Elysian Requiem

05

A week passed and I was allowed to go about my day with school and such, however, I was put on some intense watch (a.k.a Ambrose) under my parent's orders. My abilities were still restricted -or so it seemed- but I could still use them...just not as efficiently as before. My visits to the dream mirage were also frequent. However, sometimes it was just me in the empty void compared to the first time, very so often would Blaine appear. Since my abilities were limited even in my own mirage, I still tried to conjure my catalyst and draw power within it little by little. It was an ancient meditation tactic used mainly by the Centennials and Celestia during the 100-year war to master their own abilities and become one with them.
"Hey! Can you believe it? They have your favorite in their vending machines here," Ambrose chirped, holding two cans of soda pops and setting them down in front of me.

"I'm pretty sure other people have heard of strawberry flavor too," I said, teasing him.

"No way man," opening one of the cans, "Almost all of the places we went to, they never had these particular flavors," he continued. I let out a small giggle and grabbed the other can. It was the end of the day and the sky was painted with pastel hues, surrounding the sun as it slowly set from the horizon. We sat outside the small convenience store tables and watched the shift from orange to dusk.
Ambrose crushed the cans and tossed them into the recycling bins as I headed on our way. "I have officially dubbed this convenience store one of my top 3's," Ambrose chimed in.

"You always say that."

"Says who?"
I playfully nudged him to the side and he let out a laugh.

Then there it was.

There was a split second of lightning I felt within my body. My body became tensed and alert. I looked around the area and found nothing. "Of course," I thought to myself.
"You okay? You were tensed up there for a second," Ambrose said. "I'm fine, I just felt something sting,"

"Sting?" He immediately became concerned, putting his hand on my forehead and then checking my hands and wrists. " I'll get you checked later, but tell me if you're experiencing anything else, okay?"

"Okay," I said.

----

"Hey other me," I said.

"What troubles you Scarlett?"

"Suppose I felt something on the outside, do you feel it here too?" I asked, pointing at my head.
"To some extent, yes. But otherwise, I am merely a part of your catalyst," Blaine replied, fiddling with mechanical parts.

"Well then what would you feel when I sense electricity out there?" I continued, observing her reaction.
"Like someone's aura?" she replied

"Kinda like that yes," I said
Blaine was silent for a few seconds, glancing up from her lab-like goggles. "Well to be honest with you...nothing," she replied.

"You are in control of everything that is happening on the outside. You also have the power to manifest your catalyst," she continued

"As for me, I make sure you cannot be consumed by erosion." I looked at her in confusion,
"Don't you mean corrosion?" I said.

She fully stopped working and looked at me finally. "Scarlett, corrosion is only the beginning," she said.

"Beginning of what?" I asked, with my curiosity peaked.
"Of being fully corrupted," she replied removing all her gear, and standing up from her seat. "Then what is erosion?" I continued to ask, prying for more information.

"That is the last stage before you fully dissociate from reality and lose touch," she said, motioning me to follow her. I walked with her toward a bookshelf that seemed to contain tons of history books and whatnot. She grabbed one of them and flipped through the pages.

"Is there a cure for erosion?" I asked while gazing up and down the bookshelf.
"Unfortunately, once you reach that point it is not irreversible," she replied. "Unless you are blessed with the Ancient One's tears," she added, pointing to a sentence or phrase that was encrypted.

"Here, let me translate it for you," she said. The whole page slowly arranged itself into a more comprehensible language:

"When one has fallen from the hands of grace, stripped of his morality, and become estranged from oneself;
Thou shall covet for thy Ancient One; submit to His Mercy and thou shall be granted eternity."

"So it is possible to be cured from erosion?" I said.

"Perhaps," Blaine replied with uncertainty in her voice. "But then, there are no official records of anyone in the last centuries or so who have been cured of it," she continued showing another page of the book. There were indeed no records. However, I was not convinced. There had to be at least one.

"What do you think are the chances that my parents know anything?" I said.
"Chances are slim, yet not completely zero percent," Blaine replied, closing the book in the palm of her hand.
I thought about it for a second. "They're both former celestial beings, wouldn't it make sense?"

"Well, your dad is a mortal and your mother is a celestial being,"

"Aren't they basically ancients?" I said, gazing through the shelf filled with books.

"Technically, yes. But also no," Blaine said, closing the book she was holding and returning it to its place. I sighed and leaned against the shelf.

"Back to square one.." I muttered, slightly disappointed that I couldn't get a single information to rest my uneasiness.