[Endgame: rise or DROWN]

[warpweft]

[How long have you been exploring Nessa's palace now? You've met her family, viewed her memories, learned how to fight as a witch and tried to find the source of her power and the Treasure of her palace: the Voidheart. And along the way, you've tired your best, with mixed success, to avoid the incarnation of her eldest cousin and the representation of her trauma and fear, the Nightmare of Esmau.]

[Wherever you are in the Palace right now, you feel the ground briefly shake under your feet. Little shakes here and there haven't been out of the ordinary - Esmau is trying to blow the place down to the studs, after all. But that felt different. That felt....worse.]

[Your phone beeps as you receive a message.]

Comments

[warpweft]

[She half-turns her head, but doesn't move it enough for Akira to see those yellow eyes.]

What do you mean?

[survivaltricks]

[nods at her, letting out a breath as he does so]

She survived. Through you.

You were her once, weren't you? You may be older, and different, but. . . you are what she became.

You're what she grew into, as she learned and experienced and fought and achieved and became a better person.

. . . right?

[he isn't sure if he's getting the symbolism correct, but. . . it's what he likes to think]

[warpweft]

....Nessa and this Nessa had different lives.

As a teenager, Nessa was alone. Caesar left because... [She sighs and waves a hand.] That's a whole other story. She didn't have friends, at least not any humans friends. She didn't know any other witches, either.

In this prison...she made all of these bonds.

...

...

Bonds with people she was willing to die for.

[survivaltricks]

[. . .]

Are her bonds not your bonds, too?

[warpweft]

[She glances at him and gives him a snort and a raised eyebrow.]

You ever meet a Shadow with bonds?

[survivaltricks]

[immediately]

Yes. I have.

[warpweft]

Then they were bad at being Shadows.

[She sticks her tongue out.]

[survivaltricks]

[JUST. LETS OUT AN AMUSED SNORT]

Now you're just being tsundere. Which tracks, honestly.

[warpweft]

[She huffs and gives him a dismissive hand wave. Then she goes back to looking at Nessa.]

... ...

So to you, because both Nessa Houghtons were always "real" to begin with.

That means even if one is gone. They both keep living through the one that remains.

Is that right?

[survivaltricks]

[. . . he nods]

Yeah. That's right.

Presumably, when Nessa wakes up, she'll remember everything that happened while she was younger, and everything that happened before she was turned into a teenager. And those who knew her from both periods. . . they'll remember both Nessas, and regard both versions of her to be "real." I know I won't treat her any differently, regardless of what happens when she wakes up from this Palace. She will always be Nessa to me.

Does. . . that make sense?

[warpweft]

...

[Shadow Nessa takes in a deep breath.]

I don't know if it makes sense to me.

[She looks up at the sky. The darkness is parting and it's starting to turn a normal, healthy blue again.]

....I think it makes sense to her though.

And I suppose that's good enough.

[And then... something happens.