RayEmma Oneshots

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

As the other children woke up to their first morning with the demons Sonju and Mujika, Ray was already awake. He was examining a glowing flower - the cave walls and floor had many patches of such flowers, as if the cave tried to don a cloak of luminescent color, but gave up while in the middle of putting it on, letting it haphazardly drape off its shoulders and onto the floor. The flower, Ray noted, seemed almost gemlike, its petals folding as if they were facets of a crystal. Like something out of a fantasy novel.

While he examined the flowers, it felt like time was moving slowly around him. He felt... relaxed. Sorta. They were still being followed by the house's pursuers, and they were in a hostile new environment; danger lurked everywhere. But it was a different kind of danger than back at the house. For practically his entire life, he had to live under the suffocating pressure of the slim chance of victory, all while being completely isolated because of his knowledge. He dedicated every moment possible to improving his scores, to deceiving his siblings and mama, to manufacturing the details to the perfect plan to get the two people he cared most about to freedom.

Or, the plan that was supposed to be perfect, without any interruptions.

Emma had other ideas.

She caught the match before it could hit the ground, and then basically disintegrated his entire perception of reality into a fine ash - what he would have become, had she not interfered.

At first, Ray didn't know what to feel about this; it's kinda hard to deal with being put on a completely different path than the one you planned for half your life, after all.

But seeing the future Emma pushed for, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel that he used to think he'd never even be able to see, but now not only was he able to see it but he could reach for it...

He found he had a small smile on his face, carrying Jemima as the two of them crossed the cliff, the chasm that separated their hellish life that had trapped them since birth from the hellish unknown that promised freedom, reaching toward that light at the end of the tunnel.

—

Snapping out of his thoughts for a brief moment, he went back to studying the flowers, trying to recall if he'd seen them in any of the books he read back at the house. Hues of blue and purple and pink gave off a comforting light - faint, but starkly contrasting with the dark gloom of the rest of the cave, illuminating the dark around it.

It reminded him of Emma, he thought. How she was able to bring hope even in the bleakest scenario, how she forced her way through the darkness to reach her perfect future.

How she lights up my world.

Huh. That thought felt new. Before he could try to unpack what was behind that line of thought, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around, seeing a bright shock of orange hair and an even brighter smile approaching him.

"Raayyyy!" Emma waved to him, then stopped when she noticed the dark circles under his eyes. "Did you not get any sleep last night?" she asked, concerned.

He shrugged. "I got a bit, but then I woke up a few hours after and couldn't fall back to sleep..." Ignoring Emma's disappointed pout, he continued, "I've been trying to see if I can recognize any of the plants here. But everything is different than the books in the house... it's strange."

Emma sat down beside him. "Hm, yeah, that is odd... but don't change the subject! You need sleep, Ray!" She said in a concerned tone.

"I didn't get much sleep back at the house either, and I could still function pretty well." He muttered indignantly.

"Well we're not at the house anymore - what if we're being chased by a demon, but you're so tired that you fall behind and trip and fall and get eaten?" Her voice softens, "I can't lose you too, Ray." She hugs him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "You're important to me."

Ray suddenly felt shy, not used to people caring for him and worrying over him like this. He returned the hug, and muttered into her shoulder, "...I'm not planning on dying anytime soon. I promised you that I'd protect you and the rest of our family. So you don't have to worry about it."

"You still need to take care of yourself, though," Emma pouted, "... and don't forget that you can share your problems with me, you know. It's not like back at Grace Field; I don't want you to keep everything to yourself anymore."

"I know, I know. I'll be better with this stuff," he said, to which Emma let out a contented hum. Then they stayed like that for a few moments, wrapped in each other's arms. "...are you gonna get up?" Ray asked finally. Emma smiled, "I'd rather stay like this for a bit longer. You'd never hug me back at the house! It's nice."

He felt his face heat up at her words. "Idiot," he murmured, but he hugged her tighter.

Ray thinks he knows what the light at the end of the tunnel feels like now.