Note: Sorry this is coming out later than I stated yesterday. My router decided to have a heart attack or something today and the internet was being dumb. I really need to get a new router.
Chapter Twenty
Duality
Richard had barely slept. His mind, body, and heart were all filled with tension and dread as he replayed everything that had happened during the night in his mind over and over again. None of it made any sense, and yet in the back of his mind he couldn't help but feel like it all made perfect sense. It was maddening, and just trying to wrap his head around the total impossibility of everything was enough to keep him up almost the entire night alone.
By the time the sun had risen and he had decided to climb out of bed he had gotten a little under two hours of sleep in total. Daiya had done a little better than he had, but not by much. Every time he tossed and turned he woke her up from the shallow sleep she had managed to attain, and then for the next hour or so she would stay awake in the hopes of him being able to fall asleep. It just didn't work out that way though, and no matter how long she rubbed his back or held onto him he couldn't find any solace or comfort.
What was bothering him the most was that man he had seen; both in May's spell and in Roku's memory. Richard already knew who he was, but that knowledge counted for nothing. And why should it? He was a myth; a tale that had been told two thousand years ago. He should not and could not exist in this time; and that's where the real question came in: was the image of him in the fire the real him, or something that May had cooked up in her demented and fractured mind?
Not long after deciding to finally get out of bed there came a knock at the door, and after a few moments where he and Daiya could hear the lock being opened Aura entered the room and closed the door behind her. There were large black bags under her eyes and her hair, which was usually kept nice and neat, was sticking out at odd angles and gave her a slightly frazzled look. It was obvious that she hadn't gotten much sleep either.
“Finally. I was starting to think everyone forgot about us,” he said and quickly stood up from where he sat on the edge of the bed. He was about to walk towards his mother and the door, but Aura held up her hand and shook her head softly from side to side, causing Richard to groan instead. “What? Am I still not allowed out of the room?”
“Just wait a moment, Richard,” she warned him softly, and she now slowly walked towards where he and Daiya were standing.
“What's going on?” Daiya asked as she too seemed to think something was up. She stood right next to him, the back of her hand touching his and her body a little tense from the lack of sleep she had received. “Has Monica not awoken yet?”
“She's been awake for a few hours now,” Aura explained, but the tone in her voice said that Richard wasn't going to like what he was going to hear next, “and she has been with the Elemental Masters since then as they questioned her.”
“What?! Why didn't someone come and get me if you've been questioning her for that long?” Richard demanded heatedly, staring the woman before him down like she was his enemy.
