“Closer… Closer!” The voice of a child cried. It was lost in the endless field of flowers. The flower heads were too tall for Stella and Res, hiding them from plain sight.

Stella pushed the stems aside with one hand. The other held onto Res’ hand as she shielded her bleeding eyes. A world of wonderful colors was just an eyelid away, but to her it was the incarnation of terror.

Where shadows stalked the fearful, the light of colors oppressed Res.

“We will eventually run into Frost, so you can’t give up!” Stella’s voice was the only source of Res’ comfort right now. “You have family that are waiting for you!”

“… No. They’ll come to me. It’s always been that way.” Res uttered as Stella stumbled into the stems, cutting herself along the thorns.

Liquid flowed from her wrist onto Res’ hands, causing her to further squeeze her eyelids.

Her face looked as though it was being drawn into itself.

“And they’ll be dragged into this mess.”

“Don’t say that like you’re the problem!” Stella argued, nearly tumbling again as she suffered even more injuries. “They love you! That’s why they’ll be coming! You’d do the same, wouldn’t you!?”

She looked like she had dived headfirst into a coil of razor wire, whereas Res was entirely unaffected by the passing thorns.

She tried to cover Stella with her tail, but she seized unexpectedly at the scent of blood.

“I have to. Because I love them more than anything in this world.”

“So don’t think about anything and just hope they come soon! Let’s go! Res! Res? Res…” Stella turned around, cupping Res’ hand in both of hers. “I… I know how you feel. I used to think I was a burden too. I’d always get into trouble and people got hurt because of me. There were days where I screamed and shouted at people for helping me. I think that more than just fear of letting people close to you get hurt.”

She began drawing Res away again. Blood dribbled onto the canvas, coloring the flowers red. The world shifted to match the canvas one sullied flower at a time. They eventually reached a clearing where the flowers struggled to reach past their ankles.

“It’s our pride.”

Res didn’t speak immediately, even though her lips repeatedly opened and closed. Perhaps she already knew this. That her pride was killing her. But alas, pride was but one side of the coin.

“Like Cer… I have to be the best Moon I can be. To uphold every rule. To become dependable. I wanted to become independent. But we became too dependent on each other. We were inseparable. And because of that… we didn’t need to chase each other, because were already there.”

Res didn’t know what kind of world awaited her. Neither did Stella. There could have been on the edge of a cliff for all they knew. The wind blew harsher here. A nostalgic scent rattled Res’ mind. While her sight was a window to the past, the scent brought back unwanted memories of a time when her only care in the world was what was for dinner.

“… You asked if you can change. I-I don’t know much about you. We’re just strangers stuck in a tough spot.” Stella’s innocent voice brought Res back again.

The little girl reached down to feel the flowers. A sincere smile formed on her face as she imparted wisdom that no child should ever bear.

“Aster and lots of people I know have gone to a place I can no longer reach. They’re stars now. I can only look up to them. But that doesn’t mean I can’t walk on my own two feet.” Stella took the first step forward, braving into the unknown. “People change on their own. We can’t all change together. All of us are individuals. Not animals cooped up in a pen. If you want to change –!”

Stella, by some miracle, managed to leverage the strength to tug a Moon forward. Res stumbled into the field of tiny flowers.

“– Then you have to learn to step forward!”

A world of red dahlias surrounded them, but to Res the world was in a state of superposition, akin to Schrodinger’s cat. She didn’t know what color they were, or if they had a color at all.

“Red dahlias.” Stella commented to herself, recognizing the scent.

It was the first flower she had learned of since arriving in the Epiderma. The Golden Thumb was surprisingly full of green-thumbed individuals. Where people recognized the flower by sight, she could tell from the scent and touch alone thanks to her esoteric knowledge.

It was a more intimate approach. Her lack of sight fueled her curiosity, rather than fear.

“A blood-soaked flower…” It was symbol of fear to Res, who knew that the world had shifted to mock her.

But Stella thought otherwise.

“It’s not a flower to be afraid of.” Stella smiled at the rising sun, following a star she knew she could no longer reach. “Because it’s a flower of courage. Can’t you feel it? This place is cheering you on!”

The flowers rustled with excitement.

Res found herself unexpectedly smiling in response. It was ridiculous, she thought. A red dahlia could only mean one thing: bloodshed and death. Red was the one color she feared. Black was the only other color she adored. Blue was always her comfort since the beginning.

After all, how could she ever forget the color of her mother’s eyes?

Indeed. They were not red.

The red color came from her father. A figure she had never once met. Red eyes were quite rare for humans. Almost unheard of, in fact. The scent took her back so far that she could almost hear the voice of Raoul singing her a lullaby as he hurriedly scrubbed their sickly mother’s clothes clean.

They were fond memories she cherished from the bottom of her heart.

But slowly, she felt an unwanted warmth wash over her. The sound of crackling could be heard in the distance. The wind blew again, carrying the stench of smoke towards them.

And with it, amongst the crackling of wood –

“Fire? What’s on fire?” Stella questioned. Res began to tremble uncontrollably in fear.

“I can hear them… Why… are they all here? Stella… you said this place was cheering me on.” Res’ voice sunk to the pitch of despair. “So why... do I hear them screaming again?”

– Was the hellish sound of screaming children.

Syringe

Firstly I wanted to say Happy Holidays! We are expected to get some Special Chapters during now and New Years!

Also, I have created an Inflow Direct Serum Guide for anyone that is curious (WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD): https://imgur.com/a/ydepUoU

Here is a sneak peek of the Serums.

Thank you all for reading!