{Rud spoke on the matters that were the most troublesome;
The fact that we couldn't recover our aether meant that we had to be conservative if anything occurred again.
Another was how hard it was to perceive the flow of time in this white space and how it forced everyone to be at the same time, and alignment of sort.
The last and most detrimental to our survival was the fact that it chose to isolate us, we weren't sure if it would work but we went along with Dan's plan.}
"Are you sure this is going to work?
Ugh…" Herra was uncomfortable whilst she held hands with Laura.
Laura shifted her gaze to Herra, her face had hateful written all over it and a mischievous smile followed.
{Dan's logic was simple, if the teleportation took their clothes and weapons with them then it would have to work by contact.}
Because of this they all sat in a circle holding hands with each other, that way they would be considered a whole.
"And what if it doesn't work, you saw the powers they used it could be way more sophisticated than that." Cera asked pessimistically.
She sat to the opposite of Dan whom had a cold sweat on his face.
"If it doesn't then I don't at the very least we tried, I've lived my life planning for failure." Dan closed his eyes to take a deep breath.
"Paul, are you alright?" Leo asked the person to his left - Paul - whose eyes were baggy and dry.
Paul was out of it, Leo's wards had failed to reach him as he stared into nothingness, Leo raised his hand up and down.
"...Huh?" Paul finally came back.
He looked to his left where Rud was seated.
"Over here" Leo directed him.
[The background was filled with chatters but the most audible was the one just beside Leo; Zefroth and Caesar's conversation
"Is your gift activated?" Caesar asked her
"It has been ever since, but this space is messing with it somehow.
It's really fuzzy sometimes, like just before we were separated." Zefroth replied him.
"Then just alert everyone when it gets fuzzy again." Caesar implored her.
"Two seconds is a really short time-." She was in doubt.
"It might be the difference between life and death." Caesar was relentless.
"I can take it to three if I'm really focused, and four if I enhance with aether." Zefroth said
"The former would be good enough, we can't afford any aether loss." Rud whom was listening in added to the conversation.
"How about I listen in on her thoughts and notify everyone when her mind becomes 'fuzzy'." said Karius.
"You're opting to help? Thanks we need all the help we can get, two heads would be better than one on this one." Caesar left a tired scoff.
"Don't get me wrong I don't want to be here neither do I want to help, I also never wanted to be in the army either.
But the last thing I would let happen is die when I can do something, if there's a chance that I can increase my chances of survival I will.
I'm choosing to do this for survival first, helping you all is second." said Karius with seriousness.]
…
Now Paul finally looked at Leo with his dreaded eyes.
"What truly happ-" Leo was about to ask but Paul cut him off.
"I'm Saul not Paul." said Paul to Leo whilst looking him dead in the eye.
It was a dumbfounding statement to make, it made no sense to any normal person, as it did not to Leo.
He looked at Paul's wristband which clearly stated
He looked at Paul's face again, then the chest plate.
"It says Paul right there" Leo thought.
"I was born a day after Paul…My birth was problematic you know…" Paul was met by Leo's face of utter shock.
"What are you saying, you're making no sense." He made his confusion known.
Paul disregarded his questions and carried on with a tone that carried no weight, yet his words were heavy.
{...I learnt my mom died because of my birth when I was six, probably had known earlier but I can't really remember past then.
I was never in their plans, neither father nor mother it was never known that she was bearing twins and when I came not only did I ruin their plans I ruined my father's life.
My father clearly let it known how much he loathed my existence, but I never shared the same feelings towards him.
Except for Paul my two other siblings hated me and took every chance they got at beating me, I took away their mother so I couldn't blame them at that time.
Paul got fed up and couldn't take it anymore, he made us carry the same hairstyle and exchanged names.
More painful than the beatings was the fact that neither my dad nor siblings could tell us apart.
So Paul beared my suffering and In return I got his privileges, I got to live as 'Paul' whom my father loved very much, I even began to share his hobbies like his love for horses.
He would take me out and do nice things for me, in contrast he neglected Paul, I was in so much drought of affection that those acts of kindness began to wash off his previous actions.
Luckily I've grown and slowly my tenderness has withered away, replaced with spite.
Every time I watched them do harm to Paul my heart ached, but he never lost his brightness even when they took it to the extreme.
My siblings didn't care much about me, but there was no longer any sense of hate, was it strange that I was happy, I was guilty but still happy.
I felt guilt but over the years it has waned, I finally got used to being the person 'Paul' so much so that I forgot I was the unwanted one, whose name wasn't even planned - 'Saul'.
As we grew older they stopped hating my brother as much, maybe it was because he wasn't letting it fly, or because they had finally come to acceptance on the truth; He wasn't at fault.
Now they even avert their eyes when they see him and avoid him altogether, is it guilt who can tell.
But our identities have been swapped for eight years now, at school, at home and even now at the army…}
"Do you get it now Leo?" Paul said to him.
The explanation was daunting, Leo put his thumb and index on the temple of his head in an attempt to process the information.
It was a bit confusing too.
"That reaction is understandable.
Once again, I'm not Paul, my name is Saul.
I'm the junior…or was.
I broke the promise Paul" Paul's expression was unchanging.
"was?!
It's just like Cera said, something happened to Saul.
..." Leo was silent.
"You don't have to call me Saul, I just needed to tell someone this before i'm too far gone.
I'm losing my head ever since Saul died" Paul said with a nervous look.
"What do you mean by too far gone…, you do you hear a voice?" Leo asked.
"If the voices of everyone hear counts, then yes their chatters are loud." Paul replied.
"So he doesn't hear the voice as well, guess I was wrong." Leo thought.
" You never answered my question;
What happened to your brother." Leo pressed on.
Paul's pupils glimmered, they shook
"Saul- no Paul is-" Paul couldn't finish his statement.
[Cough cough]"That thing, it could move?!
"Everyone run!" Karius's voice spoke directly to their minds.
[Zefroth groaned] "Was that Karius?
Since when could he do that" Zefroth thought as she stood up. "Do as he says!" She screamed.
"What?!" Everyone had a unified thought, they were startled.
They let go off their hands and stood up, but they were slow in doing that.
An eerie feeling filled the room as a shadow cast over them.
With a palm on Leo's back and another behind Paul it was hugging them, its fingers were long and slender with sharp nails that curved inwardly.
Its body was opposite Leo, and its hands wrapped around everyone at once, the pressure that came with its appearance nearly sent them to madness.
The only thing stopping them from panicking was the fear of running mad.
Leo gulped and looked against his survival instincts and was fed with its figure;
It was just like it was when it sat on the throne but this time the bark like substance on the skin peeled off revealing its pale skin.
With a hole on its face and shoulders, with a large black robe that extended along its long arms, it was clear to them.
Down to its long hair and large bowel — was the same being that sat on the throne.
The dark aether it exuded was overwhelming, its presence felt like spikes piercing the soul wihile still carrying a touch of serenity.
Leo looked away immediately and gulped and sweat dripped down, the scar on his face opened up again as he bled.
"Children whom stand in my abode…
WhIch oNe oF yOu KiLLed VegrO my BeLoVED?" The ghastly being said.