Elysia in Another World

Chapter 22 - The Seraphim Twins

<Lariette Weltwald>

*****

"Greetings my lovely Elysia and Maya," I said as I sat down at the table with them while they were having tea in their dreamscape.

I earned a smile from both. Elysia quickly conjured a cup of tea for me and said, "Greetings, Lariette, I trust things are okay in Eden?"

"Just peachy," I said not hiding any of my disdain.

"What's going on?"

"The stupid lords and ladies of the other countries are trying to take the seat of the king. I'm constantly turning them away, but they keep coming back. Luna isn't showing herself unless they try to harm my tree. A few of them threatened just that."

"None have tried?" Maya asked.

I shook my head. "Not yet. I imagine they'll grow impatient soon enough. Stupid children they are, getting riled up after only a few decades of the royal family's absence. Luna is going to execute anyone that actually tries, but doesn't want me to tell them she's there."

"If anyone actually attacks the tree, that's on them. They already know that harming or even attempting to harm Yggdrasil is a death sentence with no trial."

"They think they can get away with it without the King, Queen, or Luna there."

"Ha."

"So how are things? I know you can see everything Eli, Fia, Aya, and May can see."

"'May'?" Maya asked. "As in short for Mavel?"

"Yeah! Cute isn't it?"

She giggled and Elysia said, "Fitting, too. She's become much more open about things today."

"Oh, I'm aware." I eyed Maya. "You took over Maya's original body in the living world and created a new one for May, modified her memories to remove the parts that you never meant for her to go through, and now she's happy."

"What do you mean, 'Maya's original body in the living world'?" Maya asked. "You mean my-"

"Oh, no. I said what I meant. I know what the two of you are."

Both squinted at me, but I wasn't bothered.

"You're hiding the truth from them so they can be what you think is happier."

"You're saying some crazy things, Larie," Elysia said.

"Crazy, but true. Are you ever going to tell them the truth? Or are you going to let them believe you're the originals and that you look at them like big sisters would?"

"We do look at them like little sisters!" Maya countered.

"But you're not denying the first part."

"If you see through us like that, then there's no point in denying it," Elysia said. "So tell us. What is the full truth?"

"When each of you 'split', the two of you were created. Mental constructs that can move between," I pointed at Elysia, "Eli's soul and Fia's soul," then I pointed at Maya, "and between Aya's soul and May's soul. So why let them believe each pair is two halves of one soul? Just because when Fia and May were born, they both inherited all of Eli and Aya's memories?"

"You say it like we're simple mental constructs, but we can use all of their powers."

"Indeed. That's because the King and Queen are so exceptional that even their mental constructs are special. Anyway, I want you to come clean. Tell them the truth."

"That's dangerous," Maya said. "If we tell them suddenly-"

"They will be just fine. You only know of their memories, and everything since your own creation. You don't know them from the outside in like I do, or like their loved ones do. You're babying them, and they don't need babied."