Tip of the Iceberg

Eli was profoundly astounded.

When Venus mentioned her Realm earlier, she really thought that a magical circle would pop out of nowhere at that very moment. But instead, she was forced to tuck herself into bed and she even forgot to eat dinner. Then, without realizing it, she instantly fell asleep even though she's still immensely bewildered.

Now, after snoring away for who knows how long, Eli suddenly found herself drifting aimlessly in what seemed like a dream. Vast barrenness greeted her as soon as her eyes flew open. A hollow space stretched to all directions, but even then, she didn't feel appalled nor afraid. For one, she recalled a similar sight before. Then, there's also something about this place that she felt somewhat reassured about - there's a presence that enveloped the emptiness and was keeping her company all the while.

"Angelica, come here."

Along with that all-too familiar silvery voice was the appearance of a blinding light. Its merciless brilliance engulfed the darkness out of nowhere, hurdling her vision at the same time. Then, in the blink of an eye, Eli woke up inside their living room. Perplexed, she scanned around her surroundings and looked for the person she's anticipating to meet. But in the end, the only sensible thing she's able to find is the warm glow of the morning sun that's penetrating their windows, which could only mean that it's now broad daylight outside.

"Oh, wait... That doesn't make sense at all. I'm sure it's still evening... No, scratch that. Everything doesn't make sense, actually. Not only that," she murmured in puzzlement, scrunching her brows tightly together.

"For now, though, let's search some more."

With that, Eli proceeded to roam around the place and tried to stay composed. She thought that Venus would be the only key to clarification since she did talk about taking her to her Realm. The former Empress would certainly know what's going down. She'd definitely be able to explain how she ended up in what she assumed a fake prototype of their home. But then, her hopes of finding her eventually shattered upon learning that all the doors inside the house were locked for unknown reasons. What's even more dumbfounding was the fact that there's a lot more attached doors here unlike in their original living room, especially with the corridor appearing like an endless tunnel.

In each passing second, Eli sensed how the mysterious setting was slowly turning into this labyrinthine hodgepodge.

"Angelica, what're you scuffling that for?"

Surprised at her sudden entrance, Eli stopped twisting the fifteenth doorknob and swerved around. There, she found Venus standing in front of her, dressed in an off-shoulders, plain white evening gown. Even with such a simple apparel, she still looked jaw-droppingly gorgeous.

"Venus! You're... You're here? Am I in a mirror or something?" Eli questioned, tilting her head in bafflement.

"We're inside your subconscious mind. Your real body's sleeping right now, so basically, this is a dream," Venus explained before pacing back to the lounge with the confused ash-haired in tow.

"What?! That's possible?!"

"I figured out not too long ago that the only way we could meet face-to-face like this was through your dream. Between us, no one has the upper hand at the moment. Your conscious mind is currently unattended, and none of us is maneuvering your physical body."

Though flabbergasted and filled with tons of questions, Eli let momentary quietude layer the atmosphere for the meantime. She took this chance to scrutinize Venus from behind. For some reason, she felt something odd about her, though she could tell that it's not something perilous. More likely, she sensed that something's probably troubling her.

"Hey, Venus, is everything alright?" Eli inquired as soon as they reached the living room.

"Take a seat for now," Venus offered, demurely flopping on the couch while she did the same from the opposite side.

"You're acting weird, Venus. Besides, what's up with all these? I thought we're going to your Realm. Why are we in my drea-"

"We're here."

"Huh?"

"This is my Realm."

Eli just blinked at this in surprise and bewilderment. It took a few more seconds before her words fully registered. When they did, she only got even more perplexed. For one, they're technically inside her head - her subconscious mind. She couldn't imagine how and why this villainess built something as majestic as a Realm within her. Secondly, she had no idea why she'd design her Realm after their house when in all actuality, there's a lot more grandiose layouts she could choose from. The fact that it's the ever carping and fastidious Venus who chose this particular structure was even more bemusing.

"I can practically read your thoughts through that expression," Venus deadpanned, snapping her out of her stupefaction.

"Honestly, I don't even know where to start," Eli voiced out in dismay and incredulity.

"Let me do the honor to begin, then... I didn't call you here to explain such things. Someday soon, you'll be able to learn the reasons behind them on your own anyway. There's also not enough time to squeeze everything in just one meeting... That said, I'll just cut to the chase. I only need to say and clarify something."

"Okay. What is it? Probably something you can't tell in the mirror, isn't it?"

"Do you want power, Angelica?"

"Eh?"

Caught off guard, Eli only blinked at Venus and remained speechless. It just came out of the blue - an unheralded fastball. The former Empress then proceeded to reveal how she noticed that small desire inside her for a while now. She's aware that it wasn't out of greed for power or mere curiosity, however. Rather, she's been yearning for an ounce of magic to protect both herself and the people around her, considering that she's exponentially becoming a target of unwarranted trouble these days. Even though she already has her, she still wanted to secure one for reassurance.

"Can I have it, anyway? I mean, Hal did tell me the dangers and everything," Eli replied, a bit deflated.

"And he's right. You mustn't wield it, especially with your current state," Venus remarked meaningfully, making her flinch in surprise.

"Y-You... You knew? About my-"

"Of course I do, dummy. We're sharing each other's memories... Now then, let me warn you. When the boy said that magic is dangerous to someone who's not born with it, that doesn't apply to your own body only. You should be wary of the people and happenings around you as well... Magic is dangerous - both in and out."

"Where are you getting at?"

"You asked why your memories were a mess, right? Then, here's the answer... I removed them."

Venus was now mustering an apathetic front, eyes dimming with an inscrutable emotion. Eli, on the other hand, was starting to lose words to say, eyes bulging in flummox and mouth slightly agape. She didn't know that she was capable of this. Even more so, she had no clue why she'd do something as large as distorting her memories like that. Then, for some reason, she felt the same dread she had when Venus attempted to exploit her for the first time. Messing with memories was such a big deal, after all. Without knowing it, something as upscale as this was already happening within her.

"Y-You... D-Do you still want to get rid of me...?" Eli trailed off amidst her storm of emotions, brows slowly furrowing in vexation.

"Be reasonable, Angelica. I won't do something like that in such a roundabout way," Venus calmly clarified.

"Also, I won't play that kind of game anymore... Everything I'll do from this point onwards is to help my vessel survive - doesn't matter how you'll see me or what kind of method I'll use, I'll do this the old way. I'll help you survive even if that means sacrificing all my cards," the villainess continued with an austere facade, which made her feel even more rattled.

"Why are you being like this all of the sudden? Why do you sound like I'm in some kind of a jeopardy?" Eli questioned in mystification.

"Because you are, imbecile! Didn't you realize? Your enemies are increasing each day, and I'm not even going to start with that one from earlier this afternoon... Now, if you'll continue to expose yourself to magic, to those Champions, to these summoned creatures... You might reach the point of no return and lose something much more than you bargained for."

Eli was thoroughly confounded. She'd never imagined a day when she'd get to see Venus like this nor did she expect that things would escalate this way. Her speech came out like a tumultuous whirlwind of feelings and an ambiguously cryptic message. She could sense that her other self knew something big - one that she wasn't aware of all this time. After all, she won't be gushing so vehemently like this for no reason. The fact that she also called her all the way here only added weight to the gravity of this situation.

"Again, I'll do this the old way, Angelica. It won't matter how you'll feel about it... I'll get rid of everything I find unnecessary - may it be the past that had long been covered in ashes or unmerited knowledge. There's a reason why I tried to erase my step son's existence. I can't have you meddling too much in my personal affairs like that. On that note, just stop prying into their business like a know-it-all," Venus sternly muttered, appalling her.

"What?! Now I'm the busybody?! Venus, I... I don't know what's going on with you anymore, but you can't just dictate my life the way you said you would! You know about my deal with Hal, and as long as you're with me, I can't avoid not being involved! I was only trying to help you either-"

"I don't need the help of someone who couldn't save herself from a mere human, much less survive a summoned creature's unprecedented assault," the villainess cut her off once more as images of Eli's earlier confrontation with Wes and the kidnapping in Amethyst Falls flashed through her mind.

Eli was beginning to get riled up, her frame subtly shaking in anger. After everything she did, it all turned out to be nothing for Venus. She's still seeing her like this small and fragile human, underestimating her only because she's powerless. Just when she thought that their relationship was improving, the wall between them has now started to thicken again.

"Oh, don't get too enraged now, my dear. You think that this is all just a game? Don't take magical beings lightly, Angelica... After all, what you've seen so far is nothing but the tip of the iceberg."

Then, with her trademark domineering aura, Venus dauntingly narrowed her eyes at Eli in a deliberate attempt to make her warning cross.