Perfect Avatar

Iris was sitting in an infirmary room, peeling an apple. She went about the task in silence, her face closed.

In front of her, Thomas was lying on a bed, staring at the ceiling. The sound of the air conditioner was the only sign that time had not stopped.

Iris finished peeling the fruit and proceeded to cut it up, and for the first time since that day, Thomas was able to speak.

"You should have gone with them."

Iris froze for a moment, holding the apple and a knife, then, silently, resumed her duty. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Thomas, still looking at the ceiling, folded his hands behind his head.

"There's no point, really, I'm fine, a little lighter than before, but at least I'm alive."

He raised his right arm and looked at the back of his hand.

Noticing the silence, he smiled, mockingly and turned to Iris.

"Don't give me that, if you're angry because you stayed here instead of following them, it's your fault...

Ah, but good for you haha, now you're stuck here with a loser. "

He laughed lightly, Iris, with trembling hands, placed the knife and the fruit on a plate.

"Could you stop that? If you don't have anything better to say, just stay quiet."

She placed her hands on her knees, clenched together.

Thomas sat up, looking at the palm of his hand.

"Are you saying that because it's your honest feeling or is it your 'he's too weak to deserve my attention' side?"

"sigh... What did I say? I could never understand you... Why did you have to do that?"

Thomas looked at her for a moment, her face illuminé par les rayons du soleil couchant offrait un spectacle angélique.

He remembered the first time he lost the ability to speak, as he watched her.

He gently smiled, turning his gaze to his hand.

"I tried to help you... If I had lost, you would have been his plaything... Somehow I feel like you wanted that."

Un bruit sec résonnait dans la pièce. Thomas porta sa main à sa joue rougie.

He smiled and looked at Iris, who was shaking.

"Idiot... Idiot!... Why are you always like that... One moment you say something about me and then you insult me... I can't understand you... Why are you so mean to me?... I just can't get it..."

She clenched her fists, a spark of light running throughout her cheek.

"... You said..."

"Forget it, it wasn't important."

She opened her eyes widely and slowly leva la tête.

"Everything that happened before will stay in the past... Everything."

He turned toward her, his smile disappearing.

"Thomas Villeneuve is dead, consider that the one I was before doesn't exist anymore."

He turned his gaze towards the window, a melancholy expression on his face.

Iris looked at him, as if waiting for him to say it was a joke. But the pun never came up.

Head down, she muttered.

"This is what you want?"

Thomas smiled again and looked at the palms of his hands.

"It's the only logical outcome, I know how this world works, I know how everyone sees the weak... how you see them. I'd rather be the one to cut ties."

She took her bag and slowly got up. She looked at him for a moment.

Thomas didn't dare raise his head, he forced himself to smile and clenched his fists.

"I'm really disappointed. Hurt and disappointed... You really hurt me today."

She turned her back on him and started to walk away, but as she reached the door, she stopped and began to slowly turn around.

"Don't do that, Iris. We both know you want to see him... He can give you what you want, isn't that amazing? Meanwhile, I can't... I can no longer... "

He opened his hands, his voice starting to sound broken.

"I don't feel my power anymore... I can't see the stars anymore... I saw their eyes, I saw how the teachers looked at me... I know it's not just fatigue... I have lost all my power, Iris. I can no longer stay by your side... please go away."

He lay on his side so as not to show his face.

Iris looked at him one last time with a frown.

"You keep saying I'm obsessed with power but look at you... Do you think I need people to be strong to care about them?"

"You don't even realize it, it's the worst thing about you!"

He stood up, tears streaming down his eyes.

"That's why I wanted to defeat him now... because I knew... I knew... I did all that and now what do I have left?!... If you can't not understand now, just leave..."

He lay down, covering his face with his arm.

Iris gave him a pitiful look then shook her head and left.

In his bed, Thomas murmured.

"You're such a bad liar... I looked at you... I watched all your reactions... you smiled when he put you in the bet... I saw your face when I was about to defeat him... You were desperate... I saw your joy when he got up... what was I fighting for?"

He laughed lightly, alone in his bed, supported only by the rays of the setting sun.

*

*

Meanwhile, the car stopped in the courtyard of the royal castle.

The surroundings were luxurious, beautifully decorated, and reminiscent of fairy tale gardens.

Dora got out of the vehicle, followed by Moonra and Solaria.

In the vehicle, Freya, Mercy, and Zuri were with Eryl.

Hope had remained at the academy, at Mercy's request, for fear that Dora would regain enough strength to erase him from existence and Cid had received the same order from Freya.

Solaria and Moonra looked around.

"Isn't anyone there?... Damn, so Mother is really planning something..." Moonra sighed.

Solaria, walked next to Dora, with a worried expression and after taking a few glances around them, she whispered to him.

"Look, maybe we still have a chance, if you tell her that you really want to become my knight, that you really, really like me, my charisma, whatever you could say... maybe she will see you as a toy instead?"

"... Is this another attempt to trap me?"

"You fool! You don't understand who you're dealing with! Look around you... She's probably asked everyone to leave the castle... She's not just waiting for you, she's expecting a Sin... anything could..."

"Geez, princess, you really need to fix this running tongue problem." Eryl appeared right behind them, startling the two heirs.

"I-I was just advising him! Stop being scary!"

The servant placed a hand on Moonra's shoulder and slowly stroked his neck.

"Your mother would prefer that he wasn't a normal citizen, she wants to meet a pure Avatar, you know what I mean? How about you join us in the car instead? I'll tell you the whole story as promised."

Moonra and Solaria lowered their heads and walked towards the car.

Solaria looked at Dora with a pleading expression.

"... please... watch your mouth..."

They left, followed by Eryl who returned and smiled at Dora.

"Oh, my apologies, you might be a little lost. The castle has been completely booked to welcome you, so there's no one... Well, there is one person, and she's waiting for you."

Dora glanced at the huge golden gates of the castle and turned to Eryl.

"Okay... Am I going to be executed by the devil or something?"

"... Terribly accurate."

His eyes opened wide, and Eryl slowly turned towards the vehicle with her natural mischievous smile.

"I trust you, you are a very smart person, you won't let the situation lead to that."

The huge doors opened, without anyone pushing them.

Dora, grimacing, began to walk. Step by step, without any knowledge of his direction, only Eryl's words.

He walked through the door and suddenly lowered his arms.

"Ah..."

He placed a hand on his chest, his heart beating gradually, then turned towards the door, only to see an endless corridor.

"Damn..."

He looked furtively around him, like a beast in a circus.

In a matter of seconds, he found himself standing at the bottom of a grand staircase, bewildered by the sudden change of scenery. As he took in his surroundings, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.

Suddenly, a new message appeared in front of him.