TheRemnant: This is Not Flesh & Blood

The Beginning of the Trials (Final Part)

SCENE ELEVEN: SPIRITUAL BOUND WORLD

Surprisingly Shikauhno can move freely and breathe underwater, 'I can breathe...right. This is all just in my mind.'

Closing her eyes, she lets out a sigh of relief and regains her composure.

As she opens her eye Shikauhno sees that a person's face is inches from her own, except the person is upside down. The person is wrapped in bandages, including their face, however, they are obviously female. The silent exchange happens slowly.

Shikauhno's eyes widen in surprise and awe.

As Shikauhno floats upwards the other person floats downwards in a silent grace. Shikauhno notices that the person's arms are crossed in an x-shape. Underneath her arms and locked safely in her bosom is a concealed weapon wrapped in a cloth.

Shikauhno attempts to swim after her but someone else grabs her wrist.

Shikauhno quickly turns to see herself staring blankly at her. They are identical in appearance down to the clothes they are wearing.

They study each other in silence, staring each other down. Her right hand is wrapped tightly around Shikauhno's right wrist.

Shikauhno thinks to herself, 'If this is my Other than who was...' Shikauhno's thoughts are interrupted when she notices her Other is holding a plain sword in her right hand. She swiftly attempts to swipe at Shikauhno with the blade and Shikauhno ducks out of the way.

*"Other" will be abbreviated as S.O, meaning, Shikauhno's Other.

S.O releases Shikauhno as she kicks Shikauhno in the chest. The momentum of the kick causes Shikauhno to float backwards suspended in the water on her back.

As Shikauhno floats backwards, S.O swims above her, looking down at her condescendingly with the sword in her hand.

S.O attempts to slash Shikauhno's torso as she swipes in a diagonal motion. As a result she only manages to slice through Shikauhno's shirt. S.O tries another attack and thrusts the tip of the blade at Shikauhno.

Shikauhno adeptly shifts her body sideways and uses her right hand to grab her Other's wrist.

With a stern grip on her wrist Shikauhno twists her arm and gets behind S.O, Shikauhno begins to choke the Other with both of the Other's arms.

S.O struggles to free herself and her skin begins to crack all over. Suddenly, she bursts into hundreds of pieces like a shattered vase. Her body fragments move in unison and make their way down into a square opening at the bottom of the floor.

Following after it, Shikauhno swims down into the opening.

Before going in blindly, Shikauhno sticks out her hand.

On the other side there is no water. Shikauhno feels her way around and her hands find metal rungs attached to a wall. She retracts her hand and turns around, making her way through the opening, carefully placing her feet on the rungs.

She climbs down and finds herself in a large room full of mirrors of different tints, shapes, and sizes.

Shikauhno explores the new room. As she walks deeper into the maze of mirrors she notices one of her reflections are different from the rest of the row of mirrors.

'There!' She heads towards that mirror. Suddenly, a mask forms over her reflection. The mask is of her foster father, Chris.

Shikauhno's eyes widen in surprise and anger.