Justine sees everything.
She sees her comrades — her friends — hovered over her body; she sees her childhood; she sees Andrew place his hand on her head; she sees last year’s Winter Veil dinner; she sees the night she had spent with June. She sees it all at the same time.
“So this is it, is it?” She asks the void.
It is quiet for a long time.
Looking down on her corpse, she feels nothing. Seeing Wellson drug Juniper — she watches that, too — she is sympathetic to both. She wonders where that crazy mage sends her body — oh, wait. Right there. She can feel it. But all the while, her thoughts dwell on Juniper.
“Will she move on? Please tell me she will,” she asks the void.
Once more, there is no answer.
Justine watches as Kyara slaps Wellson. He does not fight back. Justine feels indifferent to the slap. But Wellson is another matter entirely — how was it that she could feel others’ emotions now, yet she could not feel her own? — she can sense he feels despair. She could not only feel it, but she can see it, swirling about him in black and white globules. He knows he had betrayed June, that he had betrayed them all, and that it fills him with an overwhelming sense of dread.
“Will he be ok?” She asks the void.
After some time had passed, Justine thinks it wise to enter the little bunker she had learned to call home. She sees where fate had finally caught up with her. She sees the splatters of blood on the wall, and she ignores them. She continues into the front room. She sees where Kyara had set Juniper. Even though June is unconscious, Justine can still feel her pain. She wants to hold her. She wants to tell her it would be alright. But she knows she cannot. For months, Justine had realized her death was only a matter of time. A dream she had experienced months back — that was when she realized time was dwindling. In that moment, she came to realize something else — it wasn’t Nihil who had changed her, it was Juniper. At last she feels something. She feels saddened by this.
“Do I have to leave this place?” Justine asks the void.
“M̶̹̣͖̊͆ÿ̸̳̬̫̟́ ̷̟̮̮́́c̶̝̦̈́͒ḫ̶̒̈́ȉ̶͕̺l̴͖̫̟̤̽d̵̡̞̗̽̓̈́͗,̴̬̐̋ ̶͓͊͛̀̕d̶͓͚͆̈́͌̕o̷̡̱̮̖̊͊̔̔ ̵̦̜̌̈́ỳ̸̡̓͐ͅó̴̫̻̈͜u̷̟̩̼̻̅ ̵̧͍͔͊͒̈́͘ẃ̵͇a̷̬̼̣̋̈́͝ņ̴͝t̵͙̰͉͈͋̆ ̶̪͍̭͓͗͘t̵̨̰͎́ò̴̱̆͂̈́ ̷̜̝̋̚ļ̷͉͝e̶̫̥̬̓͘a̷̩͗v̴̫̥̭̅͐ĕ̴͖͈̈̀ ̵̢̬̫̍t̴̹̞̩̾h̴͑̍ͅĩ̸͉̦̩̯͑͠s̴̭͓͍̿ ̵̮̥͔̹̉ṕ̶̞͎͘l̶̬̻͎̾͛̏̽a̴̜̋͘c̸̢̺͖͛̔̀e̷̗̺̔̒̅̍?” Asks a hushed voice of thousands.
“It’s true, isn’t it?” She asks.
She can hear the tender voice chuckle happily. “Ó̶̡̡̫́͆f̷̮͐ ̸͎̇́͌͜c̷̝͠ô̴̗̐̊̚ǔ̸̢͎͔r̶̛̠̲̉̒s̸̮̥͌̓ě̷̡̤͕̥̓͊̽ ̷̲̥̓i̶͍̣̻̲͒̋̌t̶̝̑͌̈ ̴̹̞͕̽̑̉͝ị̸͓̽s̷̬̘̝͊ͅ,” it says.
“And you really are —”
“Ẃ̸̟͇͍̆̑͠h̷̩̱͛̕a̶͍͝t̸͉͚͔̓͆͜ ̴̡͉̪̭͌́͑͛d̷͕̺̼͊͋͂͌o̷̳̹͐͗͝͠e̶͕͑͛̑s̴͍̃͂ ̶͔͔͚̝͂ý̵̯̦o̷̘̭͊͆͜u̶̡̲̥̻͂͒͐r̷̻̘̣͌ ̵̺̑͂h̴̢̞̙̉̒͌̈͜e̵͍̺̝̗̋̕̕͝á̶̛̻͒r̷̫̔̀t̶͍̱̹́͐ ̷̣̞̩͒̌̽́t̷̹̦̺̀͐e̴̫̍͊̃l̴͇͙͛͗͐̿ͅl̶͉̣̯̦̔͂͝ ̴̤̠̺̏̀͝ÿ̴̧͇̖͕õ̴͔͎̠̓̅͐͜u̶̙͚̍͝?”
Justine watches as Kyara places a cold compress on Juniper’s head. “Does she know — about You, I mean?”
“W̷̘͎̦̊̂̄̂h̸͕͙̟̔ͅo̸̢̲̓ ̵̭̫͎̰́̈́́i̴͎̮̹̽͒̅s̸̹̝̻̥̎̾͠͝ ̷̱̈́̅͑͝t̸͎̀o̸̠͍͝ ̴͎̘͆̕ṡ̸̥̔̎ą̴̺̙̋̄͋͌y̶̰̲̺̑͒̅̑ ̶̞̪̪̣̌̀̃͐t̸̨͓̪̠͂ẖ̷͎̞̐̿̊ą̵̱̤͉̒̑͂ț̸̬̿͑͒ ̶̞͕͔̩̿͋́̎ŝ̷̛̱̲͑h̷̩̳̗̺́̄͂e̷̘̓͂̅̚ ̴̳͍̄̔̐́d̸̮̓͘̕o̵̥̼͛͊e̴̟̲̮͔̾̓͋s̴͓̉̀ ̴̡̻̦̑̊n̴̡̖͚̩̈ŏ̸̱̰̦͜t̸͇͙͆̈̽̃?”
“Does he?”
“Y̵̛̟̐̍ȏ̷̭̙͔̔ȕ̷̡̯̪͈ ̸͇͔͌̋̽k̷͇͚͎͈̄n̵̡͈̱̑̀̊̾o̷͔̙͚̔̏͝w̷͍̪̤̔̒ ̸̗͐͠͝ţ̷̹̂̆͗͆h̸̻͖̖̱͂i̵̼͊̎ͅś̷͔̒͊,̷͕̤̊̕͝ ̸̪͈̱͋m̶̥͆͌̓̀ý̶͉̊̾ ̷̛͙̇͌̈́ć̶̢̠̗̎͑͝h̴̹̦̿̿i̸̬̒͋͘l̴͔͆͊d̸̨̖̫͌.”
Justine hovers over Juniper’s sick bed. “I did love her,” she says.
“Y̵̟̖̩̅ọ̵̧̙͐ǘ̵͍ ̵̜͕͍̹̄͝s̸̭̥͔͆͋͑̔t̸̡͍͖͚́̎̿i̶̱̯̬͝l̸̢͇̥͎̃͛l̶̝͛̑͌͝ ̴͙̞̚d̶̲̯̪͙͛o̸̞̒͋,” says the voice. “Ẁ̷̞̩ͅḧ̵̫̩͕́͗̀y̷͍̜̿͘ ̷͕̫͓̙̓ḋ̵͍̼̏͜ö̸̫̮́ ̶̯͎͌y̷̤̦͑̈́ȏ̵̫̔̌̚ͅu̴̫̜̱̙͘ ̷̯̲̜͚͂̄͠ṯ̵̣̯̙͌͠h̶̝̉͝i̵̥̬͌̂̓n̷̨͕̱̠̈́͐͌ǩ̸̳͒ ̵͕͛͒͗͒͜ỹ̷͕o̶̡͓͗͒͝u̸̳͗ ̵̯̍̔̒ḩ̸̍̎à̸͇̮̜͙v̸̧̗̻̂̄͗ȩ̵̯͓̜̽n̸͍̜͙̆̈͗’̵͚͎̣̱͊̈́̕t̴͉͚̙̒͠ ̸͈̝͖̈́̈́ļ̷̡̫̩̑́è̴̛̗͕̤͓͝f̷͔̹̾̂ţ̶̦̙̐͛͗͜ ̶̼̝͎͗̅ÿ̷̠͕̤́̅ȩ̵̬̭̙́̂͐t̸̲͇͓̓̏͘̕?̸̯̳̅̇”
“Can’t I just... can’t I just watch over her? Can’t I stay just a little while longer?”
“Y̸̛̯̙̾̿̚o̴̒̾͌͜ȕ̵̦ͅ ̷̟̄͆c̶̯͙͋̉͝a̶̧̺̤͝n̸͈̺̄͛̕ ̶̘̲̻̺͆̇͂̕s̴͍͚̊̐ṱ̶̅a̶̰̤̲͋̋̅̈́ỳ̵̖̰ͅ ̵̢͇͂ą̵͉̙̳͌͆́̄s̷͚̈ ̸̟́l̸̡̠̰͇͗̊̽͘o̸̹͚̾̀n̸̻̠̓̇͗́ḡ̷̭̩̦̀ ̴̣̗͓̜͘y̵̮̅̐o̴̭̭̰̳̊͆u̷̫̾͆͝͝ ̷̢̗͗͋͜w̷͍̽̑i̶̤̰̭̿s̷̫̙̪̾̂ͅḫ̵̰̾͠ͅ.̸̪̖͌ ̵͖͐̈́̎L̸̮͇͓͒o̸̭̮̍́̚͝o̵͎̱̝̒̿͜k̵̯͑̓͂ ̸̧͚͉̪̐͝a̸̠͍̠͌́̿́r̷̡͓̺̜̄̽̀͊ő̷͉̈́̅ù̷̠̩͚̚ň̸̹̝d̵̤͙̾̈́͝͠ ̴͉͇̠̱̒ÿ̸̰́̅o̴͔͘͝u̸̬͊͐ ̴̗͂̇̾̊—̷̢̞̟̊̌͂͑ ̸͔͓̝̆̀̈́̌y̷̛̺̲o̵̺̖̒ư̴̪̩͓̠̒̃͝ ̶̖̻̜̍́̾͝a̴͙̣͕̔ͅṛ̷̝͊̿̾͝ê̶̪̋̀͝ ̸̨̚ṋ̷̡̛͚̗̀͘͝ǫ̵̨͈͈͆t̴͈̐̍͝ ̵̰͂̔ą̸͔̻͕͋̄͠ḻ̴̖͛̊̔ö̴͚́͂̇n̵̫̫͚̈̃͐̅ȩ̴̪͎͌̑̕.̷̞̏͂̚ ̴̜͒͘Y̷͖̏̓ǒ̷̺̗̊͛͆͜ų̸̱̪̌͌̚ ̷̛̝n̷͎̯͕͗͘ͅe̷̟̘͉͌v̵̘͈̞̬͒e̶͓͈̟̓r̴̲̈́ ̶̪̌ẅ̸̡̡̭̚ȋ̴͉̮̓̀l̷̨͉̫̠͆ḻ̷̨̰͜͝ ̸̡̤̦͛b̴̠̤̲͉̋̒̑e̴̡͉̟͔̐̍͝͝.”
“Will she?”
“H̷̜͉̗̎̈́a̵̠͋͂̑v̸͔͑͂͠͝ͅẹ̷̯̺͖͊̾̅̚ ̷̣̥͍̈́̆̈́̀y̷͇͈̏o̶̜͙̖̍ủ̴̮̊͂̈́ ̴̭̮̘͕͘l̵̤̗̙̘͐͋͝ḛ̶͓͙͊̾͆ͅf̷̨͚́̒̊ẗ̶̜͖̰́̍͆,̸̼̖̟̂̔̿ ̶̙̩͔̂͋F̸̖̜́́̒͑r̸̨̈́ͅà̷̮̓n̸̠̬͆̓̓͝c̴̢̰͊ē̸̤͈͜s̴̹̯̻̹͐?”
Justine feels the presence begin to leave. Soon she is by herself, a flaming spirit amidst the darkest of shadows. She runs an incorporeal finger along June’s cheekbone. “I am still here,” she whispers. “I will always will be.”
(( Relevant: [ @blackbay-wra ]: @juniper-rose-blower @quai-mason @brian-wellson @killerkyara @alastar-wyatt @trin-llewellyn @andrew-mason ))
