with the ghost dispatched, her dragonair returns to her side. hetch looms over her, wings tucked and ready to tussle with whatever is behind the door. freya doesn't feel much anticipation - most of it is annoyance at this point. 

annoyance or frustration or grief. she doesn't know. she can't put her finger on it. just that it's hard to be around her. she has his same eyes. not in color, no, but there is a kindness there that makes her feel...guilty. 

neurons fire, rewriting, and she licks her lips. "dunno. but aeris isn't concerned so we shouldn't be either."

ANA STONE

☉

some of the leaves whisk past her boots. aeris slithers over them, but they don't crunch like they should. freya bends and goes to reach for one, but it whistles away from her. she frowns as aeris' tail rattles.

the spinarak shivers, drawing its legs in tighter. and then it's convulsing, green body shifting as though something's trying to claw its way out of it. aeris hisses lowly and freya takes a step back, steadying a hand in front of ana. 

the creature's mandibles part, mouth opening, gaping, tearing at the seams, until half of its head has peeled back. silver hair, matching ana's own, emerges, and is joined by soft green eyes, a proud nose, and the rest of his face, slicked over with webbing and blood. 

bile rises in freya's throat as she commands aeris to strike. electricity sizzles and evaporates the apparition. ghostly laughter echoes about the room. 

she turns away, still feeling sick, and looks to ana. "you okay?"

ANA STONE

☉

she frowns. had they not witnessed the same mirage? "your brother," she says and grimaces. it feels wrong to liken whatever that thing was to alexander. it flashes in her mind's eye every time she blinks. 

"never liked ghost-types, but this feels personal." 

ANA STONE

☉

and as soon as she says that, and her gardevoir disappears, the laughter returns. all the doors in the hallway slam shut and downstairs, the front does too. freya grimaces and shoots a look to ana, but before she can say anything, she hears a whispering in her ear. 

"you've forgotten him already, haven't you?" 

she spins, but there's only aeris looking blankly at her, head cocked. salac, too, is down the hall keeping guard, unperturbed. 

ANA STONE

☉

she's half a mind to release lyune and just burn the damned place to the ground. the salamence would splinter the worn wooden walls, crack through the plaster, and he may very well trap both freya and ana inside, but still her fingers itch against the ball. frustration makes rage bubble forth. 

she doesn't notice ana moving towards the door. but salac and aeris both rush towards her, past her, and freya looks over her shoulder in time to see several pairs of eyes, wicked grins, disappearing as ana opens the door and steps through the threshold. 

freya leaps forward, but the door slams shut in her face and snicks locked. 

"ana! ana, can you hear me?"

ANA STONE

☉

the other side is muffled. she pounds again, but to no avail. the voices keep their muttering and ghostly laughter crawls toward her from all around. crossly, she steps back and waves hurriedly for the druddigon. 

"enough of this. salic, break it down." 

the dragon brings its left arm back and slams down; purple-tipped claws splinter the door with ease. freya steps through the wreckage and finds the room

empty. dust mites swirl before her. a single shaft of light from a lone window on the opposite end of the room makes them dance as so. freya crosses the room quickly, chasing noises, a hammering in her heart, sweat on her skin, because outside the window, the world is on fire. 

mossdeep. 

bodies flung about, buildings destroyed, skeletal once-wases all that remain. and she, an ant against a goliath, fighting a war that can't be won. power inside of her, the first lick of what it means to be god-touched. 

how had she forgotten what that felt like?

she stumbles back and the floor splinters. the sky shakes. i swear it. her fingers fumble in the darkness, where that shaft of light, blood-red now, can't touch. and she sees ana, a younger, more expressive ana, tilting her head up at her and demanding the company.

"then you'll die in his stead," she replies, baring teeth. 

ANA STONE

☉

but if only it were that easy. if only cutting down ana stone would bring him back. would you? would he forgive you? no. surely not. but she needs saving and alexander's the only one who can pull her back. 

lips curl. the misty terrain takes on a pinkish hue and for a moment, she sees blood. talons raking across ana's midsection, reptilian eyes watching her lifeblood pour from her body. 

freya shakes her head. the laughter around them, soft as it may be, grows darker.

"insurance will cover it if we burn this place to the ground? it's infested."

ANA STONE

☉