Preparation |A TBATE What-If?|

Chapter 13 - Codename Godspell

? Pov

My Wraiths should have arrived by now. I wonder how many he'll kill?

~~~

Arthur Leywin Pov

The shock of his own core shattering led to Arthur being less than attentive to his current situation. The fact that everything around him was white, the fact that he was somehow holding Sylvie's hand, the fact that she appeared no older than four years old...the fact that his arms, legs, and overall build were all far shorter than they should have been. It was all momentarily lost on him.

"Arthur?" Sylvie said, forcefully pulling his mind out of the shock. "Where are we...why do you look..."

His gaze trailed to his left hand. Then to his right. In his right hand was Sylvie's own. She looked so young, with her wheat blonde bangs falling just above her eyes—she looked even younger than she had when he'd first seen her humanoid form.

Arthur remembered the last time his body was this small. His moments with Sylvia flashed through his mind. Learning burst step. Being sent through that portal, meeting Virion and Tess...Sylvie hatching.

Why was he standing here in the body of his four-year-old self?

"Hello, Arthur dear," a voice said. "I would like to first thank you for raising my daughter so well. She's really grown into such a wonderful child."

A woman appeared in the blank white. Her hair blended in with the pristineness, but her aether-colored eyes shone vibrantly. Arthur didn't completely recognize the features of the woman's face—though they were familiar—nor the set of her jaw or the shape of her shoulders—but he recognized those eyes anywhere.

"Are you real?" He asked. His grip on Sylvie's hand tightened, though he found he couldn't exert much more force than a normal four-year-old child.

"In a way, yes." Sylvia was every bit as warm and comforting as he remembered her. "It was a gamble, but it seems to have paid off. The mana signature I placed within you contained a limited fragment of my consciousness."

"Is that what this is, then?" Arthur gestured to the surrounding white. "Your consciousness?"

She smiled. A soft thing really. "No, my dear. It is yours."

Arthur reeled back. He glanced at Sylvie once more, who seemed just as real and confused as he did.

"She is here because of the bond you two share, and I am here because of the message I have imparted within you—"

The message...

"—for when you broke past the white core stage."

Memories. Scenes. Battles. Wraiths. Everything came flooding into Arthur's mind at once. The sheer volume of it all left him dizzy. He might have stumbled if not for little Sylvie at his side.

"Arthur?" His bond asked. "What...what's happening?"

"I'm afraid there isn't much time," Sylvia said again. It sounded muffled to Arthur; he was still struggling to come to terms with everything. It was as if his mind were waging war on itself...and the worst part was, he couldn't feel his core. "Sylvie dear, it is so wonderful to finally meet you. I did not ever think I'd get the chance to see you in person. However far removed the sentiment may be." Her gaze trained in on Arthur. "I suppose I have you to thank for that."

Sylvie looked like she was about to collapse. Her legs were shaky, and Arthur could feel the tremble of her hand within his own. "Mother?" She asked.

"Of cou—"