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nTristan's POV

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"Brother!!!!!

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"I'm sorry, Marinette.

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"What did I do wrong??? Please don't shut me out...

" I could hear her sobbing at the other side of my door. The illusion kept continuing because I followed its flow, if I did the opposite...I will be able...

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"Tristan, what's wrong?? Your sister is crying...

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nMom...

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"Tristan, open the door. Everyone is worried about you.

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nFather...

nJust leave me alone.

nJust...

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"Marinette, let's go...let's wait a little bit.

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nYeah, go away.

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"No, I'll stay here, I'll stay here until brother forgives me.

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nJust go away, what's wrong with you?? Why did every time I pushed you away, you kept coming and coming to me??

nOne thing you had in common with the real Marinette is your stubbornness.

nI can't be in here, the lives of many soldiers depended on me. Even that crazy girl too...

nI wanted to meet my real sister.

nBut I didn't even know if it would be possible to defeat the legendary demon Valencia, her underling was quite powerful like this...then what about her?? I would be dead meat facing against such a god-like being.

nI fell asleep on the cold floor with my back against the door of my room in my childhood. Everything went quiet after a while, look like my parents already picked her up to her bed.

nI opened the door, and nothing was seen. Just a black void, and a stair with many staircases leading down and down.

nI walked down the stair with no rail, for many hours until I reached the familiar room.

nRotten food on the floor, the dirty rainwater, and the bed full of trashes were in my eyesight as I opened the wooden door.

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"Ahhh...it's ruined again!! I want to make it the best painting in the world for my brother.

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nStop it...

nI hate you...I hate you for taking my mother's life...why did you have to try so hard?? Just give up, we nobles didn't even need to be close with each other.

nWhat's the stupid love you yearned for?? It's useless.

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"I have to paint my brother to be handsome!!

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nWhy was there too much dirt here?? It got into my eyes, my eyes went teary.

nI rubbed my eyes watching the small Marinette painting the canvas I didn't accept when I was young.

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"Sir...why are you crying??

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"I'm not.

" my body already came back to normal, I no longer had that small body.

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"You're clearly crying.

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"I said I'm not.

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"Don't worry. Everyone cries sometimes...it isn't a crime to cry, is it??

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nYeah...it isn't a crime...

nI always hold back my tear, even at my mother's funeral, I didn't even shed a drop of tear. I...never cried once from that day, did I...?

nWhere did all the tears go?? And why am I crying right now...??

nThe pain in my chest was agonizing.

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"So...little kid, do you cry?

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"Of course, but I never showed it to anyone...even my brother. Ahh...don't tell my brother I cried...he will worry about me.

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nI won't.

nSo you could also cry...that cold and indifferent face of yours...it was the first time I saw you crying that day under the streetlight.

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"You're my brother, aren't you...?

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"???!!

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"So this is how you look like when you grow up...wow, you're quite tall and handsome.

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"How do you...

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"I'm maybe wrong, but it really feels like you're my brother...you know...the painting right there...I know clearly my brother won't even take a look at it...but at least I want him to know...at least my name...at least...I could spend the little time with him.

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"Marinette...

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"You must be the future version of my brother...so...will I ever get out of this basement?? Will I ever be loved...? Will I...

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nWithout knowing, I rushed to hug little Marinette in my arm. She was so strong, if I was in her position, I would have been already dead...but still...still...

nEven my apology won't make up for the way I treated her...

nI was wrong...but what changed when I realized it now??? It's too late.

nI already lost a mother, the way I treated her will also make me lose my sister too...

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"I'm sorry...I'm sorry, Marinette!!! I shouldn't treat you that way...your painting is amazing, your smile was precious, you're beautiful, kind and sweet...brother's sorry...

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"Brother...don't apologize...well for me...I would never be angry with you...I will always forgive you...I'll wait for you no matter how long it will take...

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"The future you already hate me...it's right for her to do so.

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"The future me hate you???!! There's no way...well...then just apologize...to her...I mean me...

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"...I'm such a terrible brother...

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"But Tristan Oppa!! To apologize...you have to get out of here...survive!! You have to live.

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nI couldn't feel her body in my arm anymore, it was as if she was fading away. Her fluttering image was fading away with a smile, and the dark basement changed again to the garden of our manor filled with purple roses.

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"Goodbye, Tristan. Don't die...

" and everyone I loved, my mother, father, and Marinette appeared standing from the other side waving their hands goodbye.

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"Mom...father...Marinette!!!

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"Goodbye!! Byebye brother!!!

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"Marinette!!!!

" the world was crumbling as I yelled at them reaching my hand out, I stood up running to them, but it was already too late.

nI broke the illusion just like that...

nI also figured out the way to break the illusion.

nThe void I was in was no longer pitch black like before, there were many white screens in every direction, the only screen with its frame wasn't white, and red instead was the screens of a woman sitting on the bench with the cat on her lap.

nI put my hand on the screen trying to identify that woman since she wasn't the one in my army, every screen I had seen so far was the illusion of the soldiers, the only one I haven't seen was Aurora's.

nAnd it was supposed to be this screen but instead it was that black-haired woman instead.

nWhen my hand touched the screen, I was sucked inside it. And when I opened my eyes again, it was the whole different world I was in.

nWoof woof

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"Go away...

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nHuff huff

nWhat's that beast on the road??? As soon as I came into the world, that beast with four wheels almost killed me.

nBut it had wheels, was it a vehicle??

nI need to find that woman first, she might be Aurora. Maybe that was what she wanted to look like.

nBut the world she wanted to live...why was it the complete opposite of Anastaisa??

nEveryone was equal here, even the dog seemed to be a little...cute??

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"Come on, go back to your owner.

" this dog kept following me ever since I came here, it kept barking at me even though it was so tiny.

nIt could be dangerous, those guys wearing the blue suit might know where I was.

nI couldn't even use my magic in this world. Magic energy is so weak here.

nAnd what's that thing in the sky??

nHaa...

nI had no idea.

nI tricked the dog and then escaped from it to where it was called a park, it was written on the sign.

nThat woman was sitting on the bench and under one big tree.

nOne big tree...

nOne big tree...

nI ran and ran, everyone looked at me, and I knew the reason why. The clothes I wore were somehow very different from all of them.

nAurora...Aurora...

nWhere are you?? Show yourself.

nOn that screen, you were crying. You must want to escape from this world too.

nLet's get out of here together and go back to the capital.

nWe must survive.

nHuff huff

nHow can a park be so vast like this???!!!

nAnd where is that damn tree???!

nShould I try to find her standing on the bridge over there??

nWell, let's search first.

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"You there!!!

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"Sir, that man was trying to steal my puppy!!!

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nAhh!!!

nSh*t!!!

nI ran away from them, the dog was really my least favorite animal. I prefer cats more.

nAurora!!! Where are you???

nThese people are quite good...

nMeow...

nA sound of a cat...

nRight, that woman was holding a cat.

nI ran toward that voice immediately.

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"Aurora!!!

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"!!!!??

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nWithout waiting, I took her hand bringing her with me with those people who were chasing us.

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"Who are you??!! Get your hands off me!!

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nShe didn't remember me??

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"I'm Tristan, Tristan Mortel. It's me, remember??

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"No...I don't know you...get away from me.

" we reached the small dark alley, and I finally took my hands off her. She looked at me in disgust and hatred.

nWhat's wrong with her?? The illusion didn't delete my memory, and why didn't she remember me??

nThe way she talked, it was clear she is Aurora. There's no doubt about it.

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"Aurora, it's me...Tristan. Let's get out of here.

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nSlap

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"You scumbag!!! I will let the police arrest you!!!

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"Aurora...

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nWas I wrong??

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"No, I'm not Aurora!!!! That's not my name!!!! I'm Eun-Kyung, I'm a Seoul citizen.

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"You're lying to yourself!!! This is just an illusion. Aurora, get out of here before the world completely trapped you.

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"No...no...I told you already I'm not Aurora. I'm Eun-Kyung...I'm Eun-Kyung...leave me alone...

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nSeeing her shaking her head shaking in fear, I felt guilty for forcing her from the happiness she had in this world.

nIf that was what she really wanted...I had no right to take her from all of these.

nBut for one more time...I want to ask her to come with me. It wasn't real, none of it was real. The only way to break out of this was for us to accept the reality, no matter what the reality is, even if returning to reality will hurt you, you'll have to accept it.

nEveryone else, the soldiers already gave up on reality and decided to live in their fantasy but Aurora, deep down...I knew she still haven't given in yet.

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"Is this what you really wanted?? What about Anastasia?? You said Marinette is your friend...did you already forget it...?

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"...Marinette...

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nAurora...please...please don't stay here...please...

nTo be continued....!

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