āGive it to me!ā the other Cecile said, gnashing her teeth. āIām going to save Estian with that. If I donāt hurry back, heāllā¦ā
āEstian?āĀ Cecile gasped upon hearing his name. Her other self was speaking of saving Estian, as if he was about to die.
[He. Is. Dead.]
āNo!ā the other Cecile screamed. āYouāre wrong! Heās not dead! He has to be waiting! Thatās whyā¦!ā The other Cecileās voice eventually faltered. Her eyes were reddened and tears ran down her cheeks, mixing with the dried blood as they trailed down her cheeks. āI have to hurryā¦ Hurry back to my worldā¦ā
Cecile felt her throat close up from the sorrowful sight, and tears welled up in her eyes too. She didnāt know what had happened, but she could sense an unfathomable sense of despair from her other self.
[It. Is. Over.]
Nevertheless, the World Treeās voice was indifferent to her plight. It remained completely and utterly oblivious to such emotions.
āShut up! Weāre stillā¦ā
[It. Is. Over.]
āItās over?ā the other Cecile muttered. Her tears ceased and in its place was a murderous glint flashing in her eyes. She burst out into hollow, maniacal laughter that echoed through the air, before stopping just as suddenly. āYes, I know. Now, there is only the last Cecile. And only the last Estian remains.ā
The other Cecile turned and looked off towards a distant part of the gigantic World Tree that was glinting faintly. Unlike the place where she now stood, the faraway branches had lost their glimmer. The aura of death surrounding them was apparent.
āWe failed, so all thatās left is for us to simply submit to slumber? Because weāre failures? While Iā¦ I donāt even get a chance to see him again?ā
The other Cecile walked towards the end of the World Treeās branch that she stood on. Looking down, she smiled weakly. Cecile followed her gaze and noticed something that hadnāt been there a moment agoāa section of the World Treeās root was shining dazzlingly even from a distance.
āSo, that must be itā¦ The location of the last remaining world,ā the other Cecile muttered. A crazed smile crept up her face and she immediately launched herself towards it.
[You. Must. Not!]
A branch of the World Tree tried to catch her, but the other Cecile plummeted faster than it moved. Cecile watched her other self, with a face filled with nothing but utter determination, dive straight ahead. The scene chilled her to her very core.
At that moment, an audible crack sounded out from the branch Cecile was clinging to. Suddenly, the view sheād been watching disappeared, leaving behind the World Tree and the darkness surrounding it. Cecile knew then that the illusion was over. At the same time, an extreme fatigue overcame her body, just like her other self had been moments before.
āIām tired,āĀ she thought. Sheād been barely holding on as it was, but now she didnāt have an ounce of strength left in her. The hand clinging to the branch had begun to tremble under her weight.
There was no one here to help her. As she closed her eyes, Cecile thought,Ā āI canāt hold on anymore.āĀ Unable to hold on any longer, she lost her grip on the branch. At that moment, a large hand suddenly shot out and caught her by the arm. A second later, Cecile realized she had been hoisted up and was wrapped securely in someoneās arms.
āCecile!ā
Surprised by the voice calling her name, her eyes shot open. āEstian? H-howā¦ Hereā¦ā she stammered. It was strange. Had she inadvertently grabbed another branch? Was that why she was seeing another illusion? She was stunned by her husbandās unbelievable reappearance.
This was the domain in which the World Tree resided. Though she wasnāt knowledgeable regarding such matters, even she could tell that this was obviously an abnormal place that was not easy to locate.