"What, you're in Amaya's mind?" Johnathon's voice came from River's scroll.
River activated the camera on his scroll and suddenly he was looking into Johnathon's face as he proceeded to turn the camera around showing him where he was.
He was in a greenhouse only instead of there being light outside there was just darkness, at least that's what he would think if River could have seen the walls. Instead, everything was covered in white flowers, the floor and the walls had these perfect white flowers growing off of them. The only thing that wasn't covered in flowers was the paintings of her memories.
"Wow" Came from River's scroll as Johnathon watched from the scroll. "I never thought I would see the inside of someone's mind and my own wife."
Suddenly River hissed as the hand that the vile had exploded in throbbed in pain and glowed yellow.
"You good?" Johnathon asked.
River looked down at his hand as it still glowed yellow so he aimed the camera at it. "Not sure my hands hurting and it's glowing is this normal from being in contact with a potion into a mindscape."
There was a silence before Johnathon cleared his throat. "Sorry I forgot you can't hear my shrug and you aren't facing me. The honest answer is I have no idea, there are only 12 recorded instances of going into someone's mind. I mean it's heavily illegal for a reason you can do a lot of harm inside there."
Shuffling noises came from the scroll as Johnathon bent down to look at the broken glasses and remains of the potion with the little black box laying next to it. "I wonder who would send you this and to Amaya's mind of all places, there wasn't any return address on this was there?"
"Nope" River said still looking at his hand. "I didn't see who sent it either it just showed up soon after you left."
"Well that's strange but we can focus on that at a later date right now we need to find a way to get you out of Amaya's mind." The camera begain to move as Johnathon walked to a differnt room.
"Isn't there just a spell you could cast to get me out?"
"Unfortunately no." Sighed Johnathon. "See the potion is made with very powerful ingredients that allows the user to get teleported to where ever the target is while the spell has a range. Plus if you use a potion to get in you have to use a potion to get out, the spell wouldn't work even if Amaya was close by."
"That sucks." River remarked
"Ooooh yeah." Johnathon said as he begain to ruffle through his books. "Luckily I have the recipe somewhere in this mess and I should have all the ingredients."
River heard Johnathon hum as he flipped through pages. "Ah here we are. Lets see here I have that, I have that, I have that, everything looks good just the finale ingredient is ... Oh you got to be kidding me."
Johnathon gave out a hopeless chuckle which make River even more nervous. "Uh what, what is it?"
Johnathon cleared his voice before answering in mock confidence. "And finally 3 Juilerdshrooms."
A moment of silence passed as River registered what Johnathon said. "You mean the mushrooms that I accidently destroyed all of."
Johnathon sighed. "Yup. I have one but I don't believe it's enough to get you out. I can place a request though some trusted people and I can try to work with what I have to try and manipulate the recipe a bit. No promises but I'll see what I can do."
River let out a breath of relief. "Thats great thank you Johnathon." River stood up and looked around getting a proper look at the place.
Everywhere, the white flowers blanketed the room. Perfect and pristine, they radiated a soft, white glow that lit the space. Not that River needed the light; his hand still pulsed with an eerie yellow glow that sent an unsettling chill through him.
The dying flowers only made things worse. Wherever the blossoms appeared at their peak, the withering ones followed closely behind. River watched the gradual shift—the dying flowers were quickly concealed as new blooms grew around them. But this only drained the life from those new flowers, causing them to wilt and fade as well. It was a relentless cycle, a slow destruction, all in the pursuit of perfection. Fitting, River thought, for Amaya.
The hallway was long but it also seemed to split into many differnt paths, almost like a labyrinth. differnt paintings were everywhere however there was one painting that seemed like it would be visible no matter where River went.
In the middle hung up high was a large memory showing a young Amaya smiling with her parents behind her, though their faces were scratched out.
But what really got Rivers attention was that he could faintly see an orange flower growing off the frame. He looked closer and there was acttaly 6, and what made things stranger was that it was almost like he could hear voices coming from it.
"Strange." River muttered to himself. As he said that it was almost like her mind heard him as in the corner of his mind around every memory a colored flower sprung from.
"What is?" Johnathons questioned still trying to focus on his work but River could hear the curiosity in his voice.
River tried to angle his scroll up towards the painting for Johnathon to see "I think I hear voices from up there could it be her inner self?"
"Maybe I'm not sure what else it could be. Unfortunately, there isn't much information about the mindscape. It's heavily restricted for a reason—people can do real damage to others from inside. In fact, there are only twelve documented cases of people entering someone else's mind."
Johnathon fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "Actually, I'm wondering—those colored flowers up there, are there more like them in her mindscape?"
"Uh, yes?" River replied hesitantly.
Johnathon clasped his hands together, eyes thoughtful. "Okay, so there are only two recorded instances of this in history—Clara Russle in 1865, and Bart in 1683. The exact dates aren't important, but the point is, have you ever had a memory where, whenever you think back to it, a certain thought always pops up? Something like, I could've changed that, or I was so happy that day?"
"I think I understand what you mean," River said, trying to follow.
"Right. Well, in the two cases I mentioned, there were reports that those kinds of thoughts would actually materialize as colored parts of the environment. Like, Bart's mindscape was underwater, so there were coral reefs. Some corals would change color—yellow for a joyful thought, blue for sadness—and those emotions would be dispelled from the coral. It was like a visual manifestation of the thought."
River nodded slowly. "So... is that what's happening here?"
"That's my best guess. I think orange was noted as the color of anxiety. What are the other flower colors?"
River aimed the scroll down the halls. "Um Johnathon. They are all Orange."
Johnathon sighed "Unfortunately that tracks. She tries to hide it but my wife is very anxious all the time."
River took a step to investigate before hastily taking it back. "I'm just going to to stand here and wait for you to finish the return potion."
River wanted to explore, to see why Amaya did what she did. Despite all that she did, they did have fun times as kids. But it wasn't right to just invade somebody's personal privacy like that so River stayed put as Johnathon tinkered away.
River was brought out of his thoughts when his hand pulsed brightly as he was blinded for a brief moment by the yellow light. His hand proceeded to throb in pain and River hissed dropping the scroll.
"River? Are you ok?"
"Just a little pain, I'm wondering if I got a piece of glass stuck in my hand."
River cast a spell circle to ease the pain but before he could cast the spell the circle got absorbed into the yellow glow and the pain became worse.
River grit his teeth and picked up the scroll. "Hey Johnathon, from one medical perspective to another can you take a look at my hand"
"Yeah sure just give me a moment to set things down."
River moved the camera of the scroll so Johnathon could see it better. He also tried to angle it where the white glow of the flowers would give him enough light to see.
"Ok let's see here" Johnathon studied Rivers hand muttering under his breath. " I don't see anything physical though this isn't the best lighting and whatever that yellow glow is it's throwing me off. I've never heard of a mind potion doing this. Then again you're not supposed to have it splash on you so there is that."
"Sorry"
Johnathon scoffed "Sorry for what existing? This is hardly your fault."
"Yeah but still you-"
River tried to say something else but Johnathon cut him off. " ok so on a scale of 1-10 how much pain are you in?"
"Its going between a 2 and a 6. Its being mostly calm but sometimes it will just start to pulse and throb with pain."
River could hear a frustrated sigh from Johnathon. "Well it doesn't like like any curse or injury I know of. I doubt you have any healing balm just on you to help with the pain, um so maybe try just a basic healing spell for now."
"Won't work." River responded. "I already tried that and it looked like the spell just got absorbed into whatever this is. So maybe just wait till you get me out of here to get this treated better."
"Probably our best bet. Are you going to be fine as I work on this?"
"Yeah." River sighed and turned around. As soon as he did he jump in surprise as the large memory was right behind him.
He looked at it closer and the orange flowers popped back up, River expected Amaya's thoughts like Johnathon said they did but instead he heard her parents.
"Remember to set a good example dear."
"Our family has a reputation to uphold, don't ruin it with your selfish actions."
"Think about your future and how you'll look. How you'll make us look, that's what matters."
"If it's not perfect it's not useful. So after all the effort we do for you dear the least you could do is try to be a little prefect."
"As a part of this family all eyes will be on you. Always look your best and perfect that smile."
"One day you will be the face people will turn to. Make sure it looks good before that day comes."
He knew her parents where harsh on her but this felt over the top.
Was this all she can think about. Is that why this memory is looming over everything?
Suddenly a voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
ⱤłVɆⱤ ł₴ ₮Ⱨ₳₮ ɎØɄ ₩Ⱨ₳₮ ₳ⱤɆ ɎØɄ ĐØł₦₲ ⱧɆⱤɆ
River turned sharply. The voice was Amaya's, but something was off—it was distorted, strained, as if it didn't belong to her at all. The face that accompanied it only deepened his unease.
He could only assume it was some manifestation of her inner self, but it moved unnaturally. Each step she took seemed off, her arms glued to her sides while her legs seemed to take twice the steps needed to cover the same distance.
River raised the scroll toward her, hoping Johnathon could see what was happening.
Amaya's head tilted unnervingly to the side, and her distorted voice echoed again.
"ɎØɄ ₴ⱧØɄⱠĐ₦'₮ ฿Ɇ ⱧɆⱤɆ. ɎØɄ ₵₳Ʉ₴Ɇ ⱧɆⱤ ₱₳ł₦. ₩Ɇ ₵₳₦'₮ ₳ⱠⱠØ₩ ł₥₱ɆⱤ₣Ɇ₵₮łØ₦."
Her face twitched, and River flinched. A crack split across the left side of it, causing the unease in his chest to spike.
"₳₦Đ ł ₭₦Ø₩ ₩Ⱨ₳₮ ɆVɆⱤɎØ₦Ɇ ₳Ⱡ₩₳Ɏ₴ ₴₳Ɏ₴ ₳฿ØɄ₮ ₥Ɇ... ₳฿ØɄ₮ ₩Ⱨ₳₮ ł ₥Ʉ₴₮ ฿Ɇ."
With a sudden, jerking motion, she snapped her head to the other side, the crack widening further.
Johnathon's voice cut through the tension, sharp and commanding. "River, run!"
"ł ₥Ʉ₴₮ ฿Ɇ ₱ɆⱤ₣Ɇ₵₮!"
The left side of her face shattered, sending a burst of orange flowers spiraling outward. They shot toward River, tendrils reaching for him like a deadly bloom—but he was already sprinting, his legs moving faster than he thought possible.
As he rounded a corner, he stole a glance over his shoulder. Amaya's right hand stretched out toward him, but it fragmented into a swarm of flowers, each one darting after him with terrifying speed.
Heart pounding, River pushed himself harder, weaving through the maze-like hallways. Every breath felt like it could be his last. The thundering pulse in his chest threatened to drown him.
He kept running down random hallways noting how empty some of them felt more empty then they should have, like there was allmost no memories in the halls but he forced himself to focus on running.
Once he was sure he had lost her he allowed himself to stop so he could catch his breath.
He leaned on one of the walls and pulled up the scroll to face Johnathon. "What was that thing? Was that the inner Amaya?"
"I certainty hope not, I also doubt it. I'm fairly certain the inner Amaya would question what you are doing in her mind before attacking. I've heard that certain strong emotions can take form. My guess is that was her anxieties."
"Wonderful." River said groaning. "Any ideas on how to beat it?"
"Well the only was to really beat an emotion is for the person to conquer it and I love my wife but we need a new plan." Johnathon said shrugging.
"Great." River said groaning.
"My best bet try to see if you can find the Inner Amaya, with any hope she will be somewhat more reasonable then this Flower Amaya and help you survive long enough for me to get you out of there." Johnathon said.
"Well if I have no better options." River said with a sigh. He took a step forward ready to find the inner Amaya only to trip and fall face first into a memory.
"River you good?" He heard Johnathon ask.
"Yeah, I think I just stumbled into one of her memories," River said, glancing around. "I'll just step out, and we can get back to searching for the—"
He was abruptly cut off as Amaya's father raised her voice. River froze, his attention drawn to the scene unfolding before him.
"Amaya Jane Oaks! How could you do this to your mother and me?"
Her father loomed over her, Amaya sitting in a chair in what seemed like their living room. Amaya's gaze was fixed firmly on the floor, avoiding her father's eyes.
"What have I told you about looking someone in the eye when they're speaking to you? You've already disappointed me enough, but is it really your goal to make me look like a complete failure as a father? Because you're doing an excellent job of it."
Amaya finally looked up, her eyes red-rimmed, though her expression was unreadable.
"Do you have any idea what this is doing to our family? Our own daughter caught using wild magic with a control potion. Your mother and I nearly lost our jobs over this. We had to pull so many strings just to get you out. Do you think we can afford to have our daughter in jail?"
Her father pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "I can't believe you felt the need to resort to using one of those potions. Haven't I taught you anything? You don't use them on people who don't fully trust you. It only raises suspicion when their attitude suddenly shifts. You should save that for people who already love and trust you completely, so they won't lose that trust."
Everyone blinked, unsure of how to respond.
Wait, is Dad okay with this? Was what I did okay? Am I in the right? Where is the line between good and evil? Should I even care if I cross it?
"Well, that explains the weird vibes I got from her when I first met Amaya's father," Johnathon chimed in.
River didn't know how to respond. He knew Amaya's parents weren't perfect, but he hadn't thought of them as outright malicious. He thought about how kind and loving his own parents were and realized just how lucky he was compared to some of his closest friends. It made him feel even more sorry for Amaya.
"And even worse, you did it in public! You should've brought him over to our house—there'd be less chance of him running off if you were going to pull that stunt. That's what I did with your mother, anyway."
"What?!"
Amaya's father shrugged nonchalantly. "A good businessman knows how to keep people close. What are you going to do—tell others? Do you really think anyone would believe either the person who just tried to dose an innocent classmate, or me, the well-respected assistant of Tera Snapdragon?"
"I... um..." Amaya stuttered.
Her father sighed deeply. "Honestly, dear, I've told you a dozen times—not to stutter. It makes you look incompetent. I really thought I had taught you better. But, I guess I'll just have to spend my off days trying to teach my daughter how to behave properly. I hope you're proud of yourself."
Amaya remained silent—no response, neither spoken nor in her thoughts.
Her father continued, his tone sharp. "Now, we have a lot of work ahead of us if you're ever going to amount to anything. There will be backlash for your past actions, but I hope you at least remember what I told you about that."
The memory began to fade, and River felt himself being pulled out of it. As it ended, Amaya's father's final words echoed in her memory.
"Don't let mistakes bring you down. Learn from them and burry them in the past."
River landed outside the memory, his mind still spinning from what he'd just seen. There was silence from Johnathon.
He stood up and quickly scanned the area for Flower Amaya. When he didn't see her, he sighed in relief and turned the scroll around to look at Johnathon. "You good?"
River knew Amaya was messed up, but he also knew that Johnathon had married her and still cared about her, despite everything.
Johnathon didn't answer immediately. After a beat, he sighed and spoke. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just... when he mentioned a control potion. I know you two have a bad history. Did she try to use one on you?"
River exhaled heavily. "Yeah. She did. And then she turned into a plant monster and broke my best friend's arm."
"Dang... I'm sorry, man. If I'd known, I would've tried harder to find you a different place to stay."
"No, no, it's not your fault. I think she's gotten somewhat better, and besides, you've been more than generous with me. I'm sorry for dragging you into this."
"Please, this isn't on you. Anyway, you should probably get a move on, in case that thing comes back."
River nodded and begain to walk glancing over at the memories as he went.
They were mostly about her successes showing her get her GED, talking to what seemed to be a successful women from the plant coven and then her grand opining of her garden.
Strangely there didn't seem to be that many orange flowers down these halls. What there was, was the painting of her parents still looming over them with the anxiety flowers still talking faintly. He could briefly hear her father's voice.
Don't let mistakes bring you down. Learn from them and burry them in the past.
He continued walking as Johnathon returned to the potion, but something felt off about the halls.
"Hey, Johnathon, is it just me, or is something strange about the memories here?" River asked.
Johnathon looked up. "What do you mean?"
River scanned the corridor. "Well, I expected more. We live long lives, so I thought there'd be hundreds of memories. So far, though, I've only seen about thirty-five, and they're spread out with big gaps in between."
Johnathon hummed thoughtfully. "That is odd. But everyone's mind works differently. Who's to say what's really going on? You're right, though. I expected more too."
As they walked on, River turned a corner and found himself facing a crossroads. The left hallway was just another plain white flower corridor. But the right one... that one caught his attention. It was completely devoid of the white flowers River had grown accustomed to. Instead, it was lined with glowing golden blossoms, leading to a single memory at the end.
"This is new," River murmured, his gaze fixed on the golden path. "You think it's safe?"
Johnathon's voice was calm, but cautious. "Could be. It's different, so it might lead to her inner self—or it could be a trap. There's really no way of knowing. If you decide to approach, just be careful."
River nodded, though Johnathon couldn't see it with the way River had angled the scroll.
He began to approach cautiously, eyes scanning the hallway for any sign of danger, half-expecting something to leap from the walls. But as he got closer to the memory, nothing happened. He moved forward with ease.
The memory itself was framed by the golden flowers, and inside, River saw what looked like a scene from Amaya and Johnathon's wedding day.
"Oh, Amaya... I'm touched that this has such a special place in your heart. Or, uh, head, I guess," Johnathon's voice said, the grin clearly audible.
River reached out to touch the frame, but before his fingers made contact, he heard a noise.
He spun around just in time to see a shadow move, followed by the unmistakable voice of Flower Amaya.
"ØⱧ, ⱤłVɆⱤ, ł₴ ₮Ⱨ₳₮ ɎØɄ ł ⱧɆ₳Ɽ? ɎØɄ ⱤɆ₳ⱠⱠɎ ĐØ₦'₮ ฿ɆⱠØ₦₲ Ʉ₱ ⱧɆⱤɆ. ₱ⱠɆ₳₴Ɇ, ₵Ø₥Ɇ ₩ł₮Ⱨ ₥Ɇ, ₳₦Đ ₩Ɇ'ⱠⱠ ₮₳₭Ɇ ɎØɄ ₩ⱧɆⱤɆ ɎØɄ ฿ɆⱠØ₦₲... ₣ØⱤ₲Ø₮₮Ɇ₦."
River saw her shadow drawing closer. His heart raced as he realized he had no way out—he was trapped in the hallway.
His breath quickened, panic rising, but before he could fully lose control, Johnathon's voice cut through the fear.
"Quickly! Get into the memory before she reaches you!"
River hesitated. He wasn't sure how comfortable he was jumping into what felt like a private moment between Amaya and Johnathon. But the choice was clear—he didn't want to risk whatever Flower Amaya had in store. He didn't hesitate much longer, diving into the memory, hoping it would offer some kind of refuge.
When the memory started River noticed that it looked like it was taking place after the wedding. Amaya was talking with her father who had an uncharacteristic smile on his face.
"Well Amya you finally did it. You made us proud."
Amaya looked up in shock though he just kept going. "Now you could have done better and you are far from done but keep up the good work and you might finally earn the family name."
Amaya beamed at him as she finally got the praise she had been seeking for so many years. "I must say you found a great husband, top of his class at Glandus, highest amount of ribbons ever won at I.F.W.O.T, and comes from a reasonably rich family. Keep this up."
With that he exited the room leaving Amaya with a huge smile on her face.
Not too long after that Johnathon entered the room. "There you I just passed your father and it looks like things went well."
Amaya nodded happily. "I've finally did it Johnathon, I've made my parents proud."
Johnathon gave her a warm smile. "Good for you, you've worked hard for it and you deserve it. I hope it was worth it."
An orange flower bloomed the second he said that echoing those words.
"I hope it was worth it."
Amaya's smile faltered a bit but Johnathon didn't seem to notice. "So I came in here to tell you that your parents set up a royal photographer to take our picture and that's going to be happing in 15 minuets."
Amaya nodded. "Yeah I'll be there." Johnathon paused. "Are you ok or would you just like some alone time for a bit."
Amaya turned to say something but one look of her expression and Johnathon nodded and begain to exit the room. "I understand well see you then." and with that he left and closed the door.
Johnathon sighed from Rivers scroll. "I knew she was struggling with something I just didn't realize what.
Amaya walked over to a mirror and sat down in front of it just staring at her reflection.
"I hope it was worth it."
"He didn't sound like he was judging me he sounded genuine, so why do I feel judged."
"I hope it was worth it."
"Was it worth it. I've lost Faye, she hates me now and I deserve it."
"Did I need her my parents care for me."
"They care for my success."
"No one cares for me."
"Johnathon cares."
With that thought a small smile returned to her face as the memory ended.
River exited the memory and walked out of the hallway glancing around for the Flower Amaya, neither one talking about what happened.
He looked around trying to see where it might have gone off to.
"ⱠØØ₭ł₦₲ ₣ØⱤ ₴Ø₥ɆØ₦Ɇ."
River let out a high pitched scretch as Flower Amaya, appered right behind him.
It took a swip at him but he jumped out of the way and took off runing.
As River ran the darkness begain to fade again as a yellow light filled the halls. At first he thought he was passing by more golden flowers before his hand started to throb again.
He looked down at it as it begin to glow even brighter then before until it was blinding him. He couldn't see anything but the yellow light as he felt the ground shift from underneath him. He briefly saw everything flicker to a black void with what looked like a big red heart in the middle but he quickly found himself getting pulled down fast.
He braced himself for the fall. But when he expected to land on soft flowery ground his palms made contact with hard concrete instead.
River stood up and rolled his wrists. The throbbing pain has subdued and the glow has dimmed but it was still there ever so lightly.
"River what happened? All I saw was a yellow light and now all I'm seeing is grey. Are You Ok?" Johnathon asked.
"Yeah no I'm fine, I'm not really sure what happened. I seem to have been transported somewhere else." River picked up the scroll with his hand that wasn't glowing yellow and angled it around to give himself and Johnathon a good look of the place.
Unlike the previous halls that where covered with plants and memories the hall that River found himself in was a prison. Stone walls surrounded him with a bunch of open jail cells with memories inside them. River also noted that there seemed to be a lot more memories then before.
River glanced at one and was very confused with what he was looking at.
The memory he stared at showed a scene of Amaya's mother turning her back to Amaya leaving her locked in the Conformatorium.
"Uh what?" River exclaimed. "Johnathon any idea on whats happening. What is this place. Could it be like her fears of what could have happened?"
"I- maybe? I mean I've never heard of that happening before but then again I have no idea what's happening here." Johnathon hummed in thought.
"Unless no it couldn't be. Could it? River get me a look at the memories I think I might know whats happening."
River begain to walk around trying to give Johnathon the best view.
The two of them looked over at these new memories. They showed her life in jail and at first she looked upset and annoyed but then there was a memory of her talking with an older prisoner and things changed.
He could see it in the progressions of the memories as she begain to mingle with the other prisoners and her usual masks seemed to slip away. She was trapped due to her own mistakes but she seemed pretty upbeat despite of it all.
He could see it just from her expressions which was good seeing unlike the other halls there were no flowers that blurted out her thoughts.
As River approached a painting showing Amaya playing on a piano with all the other scouts and prisoners watching her Johnathon exhaled sharply.
"you really did it didn't you." He muttered.
"What? What did I do. Johnathon if you know something I would really like to know it." River exclaimed.
"Now it's only a theory however I have heard of reports that the transportation part of the potion works by bringing you into this space that is in the very edge of our reality. This allows for fast travel and easy access to the mind as you can just reenter anywhere in reality." Johnathon info dumped.
"Now there was an idea that by going into this area you could travel outside of our reality and into other realty, or other timelines. However this was quickly proven to be false as the boundaries between reality where too strong. However it's possible that you somehow managed to break through to a differnt timeline which would explain the vastly differnt memories."
"You really think I managed to go into a differnt timeline. How?"
"Maybe it has to do with the fact that the potion is on your hand?"
River looked down at his still somewhat yellow hand.
"Maybe it's causing it to react differently," Johnathon mused. "But this raises a lot of questions. How do we get you back to our timeline? Did the person who sent you the potion intend for this to happen, or was it an accident? And, perhaps most importantly, how is this call still connected across timelines?"
"So, great, now I'm stuck in a different timeline?" River asked, a hint of frustration in her voice. "Can you get me out with the potion you're brewing?"
"Probably not," Johnathon replied. "I mean, I can't say for sure, since it's never been done before, but it's unlikely. The best I can think of is that you either find a way to control where you land, or hope it loops you back to your original timeline. But, honestly, you might just be stuck in this one."
"Great, so now I'm stuck in Amaya's mind, and on top of that, in a different timeline. Perfect," River muttered, taking a deep breath as he tried to calm himself. It wasn't easy to push down the gnawing fear that he might be trapped here forever, never seeing his friends or family again.
"Look, you'll be fine," Johnathon reassured him. "I tried reaching out to Miss Sinclair, but—well, she looks at her scroll like once every seven months, so who knows if she'll even see it. If I can't figure it out, I'll track her down myself. She's probably your best bet for getting out of here. You'll be fi—"
Johnathon's words were cut off by River's sudden hiss of pain. He clutched his hand as it began to glow brightly.
"Johnathon, I think it's happening again," River gasped, his voice straining as the halls around them were swallowed by an intense, blinding light.
In an instant, River was pulled into that strange void once more. The brief, disorienting moment felt like an eternity before he was tossed downward. He hit the ground hard, metal beneath him, his breath knocked out of him.
"Ok not where we need to be, how's your hand?" Johnathon asked
River recovered glancing down at it. It was still yellow but the glow had receded again. "It's fine for now I think it's just going to do this again and again until it either runs out of juice or somthing intervenes."
"Well might as well look around to see what this timeline is about just incase you need to hide or somthing."
River shrugged and begain to inspect this new mindscape. It was very mechanical not at all what he was excepting from Amaya's mind.
He took a look at one of the paintings. It showed a young Amaya about age 7 crying over a newspaper that read Crazy plant coven head arrested after killing her apprentices.
As soon a River read this his heart sunk. Amaya's parents were dead in this timeline, sure they were apparently monsters in his timeline but still loosing parents at that age would be terrible on a child, River didn't even want to know what kind of a person he would have turned out to be if his parents had died.
He went to the next memory and Amaya was standing out side a building that had a sign on it reading Wings of Grace Orphanage. The name felt familiar but he couldn't place where he knew it.
He moved on to the next memory. This one showed a young Amaya being comforted by a young girl with orange hair. River stared at the scene for a moment before it suddenly clicked—he recognized the orphanage's name. This was Amber's home, and in this timeline, Amber and Amaya were actually friends. River smiled as he watched the memory. Amber and Amaya had been pretty cute as kids.
He continued walking down the hall, the memories unfolding as he saw the two girls getting along—surprisingly so, in this version of events.
Turning a corner, he stopped dead in his tracks, his jaw going slack as he stared at the next memory.
Johnathon, noticing River's sudden stillness, glanced over. "What's wrong? You okay?"
River, speechless, pointed the scroll toward the memory, still trying to process what he was seeing.
"Huh," Johnathon muttered, brow furrowing.
"I mean, I heard Miss Sinclair used to take plants in high school, so... weird things happen, I guess," Johnathon added with a shrug.
River shook his head, still trying to find his voice. "You don't get it. Those two hated each other in high school. Well, Amaya hated Amber. I'm not even sure Amber knew there was a rivalry."
Johnathon simply replied with another "Huh"
River shook his head. "This is a weird timeline."
River's hand began to glow again, and he groaned in frustration. "Ugh, Johnathon, it's happening again."
Johnathon barely looked up from his work. "Good luck. If you need help, just holler. I'll try to finish this as fast as I can. Maybe you'll pass through a bunch of timelines before you land back on this one."
River snorted, nodding in agreement. "Here's hoping."
Before he could say anything more, the light around him intensified, blinding him as the familiar sensation of being torn through time and space overwhelmed him. He was thrown into the strange void once again, only to be deposited into another timeline.
For the next few minutes, it was the same: his hand would glow until it became blinding, and he would find himself teetering on the edge of time and space, crashing down into another alternate reality. The universe around him flickered and changed, each one different from the last.
As he passed through these various timelines, River caught glimpses of strange and unexpected possibilities. In one, Amaya was a rockstar with short red hair. In another, she and Faye were happily married, running an oracle shop together. He saw her and Lumin leading a wild witch gathering, and even one where she had somehow turned into a turtle.
The timelines were fascinating—wildly diverse and strange. But what struck River the most was that in every version of Amaya's life, she seemed happy. It made him wonder: was she always happy in every other timeline except his? It seemed unlikely, considering the infinite nature of these timelines, but it still made him sad. He couldn't help but compare the vibrant, joyful versions of Amaya with the one who was so miserable in his world.
River landed softly in a field, the mindscape around him gently coming into focus. He stood up and brushed himself off, glancing around. "Well, these timelines are getting interesting..."
"Yeah, they are." Johnathon's voice responded, but it sounded distant, as if his mind was elsewhere.
River raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay, Johnathon?"
"I—just thinking." Johnathon's tone was vague, a subtle shift in his voice telling River that he didn't want to dive into it. Still, River could tell something was bothering him.
With nothing better to do, River decided to take a closer look at the mindscape around him.
At first, everything seemed familiar—until he reached what appeared to be Amaya's junior year. There, a memory unfolded before him: Amaya was meeting with a guy, accompanied by Faye and a boy with black hair who looked like he might be Damian.
Both Amaya and the guy seemed nervous, and as River examined them more closely, he noticed they shared similar features. Could this be the brother Johnathon mentioned? he wondered.
He moved on to the next memory. Amaya now looked much more confident as she and Faye stood hand in hand before her parents. Damian stood nearby, holding onto something—a piece of paper or an article, but River couldn't make out what it was.
The next memory was even more striking. Amaya and Faye were getting married, and River even spotted himself in the background, congratulating the couple.
He smiled softly. "It's nice to see her so happy like this."
"Yeah. Yeah, it is," Johnathon replied, though his voice held a trace of sadness. Something was clearly on his mind, but before River could ask, his hand began to glow again.
It flickered, then cut off abruptly, like someone had flipped a switch.
"Uhm, so I think—" River started to speak, but was cut off as the light from his hand suddenly blazed in yellow, blinding him. He staggered, falling to the ground in response.
River blinked, trying to clear his vision. When he could finally see, he realized with a sinking feeling that he was back in the black void—the edge of space.
However, unlike his previous jumps, he didn't feel the usual tug pulling him somewhere else.
Looking down at his hand, River was surprised to find it looked completely normal again—no glowing, no pain. Just his hand, unchanged.
He raised his scroll to check in with Johnathon, but his blood ran cold when he saw the message: No Signal.
Panicked, he glanced around. It didn't look like much—just an endless void. But in the distance, at what seemed to be the center of it all, a glowing red heart pulsed softly. A man stood before it, his back turned to River.
River took a cautious step forward, feeling an odd pulse of life radiating from the heart. But where the man stood, it felt like that energy was being blocked—like something was stopping it from reaching him.
Suddenly, the man turned around, and River's heart skipped a beat. He recognized the green fanny pack at the man's waist instantly.
His eyes widened in shock. He took a step back, but the man didn't speak. Instead, he reached out a hand, as if grasping at something in the air.
Without warning, an invisible force seized River, lifting him off his feet. He struggled, but the grip tightened as the man slammed his hand downward.
River was pulled through the void with an intense, crushing force. He crashed back into a new timeline, landing roughly among a sea of white flowers—his original timeline.
His scroll blinked back online, and Johnathon's voice immediately crackled through.
"River! River, if you can hear me, say something!"
River quickly angled the camera toward his face, breathing heavily. "I'm here. I'm fine. And... I think I'm back in my original timeline."
He glanced down at his hand, which had finally stopped glowing.
"Well, glad that's finally over," River said with a sigh. "I'm back in our main timeline, and my hand's stopped glowing."
Johnathon's voice returned, shaky. "Huh... oh, uh, yeah, that's great."
"Johnathon, are you okay?"
"Yeah, no, I'm fine. It's just... where—where was I?"
River didn't fully understand at first, but as he thought back over all the different timelines, it hit him. In every one of them, he hadn't seen Johnathon at all.
"It's just... in all these alternate realities, she's happy, and I'm not in any of them. Am I the problem? I've always tried to make things right for her, but... is it selfish of me to think it's all my fault? Who knows what could have happened, but it does worry me. The only timeline where I've seen her unhappy is the one where she meets me."
"Hey man, she might not have fully found her peace in this timeline, but you saw those gold flowers. You're the best thing she has here, and you're in no way her problem—that would be her parents."
Johnathon sighed, his voice heavy. "Yeah, I know you're right."
A quiet pause settled between them before the sound of the potion brewing filled the space again.
"River, why are you here?"
"Uh, what? I already told you, I have no idea how I ended up in your wife's mind."
"No, I mean why are you here? In my house. Last I heard you had a wife, a stable job, and now suddenly you need a place to stay. You come back saying you got fired, and now someone's sending you a potion into my wife's mind. What's going on?"
River hesitated, a frustrated sigh escaping him. "Look, I honestly don't know. I don't think I pissed anyone off, but things have just been falling apart. I don't even know why I was fired, and I have no idea who put me in her mind or why. As for needing a place to stay..."
His voice faltered as he forced the words out. "My wife... she—she kicked me out. Someone had been sending her messages, telling her I was cheating on her, and they somehow came up with real evidence to prove it. I mean, I would never do that. I thought she knew that, but maybe I didn't show it enough. The evidence, though... it was good. I don't know why someone would go to such lengths to tear me down."
Silence hung in the air for a moment, broken only by the bubbling cauldron and the soft, uneven breaths of both men.
At last, Johnathon's voice cut through the quiet, softer now. "What was your wife like?"
"Nori? She's amazing. Kind, hardworking, strong, and independent. She can face any challenge on her own," River replied, his voice thickening as a tear welled up in his eye.
"She was always there to help me believe in myself when I started to doubt. And I'd help her think things through before she acted."
River chuckled softly. "Though, most of the time, she'd charge in without a second thought, no matter the danger. She could always handle herself. She was always fine on her own."
His words faltered as his emotions tightened in his chest, tears threatening to spill. "She's probably doing just fine without me. She might not even miss me."
Johnathon snapped him out of his spiral. "Hey, you don't know what's going on in her mind. You've got to look on the bright side."
River let out a hollow laugh. "Where's the bright side in this?"
"Well, for one, guess who just finished the return potion?"
River's eyes widened. "Wait, really?"
"Yeah, I made it with the last mushroom, so I'm not completely sure it'll work, but I did tweak it a bit so there is a possibility it will work. Plus I've got someone sending over more, just in case. If it does work... well, that's great."
River allowed himself a small smile. It felt good to hear some good news.
"Alright, I'm activating it. Brace yourself for reentry."
"Three...
Two...
One...
...Crap. It didn't work."
River sighed. "Of course not." He let out a sigh. "well thanks for trying."
"Well, I can get started on another return potion while we wait for the mushrooms to arrive."
River nodded. "Wonderful. I'll focus on keeping Amaya's anxieties from finding me."
"ⱤłVɆⱤ?"
"OH, COME ON!"
River turned to see the Flower Amaya inching toward him. He tried to run, but a vine wrapped around his ankle, yanking him forward.
"ł ₣ł₦₳ⱠⱠɎ ₣ØɄ₦Đ ɎØɄ. ɎØɄ ₴ⱧØɄⱠĐ₦'₮ ฿Ɇ ⱧɆⱤɆ. Ʉ₦₱ⱠɆ₳₴₳₦₮ ₥Ɇ₥ØⱤłɆ₴ ₴ⱧØɄⱠĐ ฿Ɇ ĐⱤ₳₲₲ɆĐ ฿ɆⱠØ₩ ₳₦Đ ₣ØⱤ₲Ø₮₮Ɇ₦ "
"I'm not a memory—I'm real! Please, I just got stuck here randomly!"
The Flower Amaya shook its head. "ɎØɄ ₵₳₦'₮ ฿Ɇ. ₮ⱧɆⱤɆ ₵₳₦'₮ ฿Ɇ ₮₩Ø Ø₣ ɎØɄ."
"What?"
"฿Ɇ₴łĐɆ₴, ɆVɆ₦ ł₣ ɎØɄ ₩ɆⱤɆ... ₩ɆⱠⱠ, ₴ⱧɆ ĐØɆ₴₦'₮ Ⱡł₭Ɇ ₴ɆɆł₦₲ ɎØɄ. ɎØɄ ฿Ɽł₦₲ Ʉ₱ ₲ɄłⱠ₮, ₳₦Đ ₮ⱧØ₴Ɇ Ɇ₥Ø₮łØ₦₴ ₳ⱤɆ ฿Ɇ₮₮ɆⱤ ฿ɄⱤłɆĐ."
Vines began to wrap around River's limbs, dragging him toward the ground.
"River, if you get pulled into her subconscious, no potion or spell will bring you out," Johnathon warned.
"Amaya, please..." River reached out to her, but his plea was ignored as he continued to be lowered into the floor.
"₲ØØĐ฿ɎɆ, ⱤłVɆⱤ."
It was too late. River was dragged beneath the surface and fell into the nothingness.
He didn't fall for long, though. He landed abruptly on solid ground. The area around him felt darker, but his vision remained clear.
The place was covered in gray, dead flowers. All the memories scattered throughout the space were broken and discarded. There were no walls just an endless void of discarded memories. And of course the large memory of Amaya's parents was still present.
"Uh, Johnathon, where am I? Am I lost yet?"
"No, thankfully not. If you were lost, you'd be falling endlessly through nothingness, and this call would've cut off. You're just in the depths of her mind. My guess is this is where she puts the memories she wants to forget but can't."
"What makes you think that?"
"Because I've seen Amaya staring at a photo of that girl—Faye—but I've never seen her or heard her mentioned."
River followed Johnathon's gaze to see a memory of a younger Amaya and Faye at what looked like a concert.
River looked around, noticing the absence of colorful flowers. The eerie silence crept over him, making him uneasy.
He exhaled, realizing he'd been holding his breath. The dead flowers seemed to emit a faint, gray light, adding to the unsettling atmosphere. The only other light came from some more orange flowers.
"This place is a nightmare," Johnathon said.
"Hey, you're the one who married her."
Johnathon shifted the conversation. "I think you should find a hiding spot for now, just in case it comes back to finish the job."
River nodded and briskly walked over to memory and ducked behind it.
He slid down it to catch his breath for a bit.
As he glanced over at the memories he noticed just how many of them seemed to be showing him, Lumin, and Faye.
He walked past the fallen memories as he glanced around. There seemed to be hundreds or thousands of memories down here. A start comparison to the halls above which only had a few.
"Who's to say I'm not next if they tossed him then they could toss me too I don't want to be alone!"
River glanced over at the memory that the voice was coming from showing Amaya and Faye huddle over a picture frame which held a photo of Amaya's parents and a kid who looked exactly like the man from the other timeline.
"This must be Amaya's brother." River murmured to himself as he glanced over at some near bye most of them had Amaya curling up panicking.
River looked over at the next one which was strangely an empty frame. He looked through it to see a memory which had Amaya and Faye looking at her crystal ball. Inside it was showing Amaya's parents removing her memories.
River shook his head in disgust. That feeling only got worse as when he looked around he could see at least 10 differnt frames from where they had removed her memories.
What kind of parents would do that to their child, no wonder she came out so messed up.
He felt a shiver go down his spine. He really wanted to get out of there.
River kept walking trying to find either her inner self or a way to get back into the halls above.
He looked around, it all looked the same where would he even start.
I NEED TO BE PERFECT.
He turned toward the voice too see a swirling mass of vines and voices coming from it. That would be a good place to start he figured.
He made his way over but when he was about to enter the vines somthing grabbed his leg and threw him across the mind scape.
He landed hard knocking the breath out of him, his scroll crashing down next to him as he scooped it up.
"₮Ⱨ₳₮ ₳ⱤɆ₳ ł₴ Ø₣₣ Ⱡł₥ł₮₴ ɎØɄ'ⱤɆ ₦Ø₮ ₳ⱠⱠØ₩ɆĐ ₮Ø ₲Ø ł₦ ₮ⱧɆⱤɆ. ₴ⱧɆ ĐØɆ₴₦'₮ Ⱡł₭Ɇ ₮Ø ฿Ɇ Đł₴₮ɄⱤ฿ɆĐ."
Flower Amaya loomed over him as he forced himself not to shake in fear. "Please I really need to talk to her, I'm not supposed to be here."
She shook her head. "₦Ø ɎØɄ ₳ⱤɆ ₦Ø₮."
Flowers reached up from the ground wrapping at his ankles and started to pull him downwards.
"₴Ø ł ₦ɆɆĐ ₮Ø ₲Ɇ₮ ⱤłĐ Ø₣ ɎØɄ ₣ØⱤ ₲ØØĐ."
The flowers reached out, pulling at River, intent on dragging him into the void. Flower Amaya reared back, preparing to strike. Desperate, River threw his scroll at it, hoping for something—anything—but it simply bounced off as the flower's arm lunged toward him. River shut his eyes, bracing for the worst, hearing Johnathon's frantic voice shouting his name.
But then... everything stopped. A sudden stillness. For a moment, River felt as though the world had gone silent, the air thick with nothingness. He opened his eyes, and there, frozen in place, stood Flower Amaya, her flowers poised to push him into the void—but unmoving, like a statue. River turned his gaze, searching for his scroll, but it hadn't even touched the ground. It hung in midair, suspended as if time itself had ceased to exist. The world around him was frozen—everyone, everything—except for him.
River pulled himself free from the flower's grip, carefully stepping around Flower Amaya as he moved toward his scroll. He didn't think it could hurt him in this moment, but he wasn't about to take any chances.
As he picked up the scroll, his gaze fell on the image of Johnathon frozen on the other end. The stillness of it all was unnerving, the silence deafening. The only sound River could hear was the steady beat of his own heart, a stark contrast to the frozen world around him.
Before he could dwell on what was happening, a voice cut through his thoughts.
"You know, I think it's about high time I introduce myself. Don't you think?"
River spun around, his eyes locking onto a familiar smug face hovering above him. The same green fanny pack hung at his waist.
"You again?" River exclaimed, irritation thick in his voice.
"YES, it is meeee," the man replied, stretching out the word with a mock smile. "Aren't you glad to see me?"
"Why would I be?" River shot back. "Every time you show up, it's right before something bad happens."
The man placed a hand on his chest in mock offense, gasping theatrically. "Excuse me! I warn you about when those things are happening. If anything, you should be thanking me." His smug grin only deepened, making River's frustration grow even more.
"Okay, this is getting nowhere," River muttered, gesturing around himself. "Why are you here this time? How can this—" he waved his hand, taking in the frozen scene—"get any worse?"
The man shook his head, a look of mock disappointment on his face. "You act like I only show up to annoy you and deliver dire warnings." River opened his mouth to fire back, but the man cut him off, continuing to speak over him.
"Today I'm acttaly here to help you. Wouldn't be much of a story if it ended with you getting lost to someone's mind now would it?"
"So what is this just some story to you? Is my suffering just entertainment to you?"
"The best kind." The man told him with a confident grin. "I haven't been this entertained by someone loosing everything for a while. Not to mention watching you get tossed into other timelines of Amaya's mind was quite fun."
"What, did you cause that to happen. I doubt the potion normally travel a person though timelines even if it gets dumped on someone."
The man waved a hand "No that wasn't me, well I guess technically, but I have no control over that. Either way you're right it doesn't normally travel though time lines. Then again the timelines aren't normally this cracked so whos to say what happened. I supposed tossing you back into your original timeline didn't help but hey I got you back"
River glared at him, but there was nothing he could do. "Fine. If you're going to help, can you at least get me out of her mind? Or, at the very least, get me back to the halls?"
He allowed himself a brief glimmer of hope, only for it to be crushed as the man shook his head.
"Nah, wouldn't make for much of a story. Where's the fun in that?"
River rolled his eyes. "Well, if you don't have anything helpful to add, can you at least let me go back to not dying?"
The man shrugged. "I suppose so. But before I go..." He suddenly teleported in front of River, his hand outstretched.
River hesitated, then shook it. "Name's Fred. I'll see you around." With that, he floated into the air, hand raised. "I'd find a good hiding spot if I were you. Wouldn't want my hard work saving you to be for nothing."
Fred raised his hand, ready to snap his fingers, and River quickly darted behind some fallen memories.
"Caio."
The sound of fingers snapping echoed through the air, and time resumed.
Johnathons muffled voice came from his pocket and Flower Amaya grunted as her prey disappeared. River quickly reached into his pocket and turned the volume off as he could hear her moving around. Flower Amaya's distorted voice echoed. "₩ⱧɆⱤɆ гРɎØɄ ₲Ø ⱤłVɆⱤ? ɎØɄ ĐłĐ₦'₮ ₲Ɇ₮ ĐⱤ₳₲₲ɆĐ ĐØ₩₦ ₳₦Đ ł ĐłĐ₦'₮ ₣ɆɆⱠ ɎØɄ ⱠɆ₳VɆ. ɎØɄ ₵₳₦'₮ Ɇ₴₵₳₱Ɇ, ɎØɄ ₩łⱠⱠ ฿Ɇ ₱Ʉ₮ ł₦ ɎØɄⱤ ₱Ⱡ₳₵Ɇ."
Eventually she moved on and once he was sure she was far away enough he let out a sigh of relief and unmuted Johnathon.
"Sorry for muting you. I was just trying to make sure she didn't spot me."
"Understandable, but how did you even manage that? You were about to be fertilizer. Anyway, it doesn't matter. How long do you think you can avoid her?"
"Not sure... It feels like she's everywhere. Honestly, I think I need to confront her real self, but I'm not sure where to even begin."
"My guess is the area she was trying to keep you out of. But River, be careful."
River nodded and scanned his surroundings. He didn't see Flower Amaya, so he slowly crept out of his hiding spot and made his way back toward the voices.
He managed to get there without running into Flower Amaya, though he couldn't tell if he was lucky or if she was just hiding.
He took a deep breath, stepping into the swirling mass of voices and vines.
The moment he entered, it felt almost unbearable. Flowers sprang up, twisting around him in a swirling orange. Amaya's anxieties were loud, but River pressed on.
He briefly spotted the inner Amaya crouched in the middle of the chaos. But before he could reach her, one of the vines swung toward him, holding a limp Amaya in its grasp. Or at least, it looked like her, except her face was hanging off her like a mask.
"Be perfect," the vine whispered. "Make sure everyone likes you!"
River pushed it aside and took another step, only for another vine to swing at him. This Amaya looked similar, but there was something subtly different about her posture.
"But everyone's idea of perfect is different. How can I be everything?"
He pushed this one aside as well, but once again, another one took its place, just a little different.
"My parents change with everyone they meet. Do I need to do that too?"
River kept pushing forward, making slow progress, as more versions of Amaya fell away, but none were the real one.
"It's fine," another mask murmured. "I'll just put on a different mask for every person I meet. If my parents can do it, so can I. Right?"
"Ugh, I have almost everyone under my thumb... except a few. No, calm down... I can't show that anger. It's not real, and people won't like it, so I need to make it go away."
"Someone asked me what my real self is. What does that mean? Do I have a real self?"
"Do I even need a real self?"
"WHO AM I?"
"WHAT AM I?"
River finally reached the center. He grasped her shoulders and turned her around.
Her eyes were teary, and as she looked up at him, she whispered softly, "I am alone."
With those words, her final mask fell away, revealing a void where her face should have been. The void widened into a tunnel that led deeper, where her true inner self awaited.
"₮ⱧɆⱤɆ ɎØɄ ₳ⱤɆ,." River heard. "ɎØɄ'ⱤɆ ₥ØⱤɆ ₮ⱤØɄ฿ⱠɆ₴Ø₥Ɇ ₮Ⱨ₳₦ ₥Ø₴₮, ฿Ʉ₮ ɎØɄ'ⱠⱠ ₣ł₦Đ ɎØɄⱤ ₩₳Ɏ ₮Ø ₩ⱧɆⱤɆ ɎØɄ ฿ɆⱠØ₦₲.."
River turned to see Flower Amaya standing across from him, her vines outstretched. It reached for him, but before it could touch him, River dove into the tunnel.
As he landed, everything grew quieter. The voices were still there, but now they were distant, muffled. The space around him was dark, with no flowers, just an empty void. In the center, Amaya was curled up, her arms and legs bound by vines attached to a massive painting of her parents, still present even in this part of her mind.
As River moved closer, the voices grew clearer.
"I'm destined to be alone."
"It's only a matter of time before I mess everything up, and I'll be tossed out, just like my brother was."
"Faye, Lumin, River... You didn't deserve to know me."
"I have to be perfect. I need to be what people want me to be, or what good am I?"
"I need to be perfect."
"I need to be perfect."
"I need to be perfect."
"I need to be perfect."
"I need to be perfect."
"I need to be perfect."
River hated seeing her like this. He wasn't sure if he was ready to forgive her for what she had done, but he definitely felt sorry for her.
"Amaya?" River softly tried too get her attention.
She turned to him with an upset look. "You can't be here."
"But I am," he said gently. "I know about your brother and how your parents make you feel, but you have to understand—they wouldn't just throw you out because you're not perfect. That's not why people should like you."
She scoffed. "Please. That's the only reason anyone likes me." Her voices grew louder.
Johnathon tried to speak, but his words were drowned out by the noise. He took a deep breath and raised his voice. "That's not why I love you."
Amaya looked up, surprised by his words, but the sadness returned to her face. "Oh, please. We both know that's why we married each other in the first place."
Johnathon sighed. "Yes, that's why I married you. But it's not why I love you."
Amaya paused, eyes uncertain. "I—"
"I love you because you're passionate and determined. If you have a goal, you're going to see it through, no matter what. You'll go above and beyond to make sure it's done right. Sure, you might not always have the best goals, but nobody is perfect. You don't have to be perfect, not around me."
Her voice faltered as she fought back tears, which began to form in her eyes.
An orange flower bloomed in her mindscape, but before anyone could say anything, it turned to gold.
"He cares for me."
Amaya sobbed, her entire mindscape trembling. River saw the painting of her parents begin to crack, the vines around it loosening.
"You can't let your parents decide who you are, Amaya," River said gently. "You don't need to be what they want you to be."
"I—I don't know what to do," she whispered. "I've always just done what my parents expected of me."
"Well, you don't have to listen to them anymore. You have Johnathon to support you now."
She gave a soft smile. "Yeah, he will."
The trembling grew worse, and the painting of her parents crumbled completely, revealing a new painting of Amaya and Johnathon standing side by side. The vines tightened around her.
Johnathon shook his head. "No, Amaya. You can't live your life based on what others want from you. What do you want?"
"I—I don't know what I want."
"I've noticed something," he said, his voice steady. "You always stop what you're doing whenever you hear the piano. That's why I got one, you know. At first, I said it was for decoration, for guests, but I saw you glancing at it sometimes, the lid slightly open."
She smiled faintly. "I do enjoy the piano... and I've always been interested in wild magic."
"Then go for it. It's not wrong to practice wild magic anymore, and even if it was, you should do what makes you happy. I'll be here to support you."
As he spoke, the painting crumbled again, this time leaving just Amaya standing tall.
Amaya sniffled, looking up with hope in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak when she was interrupted.
"₦Ø!"
The void shattered, and they found themselves back in her subconscious. Flower Amaya stood over the dead flowers, her remaining eye burning with anger.
"ɎØɄ ₩łⱠⱠ ₳Ⱡ₩₳Ɏ₴ ฿Ɇ ₳฿₳₦ĐØ₦ɆĐ ł₣ ɎØɄ ₳ⱤɆ ₦Ø₮ ₱ɆⱤ₣Ɇ₵₮."
But her words had no power over Amaya. She began to laugh—then cry, not tears of sorrow, but of relief.
Years of pressure, expectations, and burdens finally broke free, spilling out in tears.
Flower Amaya tried to speak again, but one of her orange flowers turned gold.
"I am perfect enough for me."
One by one her flowers turned gold as the rest of her begain to crumble.
The sound of Amaya's sobs echoed, as the water of her tears began to rise. As the tears touched the dead flowers, life slowly returned to them.
The room glowed white, and the flowers became healthy once more.
Tears were crashing down from everywhere. At frist it was a slow rise but soon River heard a rumble.
A torrent of tears surged through the mindscape, sweeping over the once-bleak and withered landscape like a flood breaking through a dam. River barely had time to brace himself before the powerful current of emotion swept him off his feet, tossing him through the air. The world spun as the tears surged around him—crystal-clear, shining with the weight of years of pent-up sorrow and relief. The force of it was overwhelming, like a rush of water from a broken dam, pulling him back toward the entrance of the hall.
When the tide finally settled, River found himself thrust back into the hall, his feet finding solid ground once more. But as he regained his bearings, he noticed something extraordinary. The hall, once dark and cold, was now bathed in a warm, golden light. The vines that had once choked the place with their relentless growth now appeared lively and flourishing, curling in graceful patterns up the walls, their green tendrils shimmering with life.
It was as if the entire place had been reborn, renewed by the tears that had fallen like rain. Where there had been shadows, there was now light. The atmosphere felt full of possibility, the kind of openness that only came after a storm had passed and the sun began to peek through the clouds. River's gaze shifted toward the center of the hall, where Amaya stood, her expression softer now, her face a mixture of exhaustion and hope. Her tears, once a sign of pain, had cleared the way for this new beginning, both for her and for the space around her.
For the first time, the hall felt like it belonged to her—not to her past, not to the expectations that had once weighed her down, but to the person she was becoming. It was brighter, healthier, and full of promise.
He approached the inner Amaya who was wiping tears from her eyes. "Thank you... both of you. I really needed that."
Suddenly Amaya's inner self looked up suddenly and stared at River in shock. "Wait River you're in my mind."
River grimaced and rubed the back of his head. "Yeah sorry about that not sure how I got here and we have been trying to get me out."
River was expecting her to go back to worried or even a little angry that he is in here, he was not expecting panic.
"But if you're in here who am I with."
River blinked "What?"
Amaya's inner self grasped River and forced him to look at her "Look River she's sorry for everything I did to you and Lumin and... Faye why did she not listen to you. I don't have much time, be careful. And after all, I'm glad that you managed to stay standing tall despite what happened."
And with those finale words Amaya's inner self crumpled to the ground violently.
River jumped back as he stared at Amaya's body, Johnathons voice came out shaky. "What just happened?"
"I-I think your wife just died Johnathon." River told him as he could hear his breath ragged
"I- no maybe she just has a concussion or somthing and that's why she on the floor."
River tried to say something but he was interrupted by Amaya's mind rumbling and a wall opining up with a new path covered in blood red flowers.
River hesitantly walked down the path. The only thing was a painting at the very end. "Whats there?" River heard Johnathon nervously ask.
"What in the?" River couldn't believe his eyes as he lifted the scroll up to the new memory.
The new memory showed Amaya being pushed off a roof, by River's own hands.
"How is this even possible?" Johnathon asked.
Suddenly the hall begain to shake and the walls begin to flake and turn black as the void as they fell apart and crumble away.
The memory cracked as it too begain to flake. "Hey Johnathon what happens if you're inside a dyeing mind?"
"I don't know and I don't think you want to find out, River run!"
River took a step back as the entire hallway begain to turn into a vortex of wilting flowers as River turned around and ran flowers falling all around him.
He wasn't sure where he was running he was just running. He kept running into paths that were wilting but luckily for him it was happening gradually rather then instantly. What wasn't fortunate was that it was happening fast.
The hall he was on colapsed and he lept for a solid platform barely grabbing the edge and pulling himself up as everything crumbled.
Rivers heart beat hard. He really should have taken Lumin's offer to go to the gym he was not built for all this running.
He eventually ran out of room and was stuck in one hall that seemed to be lasting longer than the rest. The patch of golden flowers with the memory of their wedding stood strong as River watched the place around him crumble apart.
"Johnathon if you are going to do somthing please do it now."
River could here the footsteps from the scroll as Johnathon ran around his house looking for anything that could help. "I'm looking I can't seem to find anything. And what is that darn vibration!"
River lifted his gaze as the once-mighty memory, now showing Amaya's hopeful figure, began to crack. With a sudden, shuddering motion, the image fractured, and the memory collapsed in on itself. The shattered fragments dissolved into delicate flowers that bloomed briefly before being sucked into the swirling vortex. Each petal seemed to add fuel to the chaos, the swirling storm growing fiercer and faster. The collapse of Amaya's mindscape grew faster, as the very essence of her hopes had become the catalyst for its destruction. River watched helplessly as the destruction unfolded, the pace quickening with every passing moment.
The shaking got worse as River had to hold onto the memories frame to stabilize himself.
Johnathon's voice broke his concentration though. "What in the world- River brace yourself."
Before River could even ask any questions his body begain to glow in a yellow light and he felt himself get pulled away, out of Amaya's mind. The last thing he saw was her final memory loosing it's glow and being whisked away.
River opened his eyes, back to where he had been whisked to Amaya's mind to begin with. The broken glass from the vile that brought him to her mind still laid on the ground. Next to it was the black box that was attached to it. The box was in pieces with yellow liquid pouring out of it. River wondered if that was where the return potion had come from but he didn't have much time becuse Johnathon was staring at him his face unreadable.
"Where was she?" His voice came out strained.
"I only briefly got a look at where she was at before she died." River scoured his memories for details from the painting. "Uh it, she was shoved off something, it was purple and kind of spirally."
Johnathon nodded "It sounds like it was near the new progress tower. Darius made it to help build up jobs for wild magic."
Johnathon hurriedly grabbed his cane and rushed toward the door. "Come on, we need to check. Who knows, maybe it's not too late to do something." There was doubt in his voice—a doubt River could hear all too clearly. But despite the uncertainty, River pulled out his palismin and followed Johnathon, his nerves coursing through him.
River struggled to keep up with Johnathon, who was zooming across the clouds. It wasn't easy, especially with the bitter cold biting at them as they sped through the sky, neither of them wearing coats. But Johnathon didn't slow down.
They arrived at the tower and River could feel his heart sink. The new scouts were already there at the ground circled around what looked like a dead body.
A black bird was perched on top of it watching down from above.
The new scouts had similar outfits from when Bellos was in charge the only main difference was the masks were gone. There were three of them all circled around the body.
They landed on the ground, and River finally saw it. Amaya lay motionless, having just been pushed off. It was painfully clear—she was dead. Any hope that River or Johnathon had was shattered.
One of the scouts noticed them and shook his head before walking over. "Mr. Bloomfield, I'm sorry for your loss."
Johnathon nodded, unable to respond. The scout turned his attention to River, narrowing his eyes. The other two scouts, who had been nearby, also took notice and approached.
"Excuse me, are you River Simmons?"
"Yes?" River replied tentatively. The scout nodded, and in an instant, all three scouts aimed their spears at him. Johnathon quickly stepped forward, positioning himself and his cane between River and the scouts. The scout who had spoken now addressed him.
"River Simmons, you are under arrest for the murder of Amaya Bloomfield."