satisfaction of being helpful," Apaturas whispers, her eyes teary.
Iris puts her hands on the crying Apatura's shoulders.
"Don't worry, I won't die. I will do everything to have my revenge." Iris said, her face smiling.
"It is not that easy. You have ten days to live, and each day makes you weaker and weaker. That is why you are feeling much better than yesterday."
"In ten days we have to find them and take them down so that we will both be able to escape. Am I wrong?"
"You aren't wrong, but how can I do it? I can't beat them without using "it."
"Use what? Don't forget that I can create a shield."
Apatura stands up, looking up at the bright blue sky, the smoky smell of the burnt wood, and the sounds of the chirping birds.
"I will take them down before anything happens to you."
"Who are we going to fight first? I also need to have training. The training I never had."
"Your only responsibility is to not die and to use your shield to guard my back. I will go all out; however, don't be scared when I reveal myself."
"Why would I be scared?"
"Everyone eventually gets scared of me, so promise you won't."
"I promise," Iris said, her face radiating friendliness.
"Let's go and find something to eat to prepare ourselves for the large amounts of fighting I will have to do."
"Why are you always saying 'I'?"
Apatura closes her mouth and begins walking to where the river is located.
Iris, not wanting to fall back, raises her pace to reach Apatura.
"What were you mumbling in your sleep? It sounded like you were about to cry, but I couldn't hear a word without many mumbles."
"It is nothing; I was just imagining my hometown."
Deciding not to pursue any possible conversation about their hometowns, Iris looks around at the trees to find any trees with fruits as they walk.
Passing many trees and Iris quickly glancing at them, she can't find any fruits. When they arrived at the river, Apatura created a simple fishing rod by pulling one of the strings peeling out of her clothing and then inserting her power to make it more resistant.
"Here," Apatura hands the rod to Iris as she is trying to find a worm to use as bait.
Finding it, she grabs the fishing rod and adds the bait. She throws it in the river.
Iris looked astonished, and blinked many times, rubbing her eyes. Questioning why Apatura threw the entire string with no way to get it.
Iris looks up and sees a tree covered with delicious-looking pink fruits she had never seen.
Iris runs to the tree, climbing it until she reaches the fruit.
Huh? Iris begins losing control of her body, her mind increasingly blurry.
Losing her balance, she falls from the tall tree.
Apatura looks back at Iris to ask her to find any fruits and vegetables, and she is greeted at the sight of Iris falling.
"Iris!" Apatura drops all of her collected wood.
Swish
"Wing? How pretty?" Iris mumbled before passing out, her face losing color and beginning to shiver from the lack of heat inside her body.